Rebuilding the community through social innovation: the PLACE model

he fate of Fogo Island is very similar to that of countless communities globally. The decrease in resources, accompanied by the attractiveness of large urban centres, leads to the exhaustion of economic opportunities and the disappearance of the culture and knowledge characteristic of each community.

However, Fire Islanders have defied the trajectory of decline: in 2016, Shorefast, a Canadian charity was born with the aim of creating economic opportunities for islanders while honouring and promoting their unique culture. Based on the principles of social innovation (Tracey and Stott, 2017), Shorefast's approach to community development has attracted global attention. One of the great examples was its ability to harness the island's culture of hospitality, its isolated and privileged location and the carpentry and woodworking skills of its residents to create a luxury hotel establishment. The Fire Island Inn has 29 rooms and its profits are reinvested in the community. It has also created the Fogo Island Shop, a shop selling locally designed and built furniture, and a market for fresh cod, sustainably caught and sold at premium prices to top restaurants in major urban centres. Shorefast was also able to create a micro-credit programme that funded local entrepreneurs to pursue their own goals and business ideas.

Our team has investigated Shorefast's innovative approach to community rehabilitation over the past seven years (Slawinski et al., 2019). During our analysis, we identified five principles that we integrated into the "PLACE Model of Community Development": (1) Promoting community 'champions'; (2) Connecting locals to non-locals; (3) Assessing local competencies; (4) Creating enticing narratives; and (5) Engaging both/and thinking. This model has been used to support and guide communities, in Newfoudland and Labrador, which is looking for a way forward in a context of globalisation, through social and community entrepreneurship.

1. Promote community "champions

Finding and bringing together those who believe in the future of a place is critical, because even in declining communities, people are often afraid of change. Since Shorefast began creating initiatives, many residents of Fogo Island have returned home and become local warriors, with active participation in building opportunities. The institution has invested in developing the talents of its workers, which has increased their self-confidence and nurtured hope for the future of the island. The community members thus became "champions" capable of moving the community forward, thanks to their own enhanced self-esteem. Moreover, as "champions" nurture "champions", a pipeline of future community leaders was created that nurtured the exponential growth that helps transform the community itself.

2. Connecting the local and the non-local

The "champions" include people born and raised in the community as well as those who come from elsewhere. Each brings different resources. Locals, including community volunteers, government representatives and business people have a unique and in-depth knowledge of the community. Non-locals, such as recent residents, the media and academics bring new skills and perspectives to the community, often helping locals to look at their land with new eyes. When locals and non-locals work together, new opportunities to renew the community easily emerge. For example, Shorefast has invited renowned designers to visit the island and co-create furniture with local woodworkers. Their pieces decorate the Inn, which makes them even more appealing, and are sold in the shop, ultimately generating even more labour supply and profit for the community.

3. Assessing local competencies

Communities in decline often lead their inhabitants to focus on what they don't have or what they lack. However, rebuilding a community starts with its current assets. To rehabilitate Fogo Island, Shorefast members used Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) (Kretzmann and McKnight, 1993) and Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider and Srivasta, 1987) approaches and began by raising questions such as, "What do we have? What do we like the most? What do we miss most?". The Shorefast team valued resources such as nature, culture and human capital, identifying key resources such as abandoned churches and buildings, boat-building skills and a cultural tendency towards hospitality revealed by the island's inhabitants. Consequently, the institution's recommendations were based on this set of unique assets.

4. Creating compelling narratives

Successful community development depends on sharing positive stories about place and people. These narratives are capable of changing mindsets and motivating new behaviours. The right stories recast challenges as opportunities, shift attention from scarcity to exploring what is abundant, and invite people to expand their approach to problem solving. In this sense, enticing narratives are able to motivate people to reflect on how others have been able to overcome difficulties in the past, and inspire them to maintain hope and commitment to the work. Stories can be a motivational tool, especially when leaders find the right message and repeat it.

5. Involve both/and thinking

The path of rehabilitation of a community is fraught with tensions and contradictions: between old and new; tradition and innovation; existing and future community; and between local and global development. For example, investing money in improving roads can compete with investment in preserving heritage buildings. However, there are numerous ways in which 'champions' can control the tension. They can embrace ambiguity; keep discussion of fractious topics heated; actively disagree; or observe until they find the right time to intervene. Community "champions" should not be afraid to disagree or wait to make important decisions until they have understood the tensions and found a more holistic approach to the problem. As Shorefast CEO Zita Cobb emphasises: life depends on learning to "live in rhythm with opposites".

The five principles of the PLACE model serve as a guide and help "champions" contribute to social innovation and strengthening of their communities. On Fogo Island, Shorefast has put the model at the centre of its decision-making. Consequently, this emphasis has translated into several initiatives that have allowed the island to become more resilient in a global context. Today, Fogo Island serves as an inspiration to several communities facing similar challenges.

Article originally published on Cambridge Social Innovation Blog

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References

Cooperrider, David L., and Suresh Srivastva. 1987. "Appreciative inquiry in organizational life. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 1:1: 129-169.

Kretzmann, J., & McKnight, J. 1993. Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. Chicago: ACTA Publications.

Slawinski, N., Winsor, B., Mazutis, D., Schouten, J., & Smith, W. 2019. 'Managing the paradoxes of place to foster regeneration'. Organization & Environment. Forthcoming.

Tracey, P. & Stott, N. 2017. 'Social innovation: A window on alternative ways of organising and innovation'. Innovation, 19:1: 51-60.