Camden Imagines programme for 32 council officers starts in Camden
A new programme to train council officers in new ways of seeing and doing kicks off in Camden Council
Yesterday it was blue skies in Camden as 32 Council officers from policy makers to people working with children to those working in the job hub came together to practice imagination and discuss how we embed imagination into the council and policies and structures. #CamdenImagines
Participants were taken through an immersive collective imagination exercise where they connected with a future generation person, 7 generations in the future, and invited that perspective into their work and decisions. They were guided through a process of talking through the future of what happened in Camden as imagination activism was embedded into the Borough - and imagined what happened at key milestones like 2030, when no child in Camden went hungry, or 2034, when all green spaces were transformed into rewilded nature. #ImaginationActivism
The council officers are exploring how to embed imagination activism into Camden. This looks different for all of them. We have offered the frameworks and principles of the imagination activism toolbox, and the council officers are being supported to work out how this applies and embeds in their own context, in the local council and in the Borough.
For some people, this looks like bringing the exercises of imagination activism into policy making.
For others, it looks like bringing the point of view of children and young people into the work they are doing. It’s about always having their voices in the building even if they aren’t physically present.
For another person, it means changing the red lines and boundaries between residents and staff. An example of this would be with tenants having more direct access to council staff - imagination can be an equalising force.
We offer imagination as the tool, and the points of view of future generations, residents, nature, young people and past ancestors as the perspectives, to create a completely different way of working.
One participant shared “imagination activism shouldn’t be an add-on - it shouldn’t be “more work”. It should be part of our ethos and all staff should embody it in their own way. It should be rooted in Camden.”