NLWA took a co-design approach to reshape the community fund offered to organisations based in north London, as part of our commitment to enable communities to deliver change on the ground. The aim of the co-design process was gain a better understanding of the waste prevention needs of north London residents, assess the effectiveness of the fund and work collaboratively to improve what is offered.
What is co-design?
Co-design refers to a participatory approach to designing solutions, in which all stakeholders are treated as equal collaborators in the design process.
Key principles of a co-design process involve:
- Intentionally including target stakeholders in designing solutions
- Incorporating feedback from target stakeholders into insights
- Developing solutions based on feedback
What does the co-design approach of the Community Fund involve?
The co-design process will involve three stages:
- The first and second stage focus on gathering information from stakeholders to create a shared understanding of the waste challenges for north London
- In the third stage, stakeholders were invited to attend workshops focused on generating ideas and prototypes of potential funding opportunities
In the first stage of the co-design process, a feedback survey was shared on social media and with North London Community Fund mailing lists contacts. The input received provided the baseline for developing the fund.
In the second stage of the co-design process, stakeholders were invited to attend a focus group in person at Berol House (Tottenham Hale, Haringey).
During the focus groups, stakeholders were asked to share details of what they believe the waste prevention needs are of the community, assess the effectiveness of the fund as it currently is and identify areas for improvement.
In the third stage of the co-design process, stakeholders were invited to attend a workshop in person at Berol House (Tottenham Hale, Haringey).
During the workshops, stakeholders discussed themes raised during the focus groups and shared suggestions on the redesign of the fund.