Making a Ruckus
This is a post from Susan Coward, who is a member of the RECOVER project team.
It is easy to have a different vision or pathway forward. The hard part is explaining it, engaging others in the conversation and inviting them to join. Our RECOVER team started on this journey in Spring 2020 and we called the work “Socializing the Wellbeing Framework.” We fanned out and started talking to anyone willing to talk about wellbeing. Whenever I encountered confusion or resistance to our wellbeing ideas, I chalked it up to me having poor communication and persuasion skills. Then, this past July, I read Seth Godin’s article, On making a ruckus.
He makes several points that many of us would nod in agreement. He reinforces the fact that though the status quo brings stability, it creates distinct problems that can only be solved by creating a ruckus. He invites people to challenge the status quo by pointing out where problems get stuck, and by giving ideas of a different path forward. He offers a thought on how to do that: “When we show up to make a ruckus, we’re doing generous work, work on behalf of those we seek to serve. It requires us to use stories and language that resonate with people who prefer the status quo, because our goal is to make change, not to have an argument.”
It is not persuasion skills or better slide decks that I need. I need Edmonton-bridging stories that show future states that are not too far out there to grasp, yet are different enough from the current state to get people wondering what might — or could — be. I can share stories from around the world where people are making their own ruckus as they work to strengthen connections and belonging in their communities. In conversations where we have divergent views, I can listen more closely to understand where our wellbeing ideas don’t make sense and ask more about what would make sense.
Making a ruckus is important and challenging work. In 2021, we will share six Edmonton stories of the kind of interactions that might exist in the future if we prioritized connections and healing for ourselves and each other. These stories of wellbeing will generate reactions, increase our collective understanding and point us towards a common way forward as we try to make things better.
Please stay tuned and share your thoughts with us as we reimagine what a more connected future - in the community sense - could look like!