'Viewpoint' - heritage and community planning

< Back to case study listing

The project is an excellent example of different council services (including the museum service)coming together and working in partnership with other external organisations to meet the needs of a group of previously excluded local people. It provides evidence of how museums can play an effective role in the community planning process.

‘Viewpoint’ was a heritage project developed in partnership in Falkirk to address lack of representation of older people’s voices in the community planning process.

The project was devised to provide a 14 week learning initiative, based at Callendar House, through which the residents of Callendar Park Flats used museum objects, archive, photos, art work, creative writing and film to encapsulate feelings about their past, present and future. They also learned to record oral histories of their memories. The project culminated in residents using their new skills to put together an exhibition of their life experiences.

Residents reported a range of benefits from their involvement in the project. As a result of learning new skills and working with people they experienced an increase in confidence and sense of self worth, and a reduction in isolation. Many felt able to take on a more active role in the community and reported a sense of improved well being. One participant recorded ‘I have more confidence to put forward my opinions. The learning process has been very good and I have really learned a lot and looking at things from other people’s eyes has helped me to understand other people’s problems. So more projects please’. Many participants have since gone on to be involved in further local initiatives as a result.

The benefits to the museum service have been as real as the benefits to residents. Not least of these has been the opportunity to work in a stimulating and creative environment, with fresh ideas and approaches being brought in by the different project partners. The project has also helped to heighten the role of heritage within the council and with the community and has provided evidence of the role museums can play in helping communities engage with community planning. The strengthened links with Callendar Park Flats community have opened up a new potential audience for the museum and through their positive experience has shown the real importance of community engagement.

The project demonstrated that bringing different services together can bring fresh perspectives, working methods and expectations. It enabled the development of a greater understanding and respect for the work undertaken by each party and demonstrated how museums working in partnership can provide richer opportunities and produce outcomes of greater significance and impact. The project also demonstrated how museums can find a role in the community planning process, helping to empower local people through the creative use of heritage resources.

The exhibition was promoted locally and attracted over 7000 visitors. It was also showcased at a conference for ‘Roots and Wings’, another learning partnership incorporating Portuguese, German, Austrian and Spanish, as well as Scottish projects. Museums Galleries Scotland promoted the project as a model of best practice at the Museums Association seminar on Adult Learning in London 2008.

Participants were asked to feed back comments on their experience of involvement in the project, which fed into the museum service evaluation report. The report set out the aims of the project, who was involved, what happened and what the various benefits had been.

Category
Partnership

Project Start
1st Sep 2007

Project End
1st Mar 2008

Published
14th Jan 2009

Who Led?
Falkirk Council

Who else took part?

Falkirk Council’s Adult Learning, Local Community Planning and Cultural Services team (including Museum Collections) worked together with the Living Memories Association and Workers Education Association to engage with residents of the Callendar Park Flats in Falkirk.