Discovering the Infinite Possibilities of Events
In was an honor to be invited to present at TEDx Springfield. I was incredibly impressed with my co-presenters and proud to be part of the amazing TED experience. TED offers a unique opportunity to present to the world “ideas that matter” and provided me with an amazing platform to share my vision of the infinite possibilities of public events.
Watch Maureen at TEDx SPRINGFIELD
TRANSCRIPT
If you ask my mother how I got started in this field, she would tell you that I began by planning spaghetti suppers in kindergarten. Probably not far from the truth , I was one of those kids who was always organizing a neighborhood parade, putting on a show in the garage, or running a backyard carnival to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy. While, at the same time, my family was very involved in our parish and school, we always seemed to be working with people on a project: building a stage set, organizing coffee and donuts for senior citizens, or singing at nursing homes. We were engaged, giving, and sharing. We were a community of people who knew one another, took care of one another, and had fun together. All of these activities were part of our daily lives.
As an adult I became a professional event planner and I realized that I was once again trying to create that same experience from my childhood – music, food, collaboration, celebration and hopefully, when at its very best, an event that creates an experience of connection, community, and sense of well being that one can’t quite describe.
This is the feeling of well-being and the quality of life that we all want in our cities, towns and neighborhoods. We have seen decline in many of our cites: people move to the suburbs, crime and poverty increase, technology presents a different type of social connectedness, and often people feel more isolated.
But I am here to talk about the transformative potential of public events– the opportunity to capture a moment of communal vision and to help it become a powerful engine of social change.
When planning the Special Olympics World Games in New Haven, CT, we were bringing over 10,000 athletes from 150 countries to participate in sporting events for the intellectually challenged. But much more than that: we were creating a platform for social change, accessibility, awareness building, education, and services for persons with disabilities- as well as the bigger mission of the event:
A change in perception of all those who participated. This event was a life changing moment for me because I recognized the potential of these games to foster understanding, change outlooks, and gather people around a greater cause. Most importantly, the world games brought to light the championing of the human spirit, by the athletes themselves, but far more so for the people who engaged in this transformative event as volunteers and spectators. I have never looked at events quite the same way again.
I am convinced that by using the non-threatening threshold of a public event we can create a platform for cities, countries, participants and spectators that reaches far beyond the event itself to create the starting point for building social relationships that will mobilize people around collective goals and drive social change.
Each of our cities and communities is unique with various challenges and opportunities. Think about your own communities and their needs – jobs, nutrition, cross- cultural unity. By directly linking our communities’ needs through bridging activities among various groups, with action-oriented goals, we can begin to establish social capital: the development of on-going networks and an environment of caring and trust between individuals and within communities.
When we center the event around the community, the event will evolve based on the unique needs of each community.
Take for example an initiative around nutrition and health, which is important for every community. Launching a community garden in an urban site during an event with vendors selling healthy food, cooking demonstrations with fresh vegetables, workforce development around catering and culinary skills, and promoting healthy eating is an example of creating sustainable social change while developing an on-going volunteer base, urban beautification, and healthier communities.
As we look at creative ways to program events and activities, the vision of the event will align with experiences that can introduce and establish social connectedness through various stakeholders. Many excellent programs already exist in our communities, so we don’t’ have to reinvent them, but rather, we can collaborate for mutual benefit as a vehicle for growth, support, and exposure through the attendees and promotion of the event.
This strengthening of relationships and developing of networks and social trust have a far greater intrinsic value than the event itself. The key is to develop ideas that can bridge across race, class, and ethnicity and develop from informal to formal social relationships addressing community initiatives that are sustainable over time.
Let me give you an example that focused on building social capital across cultures.
Culture and Diversity
When the Tall Ships arrived in New London from around the world for OpSail, they were greeted by 1st to 8th grade students from across Connecticut. Each elementary school grade had adopted a country and studied the history and geography of that country.They learned songs, stories and dances from the culture (all taught by local cultural groups representing the visiting countries), and they connected with the sailors and ships via Skype as they made their way to the festival.
