Guest blog from Kirsty Slater, Self Reliant Groups Co-ordinator, WEvolution Dundee
How many young people does it take to start a fire? It doesn’t matter as long as there’s sparks!
Creating sparks
On 31st January WEvolution hosted young people at a one-off workshop to test what happens when young people are challenged to create a pop-up SRG (Self-Reliant Group) with £10 and two hours to turn it into more.
Starting the day with some group development, playdough monsters taught the group that everyone has valuable skills and experiences they can offer a group. Brightly coloured card and post its illustrated the markers of an SRG; 4 – 10 people, meet regularly, save regularly, rotate leadership, shared background & not dependant on funding, and how that could help their journey to be both productive and supportive.
Fanning flames
When they moved in to ideation, their creativity came thick and fast, answering the question ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…’ And as they rotated their leader through each activity the group formed confident and articulate suggestions as to what they could do with their £10. Quick decisions were made and energy was high throughout the experience.
Burning brightly
At 12.30pm they received their £10 and the timer was set. Heather bought a £10 Amazon voucher, Kyle designed a Facebook page and logo, and #Raffolution was launched. Nicola managed the social media – posting adverts for the raffle, Sam updated the sales and Callum managed the draw. Most of their work was done online but in the last 30 minutes, they took to the streets and doubled their profit. By 2.30pm, the group had turned £10 in to £50. Everyone left with that ‘wow’ feeling having touched the magic that lies out with their comfort zone, not to mention a little bit more cash than they arrived with.
Throughout the day, Sharon, a member of the Recovery Dundee SRG was on hand as an SRG mentor. The opportunity to guide, support and motivate the group allowed Sharon to share the leadership skills and experiences that she has learned through her own SRG.
What would you do to turn £10 into more?
