C-19’s Undeniable Impact on Engagement

Inclusion London: Weeknotes 4, by Jumoke Abdullahi

At the beginning of the Catalyst project process, I had been very excited. I had never led on any projects before, so this was a great opportunity to really sink my teeth into something that would be done at pace. Two new experiences for me, as I had been used to the ‘schedule meetings to discuss future meetings’ format of doing things.

However, as the process of trying to onboard Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs) for the community journalism project continued, I began to get more and more dismayed. The sector in which I work is notorious for never having enough of anything. Funding, people, resources, anything. We had originally wanted to have at least 12 DDPOs be a part of the work, but I was happy with having 10 as a number.

During the initial few days/weeks, I had noticed that the number of people that I had been able to engage in the first instance started dropping. It was rather disheartening as I had tried my possible best to ensure that I had highlighted the benefits and possibilities of the project. But the timing was just simply against me.

Many people within my line of work have to make £100 miracles happen with £10 resources. It is simply part and parcel of the sector. However, the huge impact that Covid-19 had on people was evident throughout the journey. It was not for a lack of interest or appetite, but many of the people simply couldn’t find the time, energy or motivation. Having to work from home and potentially schooling their kids from home left them with not much to bring to the community journalism efforts.

The wonderful team at On Our Radar, who are our digital partners, helped facilitate drop in sessions with the engaged participants and helped put my mind in a more positive place. While it is a shame that the numbers had not reached where I had wanted them to, the excitement from the people we were able to work with was infectious. Brilliant ideas percolating about how best to utilise their time with our digital partner, as well as the industry practitioners that they could be paired with.

The tweet above is one that I had written on the official Inclusion London Twitter page to not only let people know of the great work that we were doing, but as a reminder for myself that the work was worth doing. The hand that we were dealt may not have been the best, but good things were coming out of it.