I work in community development and representation because I followed my curiosity in history. I had worked in home care for a few years when I went back to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in 2008 to improve my Gaelic. I did keep working in homecare at the same time as the full time first year course and I had always planned to go back into homecare. However, the appeal of the Minority Language and Community Development course was too much to ignore. The course allowed me to learn about the history, economics, politics, and culture of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland and beyond.
Engagement, talking to people, is at the heart of development work. To me, engagement is making sure everyone knows the basics, knows where to find out more, how to engage with the project/organisation if they want to, and how to influence what is happening. I started working for the North Harris Trust in 2012 as their Engagement Officer as part of a graduate placement scheme with HIE. It was an excellent opportunity and provided valuable insight, training, and connections. Apparently, a good community engagement result was a response rate of 10-15%. The NHT Community Consultation had a 24% response rate for households. We even tailored the survey so that the local school children could add their own responses.
Working with communities can be a challenge, and I love finding ways through the challenges that we face. The key to it is respecting all involved. Sometimes, we need to wait for the right set of circumstances or the right people. When I worked for the Muaitheabhal Community Wind Farm Trust as their Development Officer (DO), I updated the Park and Kinloch development plan. This plan required working with all of the organisations in their area. It took a lot of coffee and cake, but we did it! You can see the report here. There are two priority benefits to a detailed plan like this
- the community themselves can see exactly what is being planned in one place
- funders see how their funding tied into a much wider plan.
Much of what I have worked in is a mix of a translation service. What one person needs to understand something is not the same for everyone. Some people want basic info and pictures, others want a spreadsheet, others want a reel. Funding priorities are one of my favourites. The work I have done on Raasay is a great example of what can be achieved when working together and keeping everyone involved.
Raasay Development Trust (RDT) was established in 2014 to take on projects to support the island to thrive. In May 2022, Raasay was announced to have been chosen as one of six islands to be funded through the Carbon Neutral Islands project. As a Director, I worked in the background to support the Development Officers. The first job was to get the community involved. The plan included drop-in sessions, events, and creating a household survey. With two part time Development Officers that went round to help with filling in the form, we managed to get a massive 86% response rate. The resulting Community Climate Action Plan can be found here.
Raasay has an incredible number of groups and organisations for such a small island. It took a monumental effort, time, and resources to complete the first years’ outcomes on time and within budget. If extra information is needed, we know who to talk to. I hope the lasting legacy is the continuation of the round table meetings of all the organisations. In any community, it can be difficult to keep conversations respectful. No matter the subject, there are always nuggets of information there that people agree on. Development officers, councillors, and other are here to help find those nuggets and keep us all working together for the benefit of all. It can be surprising when you pare away the layers of an argument and find the same concern.
When I worked with Community Land Scotland as the Gaelic Development Officer, groups always knew they would be able to ask me anything. Some of the best projects come from a “silly idea” that someone wanted to run by me. Knowing you can contact someone, and get a supportive response, builds confidence in whatever you are involved in. I have always been easily contactable, no matter the role, that will not change.
Like community development officer, being a Councillor is representing the community, not your personal views. That must never be lost in the work that is prioritised and brought forwards. As a development officer, you are there to represent and advocate for the communities. As a councillor, I will be the local voice for the people of Skye and Raasay.
PS – Before you ask, in the Highlands especially, you will only get 100% engagement if you’ve infuriated the locals!
Christine Gillies 