Community of Practice

Cultivating a Bridge to Movement Building for a Wellbeing Economy

By Davie Philip 

This proposed objective of the WEAll Hub Ireland intervention is to mobilize a Community of Practice for ‘Cultural Creatives’ working at all levels of society and across sectors (e.g. local government, higher education, community development, business), together with their sponsoring bodies, to support WEAll Hub Ireland’s work of animating and curating an island-wide conversation on the wellbeing economy. 

The Community of Practice is our chosen platform for embedding cultural and creative activism, research and community engagement within the emergent social movement across the island for a wellbeing economy. The Community of Practice will combine the objectives of the wellbeing economy and its values with a consistent mode of building respectful relationships and conviviality across the island and with our peers across the world. It will be cosmo-local. We understand that artistic practice can play a decisive role in social change but is not, in itself, a sufficient condition for bringing about that change. Our Community of Practice must be embedded within a movement. 

Recognizing the transformative potential of CoPs in facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration, and the advancement of a field of practice, WEAll Ireland decided to use this approach to progress the idea and to bring together creative practitioners, activists, and researchers from across the island to serve as ‘cultural catalysts,’ igniting the collective imagination around the concept of a well-being economy. 

A ‘proto’ or pilot phase of the Community of Practice (CoP) was formed that initially included just the Hub partners and staff from Carnegie UK, who funded the first stage of theproject. Through weekly online interactions a process was developed and a diverse group of creative practitioners and activists were invited into the CoP that we called, ‘The Cultural Creatives - Community of Practice.’ There are three characteristics of a community of practice: 

1. Domain: Participants have a common interest or challenge that connects them, guiding their learning and actions. The Cultural Creatives proto or pilot CoP has been united by a shared interest and commit- ment to delving into the economy’s role, examining the consequences of our current growth- based system, and recognising the transformative potential of artists and creative practition- ers in reshaping the narrative towards a well-being economy. The initiative brought together the invaluable insights and contributions of storytellers, poets, singers, filmmakers and writers. 

2. Community: Participants pursue this interest through joint activities, discussions, problem-solving opportunities, peer-sharing and relationship building. 

The Cultural Creatives proto CoP thrived through various activities, including online sessions with international researchers and thinkers and two ‘Deep Dive’ sessions in the Derry/Londonderry-based Playhouse and Cloughjordan Ecovillage where members delved into the wellbeing economy principles, discussed the myth of growth, and explored the transformative potential of artists in social change. Participants also shared innovative ideas on how we might collaboratively transition towards a wellbeing economy based on love, care, community, meaningful work, purposeful lives, and prosperity for all. 

3. Practice: While the domain provides the general themes of interest for the community, the practice is the specific focus around which the community develops, shares and maintains its core of collective knowledge, ideas and resources. 

The CoP has been rooted in a practice centred on harnessing the power of culture and creativity to shift worldviews to drive change. Deepening this practice enhances our capacity to influence and inspire a shift in societal narratives towards a wellbeing economy. 

Communities of Practice and commoning have some similarities, especially in how they emphasise working together to achieve shared goals. 

• Domain & Common Pool Resources (CPRs): CoPs revolve around the free exchange of knowledge, the cultivation of skills, or the creation of valuable assets in a shared area of interest. Commoning encompasses traditions and actions associated with shared resources, with the goal of ensuring fair access and responsible use. 

• Community & Community in Commons: CoPs focus on building relationships and interactions among members. In commoning, the “Community” is the group of people who manage and benefit from shared resources, and they make decisions together. While they’re a bit different, both highlight the importance of the community. 

• Practice & Commoning Practices: CoPs revolve around the exchange of knowledge, the cultivation of skills, or the collaborative creation of valuable assets. Commoning encompasses practices, traditions and actions associated with managing, protecting or creating shared resources. 

The commons also embodies the values and principles at the core of a wellbeing economy, providing a vision and pathway towards a more equitable, regenerative, and resilient future for all.