Firsttine Pierre-Pacquette, co-chair of the Parkside Peabody Resident Association in Lewisham, shares her experience of participating in our national convening for place-based giving in May, speaking on the panel ‘Stories of Change: Evidence Meets Experience’.
My Day as a Panellist – Stories of Change: Evidence Meets Experience
By Firsttine Pierre-Pacquette
The nerves were tingling in my stomach as I drank my second cup of coffee, standing at the back of the room and watching the stage I would be sitting on with my fellow speakers within a few hours. Although nervous, I was excited!
As each group of panellists took to the stage, my nerves settled. The interaction with the audience meant there were no awkward silences, though to be honest, awkward silences were never going to be an issue given the planning that had gone into the day.
The panellists' speeches were laid out like a story, each section connecting to the next in its own way. All of them were thought-provoking, and a few stayed with me long after.
- Deannia from Islington Giving opened the conference with a beautiful poem alongside a video which was both emotional and heartfelt. Her poetry captured the essence of place-based giving and its positive effect on her community.
- The team from Barking & Dagenham Giving gave an amazing creative presentation using a ball of elastic, showing how connection works within place-based giving.
- James Taplin from Innovate UK gave an exceptional speech, full of hope, passion and belief in the future of place-based change.
Evidence Meets Experience
Then it was our turn: Stories of Change: Evidence Meets Experience.
Lived experience is the reality of what change truly means. It shows what is working and what still needs to be done.
Evidence, to me, isn't only statistics and charts, although they matter as proof that something has changed, for better or worse. I see evidence visually, within my own community and surroundings.
Parkside sits on the border of Lewisham and Greenwich and has been my home for just under three years. It's a product of regeneration that has turned a rundown, anti-social and deprived estate into a beautiful complex, with green spaces and a community centre that houses a wonderful community café. The mix of tenures has brought together an ethnic mix of people that truly reflects our society.
It wasn't easy, but with grit, determination and a never-give-up attitude, we reduced anti-social behaviour by 75% over a period of 18 months. Now that's a statistic to be proud of.
The other panellists were inspiring too. Erik was an amazing chair, steering the conversation so it flowed like a story being told. Madeleine brought impressive statistics and data. Sarah's storytelling approach to evaluation was something I hadn't come across before, and it stayed with me. And Zoe introduced me to the fact that Google is involved in community engagement, something I would never have put together myself.
What the Day Taught Me
I learned so much about place-based giving that day. Until I met Saboohi at Funders Together and learned about Common Ground, I had no idea this initiative existed, or that we were already benefiting from its work.
Taking part, and meeting people who advocate for our communities, and work for organisations that genuinely care, meant a great deal.
It wasn’t until I became a Peabody Housing tenant, and experienced first-hand the support of a place-based giving organisation, that I truly understood the impact collaboration can have. The organisations involved that day demonstrated an openness, honesty and commitment to place-based giving that has stayed with me ever since.
To sit there as a speaker, among people doing this work with such care, was an honour.
What's Next
Thank you to Funders Together for inviting me to be part of the conference, and for providing the space for me to tell my story to people who genuinely want to help make our communities safer, more productive and more inspiring places to live and work.