Local engagement
Successful transformations start with involvement and a mandate from the local neighborhoods we work in. We look beyond the traditional formal meetings and hearings to spark genuine local pride and ownership of the artworks created in their communities.
urban art
as a transformation tool
Changing perceptions
Art has the power to change perceptions. It can change both an outsider’s perspective of the people and place - as well as a community member’s perception of themselves and their neighborhood. Art is a powerful tool for changing those narratives.
Empowering at-risk youth through contribution to the creative process
Urban art supports local crime prevention initiatives by engaging at-risk youth in meaningful ways. The rich social history of urban arts and hip hop expresses authenticity that many of these youth respond to, giving them something "cool" to involve themselves in. While engaged, opportunities for character-building arise, giving them alternatives to current anti-social patterns.
RepaIring damage and visual cues
Research suggests that there are public safety benefits to the economic development and aesthetic qualities created by revitalizing buildings and public spaces. Art projects such as light installations and muralism are impactful creative solutions in this regard. Not only do these elements address the maintenance issues, but they will also give way for increased visual safety cues. This provides a sense of caring for the area, increasing overall perceived safety for everyone.
Connecting people to place
Art spaces, events and installations can connect community members across cityscapes by serving as a magnet for social connection and foot traffic. This buzz helps keep urban spaces safe by providing helpful eyes in the street, according to the revered place activist Jane Jacobs.
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Hvis man ikke kan sætte sig ind i folks udgangspunkt – uanset om de er positivt eller negativt stemt – så er der en overhængende fare for, at de mister respekten over for projektet og kommunens arbejde generelt.
— NICKY PETERSEN, CLIENT PLANNER AT GREVE MUNICIPALITY
OUR SERVICES
reach out - reflect - cooperate - teach
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Street Studies is a strong advocate of meaningful local engagement in planning and executing urban change. Through our work, we seek to raise the knowledge and capacity to engage in the communities we work with. More importantly, we want to enable people to effectively participate in planning activities on an ongoing basis; not just the activity at hand.
As an independent not-for-profit organization, we have found time and time again that communities are willing to engage with us. As part of our process, we encourage active collaboration between the various stakeholders and community groups, thereby building better relationships for future engagement. While being impartial, we support individuals and communities to express their own views effectively. We believe in a sweet spot where users' own perspectives meet professional expertise and facilitation to qualify their wants.
We are available to support your project on local engagement on all or specific stages.
OUR LOCAL ENGAGEMENT SERVICES INCLUDE
Local engagement strategy development
Feedback and dialogue activities
Capacity training
Consensus building workshops
Youth engagement programs
Educational materials and activities
Awareness-raising support
Below are 3 case examples, where you can see the potential projects to use urban arts and local engagement to involve stakeholders in a shared movement towards positive urban change.
1 | Feedback, Local Commitment & Workshops
We will be your change agents for the process, and provide the local feedback necessary for a thorough local involvement. Inventive and authentic workshops will often lead to these best solutions, combining bottom-up with top-down in the most meaningful way.
During this feedback and workshops we touch upon the following themes:
Immersion in the area by being physically present, gathering informal feedback
Informal conversations about both sensitive and non-sensitive elements through a citizen (locals) to citizen (us as an NGO) approach.
Deep democractive values meeting expertise in the search for great local solutions
Distribution of mandates to the relevant stakeholders and find win-win solutions
Exploration and expansion beyond the basic and often obvious solutions, through a diverse lens and perspectives.
Case Example: Greve Safer Tunnels
2 | Teaching Materials
Most cities and towns have youth councils and clubs to represent the needs and interests of youth. While providing necessary platforms we have found that secondary school and schools in general are the best place to deliver a message to kids with different backgrounds and social groups. Schools are a great place for raising awareness in a representative way.
We create, provide and execute teaching materials with a focus on local engagement, urban art and social cohesion. We help the students build ownership as they become directly engaged in the creative change process of their neighborhood. For example, we will send them out to explore the area surrounding the school to find great and less great spots. This is followed by a discussion and then they are sent out to take action on a mini-scale.
During this process, photos and videos from the process are discussed in the classrooms. They map the photos, make small videos and use photos of neglected tunnels to come up with new ideas. This combines their relevant subjects with meaningful IT and social science.
Making the teaching materials mandatory for a specific grade (example 7th grade) will provide a solid and long-term impact. A project legacy ignited by the new murals in the neighborhood.
Case Example: Greve Safer Tunnels
3 | Local Project Initiators
We specialize in courses and projects under the overarching theme of “ Project-Makers”. We want to equip the youth with the right tools and the necessary inspiration to create their own projects. As we teach a broader group of students and other young people about opportunities to take initiative, a natural reaction is for individuals to get inspired. They feel the entrepreneurial fire, wanting to grow as a project initiator and have a space to explore their ideas.
The courses provide:
project training
working with actual initiatives
learn fundraising
manage timelines, and budgets
raise momentum on social media
evaluation social responsibility
build value for stakeholders.
Entrepreneurship and project coordination doesn’t have labs, it unfolds everywhere and results in the buzz and life you see sprouting in local neighborhoods.
A key focus will be on working with actual initiatives and real life situations. These are core skills for any entrepreneur, business owner, project manager and any member of the civic society: local associations, non-profits etc.
Case Example: H3 & JB10
Transforming public spaces and tunnels happens to be our specialty. If you have a project in mind, don't hesitate to contact us!
our services are 100% based on NONPROFIT PRINCIPLES
Meaning we:
work actively and passionately with UN’s SDGs
reinvest our net income from new projects within our mission statement,
consume according to a strict spending-policy,
engage in research to increase our overall understanding of and benefit to society and public spaces.
And much more.
