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What did we do?
- (practicalities)
This was a really interesting event! It produced a bigger response, than we could have hoped. So we explain how it worked. The preparations were simple. Then during the day we found that people wanted to join in, and we really enjoyed listening to what people had to say about this war. Some preparation -
Railings - We chose two sites, one at each end of town. The more successful one was around a metal column in a quiet square with a car park, where people could come and read, reflect and write. It was also on the way for walkers on Sunday. The other site as on the side of a main road with more people passing, but it felt very impersonal, and fewer labels were tied. (And even those were ripped off on Saturday night and put in a nearby bin, so we put them back up on Sunday!) At the railings - We tied a full set of quotes along the bottom of the railings, and tied some ribbon along the top. We put a plastic pocket with labels and pens near the printed quote which explains the event. We also put up the poster and added with pen that it was also happening at the other site. Giving out labels - Three of us spent just part of the day in the main shopping street, giving people a tie-on label together with one of the small invitations. We were initially unsure what to say. This was not a peace march, or a day of action, or market research, it was about discussion and public debate. And that is actually more difficult, because it involves more conversation! We also feared that we would be assumed to be 'anti-war campaigners', and get aggressive responses by those in favour. The answer seemed to be, to be clear in our minds that we were not persuading, but were simply inviting people to express a thought in a public place. If they engaged in conversation, we listened, because we were genuinely interested (I want to know!). And whether in favour or against, we invited them to write their comment on a tag and tie it. So what did we say initially? - We made contact with people by saying “Can I give you a label?”, and many responded by saying “why, do you think I’m lost?!”. We handed them a label with an invitation slip, and then said in a personal way: “Whatever your thoughts are about Britain starting a war with Iraq, please write a comment on the label - a personal thought, concern or question - and tie it to the railings, just like they did in New York at Ground Zero. You can tie it anywhere, but there are already some tied at…. You might find it interesting to read what other people have written” When people said they don’t know what to write, we simply said “keep the label and think about it”. We soon discovered that most people wanted to do this anyway. Some people asked for labels to take for their friends and family. At the end of the day - We left behind a handful of tie-on tags and pens at each site, in a plastic A5 folder tied to the rails so people could continue to add their thoughts over the next weeks. After a week or so, we will transcribe all the writings on the tags and print them out. We’ll then take these to the local library, and to newsagents and other places which have public notices, so that everyone can read them, and know that they have been kept in the town. Back to top |