6 Section 1: The scenario
Overview
The Social Justice Jam uses a scenario to guide our inquiry and learning. Within this, the two communities in Leeds and Pretoria engage in a dialogue, presenting the authentic challenges they face during collaboration.
The purpose of this scenario is to introduce to you the two communities, acting as a prompt for individual and/or collaborative learning in small groups during the Jam.
In order to work through the scenario in a systematic way, we propose use of the FISh model, which you’ll find in Section 2 of this handbook.
The scenario
The following dialogue is taken from a discussion that took place at the Sustainability Poster Conference during the Community Development section ‘What comes after the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?’
Anika (from Mamelodi, Pretoria): “Hi there! I’m Anika from Mamelodi in South Africa. I represent the Mothong African Heritage Group led by Dr Ephraim Mabena. I love your poster!”
Jack (from Seacroft, Leeds): “Hi, Anika, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Jack from Seacroft, Leeds, in the North of the United Kingdom. I’m at the Sustainability Poster Conference with colleagues from across Seacroft community groups. Your poster looks fascinating. Are those photos of Mamelodi?”
Anika: “Yes! We’ve been running a large community environmental project there for many years.”
Jack: “It looks brilliant! Makes sense that we’re both in the Community Development section of the conference. It’s impressive how you have transformed the land. The photos are a great testament to your project’s success.”
Anika: “Thank you. I took some of the photos; I’m proud that they can show what a special place Mamelodi is. We reclaimed the land and made it into a nature reserve. The photo is a bit grainy, it did not use to be like this, as you can imagine.
When we started, the place was an absolute dump. It’s been quite the journey to get to where we are now – it took us a few years and many, many hands. We still have a lot of work to do.
Your poster on ‘the hub’ during the pandemic and lockdowns is very impressive, too; some great smiles on those faces! I can see some interesting parallels here.”
Jack: “Definitely! We have been working hard to help our community reconnect during the pandemic. I’m particularly interested in this part of your poster; I see you’re looking for government support? Did you receive grants for the land transformation work you’ve already done?”
Anika: “Yes, but they’re never enough. You know what small NGOs are like! Recently, we’ve put in a number of funding bids to provide wardens at our nature reserve. It’s been incredibly difficult. Every application we’ve submitted has been refused. It’s so frustrating!
We’ve done such a great job clearing the land and want to preserve it to consolidate our success, but we need government backing. Scale up, scale up! There might be a national adaptation plan but that doesn’t mean there is project support. Do you get much support?”
Jack: “Well, yes and no. We had a big grant but it’s running out and we always need more support from our various stakeholders. It’s challenging; we’re always fundraising and building relationships… We do a lot through our media work; it helps with getting the word out there.
I see you also focus on valorising local environmental knowledge. We’re hoping to explore and promote local knowledge too, as part of our plans for a new community building and garden.
I bet Josh, our gardener, would love to pick your brains about your nursery, even if we don’t seem to have a distinct rainy season here in West Yorkshire. More like a permanent damp spell. All those seedling trays look impressive!”
Anika: “Thanks, but we’re facing big issues! People need firewood, so there’s a real problem with deforestation. Whenever we fix one problem, another emerges! We had run some community workshops, but, well… How do you deal with these kind of things?”
Jack: “Um, well, deforestation isn’t… It’s such a long time since there were any forests in our region!”
Anika: [laughs] “What I meant was, how do you get community buy-in for your projects? Outreach?”
Jack: “Oh! Well, through discussion! We discuss project leads; we discuss how we can foster community learning. Participatory planning, really, and sharing best practice with a wider public. How about you? Does social media publicity work?”
Anika: “Well, we work with the University of Pretoria. We’ve have won a few awards, which helps with publicity. We run community events and, yes, we do have social media campaigns. A YouTube channel, but no TikTok. You?”
Jack: “We’re online but unsure which platform has the most impact. We should compare notes! We are presently prioritising project funding and support for repurposing our a community building, but advocacy needs to happen too… Maybe we could set up a Miro board to compare approaches?”
Anika: “That sounds exciting. Always happy to compare notes. If you wanted to take a photo of my poster, it has my contact details on it.”
Jack: “Perfect! OK, I am emailing you my details. If you’re going, it would be great to talk more at the conference dinner…”
We would like to thank the following people who helped finalise the above scenario developed by the Discovery Delivery Group:
Claude Farr, University of Leeds.
Dr Ephraim Mabena, a traditional healer from the community of Mamelodi.
Dr Tafadzwa Mushonga, University of Pretoria.
Dr Rachel Nisbet, University of Leeds.
Naomi Roxby Wardle, LS14 Trust.
Activity 1.1
Before you begin your inquiry based on the previous scenario, read Section 2: The FISh model for inquiry of the handbook carefully. This will enable you to work systematically through the scenario.
Videos are provided to share further insights into the situation and challenges experienced in both collaborating communities. However, you’ll need to identify further sources and resources to help you progress your inquiry. The live sessions with the community guests will provide you with additional inspiration and direction.
Take this opportunity to think about your response to the following question:
What will your strategy be to identify useful sources and resources that may help you better understand specific challenges and contribute your ideas towards a viable proposal?
