Designing community identity
The identity system is one of the central systems in the Community Mechanics methodology: it is what distinguishes a community from a collection of people with something in common. A two-hour workshop dealing with the question of what identity is, why a community needs identity and how identity develops, organically and deliberately, allowing participants to sharpen the identity of the community they lead in a way that increases the cohesion and engagement of its members.
Session structure
Learning
Defining identity, getting to know the components of community DNA: narrative, values and purpose, and the different expressions of identity: holidays and dates, norms, traditions, verbal and visual language and more. Theoretical learning alongside examples from communities.
Practice
Sharpening the community identity using the identity system canvas, writing an identity document with AI and a conversation script for recruiting members, subject to the time available.
Peer discussion
Processing what was learned and raising issues from the field.
Community leaders, nonprofit staff and local authority employees working in the community field.
Output
A community identity document or a conversation script for recruiting community members.