Upon arrival the students met the ships and their virtual friends, the cultural groups and students shared music, dance and soccer matches with the sailors.Today, the cultural groups continue to work with the schools each year as the Tall Ships theme of the “Wind Brings the World” is developed into our continual blending of cultures with new immigrants and new celebrations of cultural diversity.
Yes, this was a massive event but when you break it down:
The event bridged youth and cultural groups creating social ties, trust and awareness that cuts across race and ethnicities – programs and activities such as song, dance, music, food and sports can happen in all communities of all sizes. The key is to find sustaining programs that last beyond the end of the event and become integrated into the on-going development of social relationships and understanding.
Social Capital as a means to increase social trust does not happen without face-to-face social connectedness. Our cities are far from lost, and In my view, public events, purposely designed to build social capital, can help us introduce new ways to define and celebrate a new vision for our cities. We need to connect at a level that is often missing, and we need a human connection that can change perception about a city itself and the people in it.
Since the beginning of history we have seen evidence of gathering and celebrations – harvest dances and feasts, births, weddings, deaths – the cycle of life and the emergence of cultures and folklore. These celebrations have defined cultures and given us a window to see their world.
At their very best, public events offer us a chance to define our current communities and cultures. The creation and presentation of events can inspire the roots of social capital development: trust, openness, and communication.
One of my favorite examples that demonstrated building social capital was the 1,000 voice choir - a multi-denominational choir that sang at the World Games opening ceremonies. The members of the choir represented various churches, ages, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Through the experience of creating and participating in music – which requires interaction, coordination and trust – we grew from there and began to hold annual concerts, picnics, conversations about shared concerns, and began to build a greater understanding and appreciation of diverse neighbors and a willingness to work together. Again, a transformative event that can happen on any scale.
The establishment of these episodic social relationships has implications for our future ability to mobilize ourselves and others towards collective goals. Outdoor events are attended by 102 million people each year in US cities and towns. The National Endowment of the Arts conducted a study that looks at the importance of events as creative placemakers, integrated into the community and providing education, employment, entertainment and enhanced quality of life: really valuable research, but I think it also points out what is missing in terms of social value and the untapped potential of public events.
Take for example Sandy Hook, CT – we are working on one-year anniversary event to introduce a transformative initiative to build compassionate communities. Promoting love, connection and community for every child and family, we are presenting an event that will begin to build informal social relationships that will eventually lead to on-going programs and relationships to nurture and build communities that ease social isolation.
Whatever the purpose or intention of the event is, we can start by taking a look at the breakdown of stakeholders, and the potential collaborative networks that can be formed. Then we can creatively design event components to address social needs and build social capital for lasting change. There are infinite possibilities for new networks and connections.
This does not all have to happen on a grand design scale. One of my most memorable event moments happened spontaneously – an aha! moment – that could not have been planned. Ed ,my tech director and I were driving around in a golf cart checking sound levels out in the park when a small boy about 4 years old was following us asking for a ride. His parents asked us to please give him a ride, so we did. He was a special needs child with intellectual challenges, but as I held him on my lap and Ed drove the golf cart, the crowd smiled, waved, we waved back, as the parents took pictures and cried happy tears. In that instant I realized how important this moment was, I saw the communal vision and the potential of humanity to create a better community – cohesive, happy, accepting, loving and celebrating.
I know that is why I feel strongly about the preservation and development of public events. The emergence of hope and optimism from the shared experience of joy and all its potential is one of the most important ideas we can nurture in our cities and towns.
I encourage you to discuss these opportunities in your communities, to engage in developing new social innovation programs within your events, test the outcomes and observe the social capital that will serve communities in many manifestations.
We now have the opportunity, perhaps even the obligation – to both our past and our future – to reconnect the community-wide celebration with its grander public purpose. Thank you.
Maureen Connolly has written on the enduring transformational potential of public celebrations, and offers that “now is the time to harness that collective energy and accumulated social capital as a catalyst for social change” that will develop collaborations with the potential to breathe new life into hard-pressed cities.