The Reunion: Narrative as a tool for civic action

Using facts to ‘flesh’ out a story is not new.  In developing responses to complex civic challenges, the Toronto City Summit Alliance (the Alliance) has used the common fact-base to bring diverse stakeholders, sometimes with competing agendas, together.  The fact-base acts as a common ground of sorts, illuminating opportunities for action.

Group-based story-telling is an innovation to this fact-base approach recently introduced into the Alliance working tables and consultation processes. It is based loosely on the concept and format for BBC Radio 4’s The Reunion.  The Reunion is a weekly series that brings together the movers and shakers who were involved in a key moment of modern history. It offers a new way of engaging broader and more diverse audiences in generating ideas for real actions to address the challenges our city region and its residents face.

Story and Our Common Purpose

Since its founding in 2003, the Alliance has convened thousands of leaders to identify, develop and launch strategies to address some of the Toronto region’s most complex social, economic and environmental issues. This process and its resulting initiatives have been recognized by many, including the Canadian Urban Institute, as having a “positive effect on all aspects of the region’s public realm… not only in practical terms but in nurturing and articulating a sense of common purpose for the region’s diverse population”. Narrative has been central to both the process and the ensuing outcomes.

But what motivates these leaders to volunteer their time to participate in these processes?  The answer may be found in a statement offered by legendary fundraiser, the late Harold ‘Si’ Seymour:  “Every individual needs to feel that he is a worthwhile member of a worthwhile group”.  One could argue that, similarly, civic leaders need to feel like a worthwhile part of a worthwhile story. Perhaps what draws these bank CEOs, heads of non-for-profit organizations and academic institutions, leading artists and others to the Alliance is the opportunity to positively effect the development of a story routed in urban life.

Seeing Ourselves in the Story

The purpose of an October 2010 Roundtable meeting on Neighbourhoods and Affordable Housing was to identify a range of bold ideas for action that could contribute to building strong and cohesive communities and neighbourhoods, physically and metaphorically.  There were over 80 participants from the private, public and community sectors, from the grassroots to the grasstops, from social housing tenants to builders, and representing the rich ethno-cultural diversity that is Toronto.

The Reunion portion of meeting formed a unique setting for this diverse group of stakeholders to hear a story of transformation told from multiple perspectives.  In a sense, it was very much about learning the lessons of history, but with a contemporary and future-orientated twist. With this goal and the group’s diversity in mind, developing a story that everyone could see themselves in and see themselves progressing together presented a huge challenge. But it was not an insurmountable one.

Stories that Create the Future

The Roundtable meeting was held at 246 Sackville in Regent Park, the first of the new buildings to open in one of the biggest public-private neighbourhood revitalization projects in Toronto.  The venue stimulated the idea for The Reunion as an opportunity to reunite the ‘movers and shakers’ who participated in the early development of this project. The Reunion’s story-tellers included: the social housing provider, the private developer, the tenant rep, the community animator and the private sector service provider.  Moderated by a journalist, the group enjoyed the rare forum to collectively reflect on their roles and experiences at the beginnings of that venture, provide learning for the next revitalization projects, and offer food for thought for the ensuing action-ideas discussion.  As the meeting organizers, our biggest challenge would be to ensure that every one of the 80 participants in the room saw themselves reflected in that both the historical and future-orientation of the story.  It worked.

The Reunion discussion was in effect multiple perspectives forming a common fact-base before the eyes of an attentive audience, any one of whom would be able to challenge the recollection.  Complemented by a background document comprising the latest statistics in the space, The Reunion created a fact-based narrative in which most everyone in the room could find themselves.  That the 80 participants could hear their own concerns and ambitions articulated as part of The Reunion discussion helped to build a sense of ownership and trust, allowing the dream-conversations to truly fly.

We are often asked what were the outcomes? In short, they were a set of new ideas, collectively generated that, while still to be worked up and vetted again in similar fashion, have the potential to lead to change. And in addition, a reminder that the responsibility of a vibrant and prosperous Toronto region is one that can and should be shared by all sectors of society working collectively.