Planning Your Community
A Learning Community begins with a deliberate invitation, concerning who needs to be part of the conversation. The aim is to bring together people with a range of perspectives, experiences, and ways of knowing. It is important to consider potential power imbalances within the group, as these can shape who feels able to speak, contribute, or challenge ideas. In the PLANET4B Learning Community, membership was intentionally selected to reflect relatively cohesive levels of influence and authority, helping to foster open dialogue and mutual respect.
Start by identifying who should be involved
Start with the question you want to explore or the challenge you want to address. Then ask: who needs to be part of the conversation? Think in terms of constellations of people, not isolated individuals. This might include actors from business, government, environment, academia and third sector/civil society, or alternatively, it might intentionally source all members from just one of these actor groups. It is not just about who is easiest to reach, but who can bring relevant insight, energy, and perspective. For example, whilst each of the individual PLANET4B leaning communities were relatively cohesive working only with participants from a single action group, collectively across the six Learning Community they included actors from a relatively wide range of sectors and social positions, and paid particular attention to age, gender, migration, disability, and socio-economic status.
You might use Stakeholder Mapping or similar exercises to support the process of building your Learning Community. Whichever approach you take, you should be able to identify:
- Who is directly affected by the issue or current decisions?
- Who is already active, organising, or trusted in this space?
- Who brings perspectives that are often overlooked or marginalised?
- Who has practical, cultural, artistic, or spiritual knowledge that could shape the work?
- Who holds power or influence over the issue?
Design around members’ needs and priorities
Learning Community work best when there is a shared sense of purpose and the focus addresses what matters to members. This does not mean everyone has to agree on everything, but it helps if there is a feeling that people are contributing to something that matters. Spend time early on talking about:
- What are people already experiencing, working on or concerned about?
- What support or shared learning would help them in their everyday efforts and lives?
- What is the issue we are exploring together?
- What might we be able to influence, change, or learn?
- How will we know this Learning Community process is working for us and/ or with regard to the issue which we are seeking to address?
This kind of visioning can make the process feel more motivating and relevant, and can offer a touchstone to return to as the community evolves.
Building Your Community
Building Connections
Reaching out to possible members is likely to be more effective if you spend time building a connection first. This could involve:
- Reaching out through trusted intermediaries or community leaders
- Visiting places people already gather (community centres, libraries, cafés)
- Sharing posts in social media, or faith networks, newsletters, community boards
- Holding informal drop-in sessions or arranging one-to-one conversations
- Attending meetings or events where people already feel comfortable and seen
Inviting Members
Be clear about what participation involves, including the time commitment, format, and expectations for engagement. Be honest and specific about what members can expect to contribute, as well as what they might gain from taking part. Emphasise that their insight is both valued and needed, and that they will play an active role in shaping the direction of the work. Participation should feel purposeful, reciprocal, and grounded in mutual respect.
Considerations when Building a Learning Community
Building a Learning Community is not a one size fits all approach, it requires openness, tailoring, and adaptability:
- The recommended group size is 8 to 12 members, which allows for both cohesion and a diversity of voices.
- Use tailor-made approaches to reach different groups, including surveys, interviews, community events, creative workshops, and informal conversations
- Create safe and welcoming spaces, especially when working with vulnerable groups; this may involve holding separate preparatory meetings with individual participants
- Invite trusted intermediaries who can build bridges with specific communities or support inclusive facilitation
- Expect and embrace change: some members may step-back over time, while others may join as relationships and relevance grow
- Group size, it is recommended there are 8 -12 members, to allow for group cohesion and a variety of voices.
