Community Psychology

Thanks, Grant, for getting this blog operational for the list. I look forward to many interesting discussions and debates. I wonder if I might begin by suggesting that we address a couple of points:

1. Can we, as a group, open a discussion upon how we should operate this forum as a space that encourages diversity of opinion yet remains open, welcome and respectful?

2. Also, just wondering, about the slow uptake of this space for discussion. Has this perhaps been down to the fact that on the list emails arrive in our inboxes which then prompt us to respond? Whereas, this site lacks that cue. If so, given the warm response to such a forum, how do list members anticipate using this forum?

Looking forward to getting the ball rolling,

Elaine
 

Thanks from me as well, Grant!

I really welcome this website and the possibility to have different sections for news, events, conferences, etc. as well as different threads for discussions as this will make meaningful participation a lot easier for me. (Having literally spent half of my day yesterday going through the last 90 emails to the list and getting a bit frustrated with the different discussions being interwoven, etc. I do indeed feel very grateful for this alternative! ;)

Also, I'm in favour of Elaine's suggestion to look at how we can make this space a bit more open, welcoming and respectful than the list.

How exactly we are going to do that I don't know as it seems that we naturally recreate much of the same power structures and inequalities in our dealings 'here' that we are trying to overcome in our work 'out there' but maybe a starting point could be to agree a Code of Conduct of some sort? This will probably seem a bit silly to many of you (especially those who generally seem to be of the opinion that we should all toughen up a bit and stop taking 'lively' debate and criticism to heart) as generally the list isn't that bad, i.e. people don't go around insulting each other, being abusive, etc. but personally I would really appreciate some slight changes in the way views are being communicated. Then I might not feel like a lamb to the slaughter every time I consider posting and feel more confortable engaging in discussion.

After all, I'm not here because I've got all the answers and am looking for a space to pontificate to people, but because I'm new to the field and would like to shape my thinking through conversations and debate. It's difficult to do that if every comment is being shot down or ridiculed...

I guess part of the tension arises from people being part of the list/network for different reasons and with different interests, which yet again makes this website so valuable. It could allow us to develop different spaces for those that for example want to engage in academic debate, those that want to share best practice or float ideas for pieces of work/projects, those that are engaged in activism and would like to use this forum to further their campaigns, etc.

I don't know, does any of this make any sense? Probably not, but hey, at least I'm using this lovely new blog... which we should all do so that Grant's hard work doesn't go to waste!

Hope you're all well.

V.
 

This is excellent!

I think some of the hesitation in using this space stems from there never being a clear idea of what we could use this space for. I think we needed the forum to be created first!! It also, for me personally, feels quite abstract. Maybe I've been under exposed to technology but I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to post this comment and would be too tentative to initiate a blog....maybe a how to guide (which could be posted on to the list) would be a good starting point..

I personally would like to see this space complementing the list, and not becoming a seperate entity. I find the list intimidating at times to post on, and sometimes irritatingly unsupportive but also have found it extremely useful. My memories of the conversations that initiated this space centre around the need to open up a more practical space- one that was unstructured enough to accomdate the differences in our viewpoints but strucutred enough to give us solidarity, and for us to give solidarity to others.

I like the way the list physically operates and find it easy to keep up with the different threads (but then I'm able to check my emails daily) and will continue using the list which, I think, tends towards more academic debate. I'm not sure what would be achieved by mirroring that on this site...

I do agree that we need to start off with some 'ground rules'. Maybe a good place to start would be listing the things people do and do not want this space to be. Pauls wiki co-operative constitution felt like a good start....

I recall the idea of a book club- this could be a great forum for that?

Anyway, I'm very excited to see where this goes....

Alison