The Sights and Sounds of Collaboration in Newark

What happens when over 300 people take part in more than 50 different conversations about how to improve life in their communities? That’s what happened last week in Newark, when Creative New Jersey convened its largest-ever Call to Collaboration.

CivicStory has blogged before about how Creative NJ’s collaborative process works, and we have covered a number of their earlier collaborations. This time we want to share with you the sights and sounds of this very original framework for community problem-solving. Step through the process with the following gallery of pictures, and listen to our podcast to hear more about it.

Setting the Stage

Hundreds of participants, seated in a circle, listen to instructions. They are asked to think of a question they want to discuss. The papers and markers on the floor are for writing them down.

Let the Questions Begin

Those with questions then line up to introduce themselves and read their question to the audience.

The Conversation Marketplace

The questions are then posted on a wall for all to read, as the participants decide which conversation to join.

You ask. You lead.

Those who asked questions become the conversation leaders.  Each conversation gets a 50-minute time slot. The cavernous room in NJIT’s fitness center can accommodate 15 simultaneous discussion groups.

High School Participation

This group on school security was led by high school students. Discussion leaders take notes.

Art for Water

This one, called “Liquid Gold”, aims to recruit Newark’s artistic community in support of clean water action.

How to monetize creative and arts opportunities?

Fostering the arts in Newark is going to take some entrepreneurial skills.

How to keep Newark clean?

Some of the simplest questions might be the hardest to answer.

Focus on Entrepreneurship

This group focused on fostering and keeping entrepreneurship in Newark.

The News Room

Once the discussions are over, the leaders write up their notes for Creative NJ to share with all participants.

Rinse and Repeat

The cycle of questioning, discussing, and recording is then repeated until all questions that were asked in the beginning of the collaboration have been covered.

On the second day of the Call to Collaboration, the groups are asked to consider what action to take to resolve their questions. The outcome of this deliberative process is meant to give all participants the momentum to transform their communities for the better. For more details, see creativenj.org.