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Ailsa Clark
- Argyll, Scotland
- United Kingdom
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Ailsa Clark's Page
Profile Information
- How did you learn about Art of Hosting (please add the date and place) and what attracted you to it?
- Initially at Scottish Rural Parliament in Oban maybe 2015?
Then revisited more recently as looking for a ground up approach to collective organising for social change.
Attended event in Edinburgh on 24th April and felt a lot of things just fell in to place, made sense, gave strength and guidance.
- Tell us about your experience with Art of Hosting as part of your life and work. What would you say your competence in it is? (new, starting practitioner, experienced practitioner, steward)
- I have been involved in working with communities for 20 years now and it has been a journey of learning, initially involved through community education, then learning in South Africa about young peoples involvement in decision making as part of the aphartaid struggle and challenge / change to the power structure in South Africa. I hoped this learning would inform my work in Scotland, especially with the referendum in 1996 for a Scottish Parliament. So I then worked around the themes of citizenship and democracy but then when I revisted south Africa I was sad see how quickly power can corrupt... Also felt quite disenfranchised by seeing the tokenism of how community planning had been used as a took to give tokenistic involvement to communities on decisions which impact on them. So then I seemed to make the connection between individual exclusion through poverty and isolation of unemployment, so worked in employability for years, recognising that communities have potential to involve people and support people and provide a living for people if they create opportunities, through working together. Then i got a bit jaded as had been working hard and being able to be intuitive and innovative and make things happen, but this was within the context of a large beuracratic local government (although fortunately it was money we had earned and not reliant on their funding so we had an element of autonomy and control). But i decided to change course or stay of the same course, but maybe just use a different way, and started to work with social enterprises, community organisations that were trying to make positive contributions in a range of ways to sustain and benefit their communities. I was able to bring me learning about managiing contracts and finances and negotiating and being shrewd and holding tight to your core values. I continue on this journey but my eyes have been opened to how the governance and heirachical structures of our world create barriers and detract from the potential good that communities could deliver. The challenge of ego in our work, in our world and in our practice. The challenge of our having to reflect and stay true and learning how to bring people with you, to ensure collective decision making, collective strength and collective leadership. Every day I try to learn and I use the energy I have to try to make a difference and to keep my feet on the ground in my life, my family, my community and my work. Its quite a challenge sometimes, so feeling a connection and mutual support from like minded souls is very inspiring and gives me strength as a practitioner and as a person.
- What is the primary field/topic/focus in your hosting work?
- How can those people working to make a difference in their communities via social enterprise be involved in shaping the support mechanisms and resources to enable them to grow the social economy and how can this influence change locally, nationally and internationally.
- Where do you live/work?
- Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute
- Would you like to share a web address?
- http://www.inspiralba.org.uk
- Are there interests/passions that you'd like to share?
- The head and the heart - how to use your heart to keep on coursse but have your head switched on to help you get there.
Rural community economic development.
Community self determination.
Finding strength through networking and collectivism.
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Hello, Ailsa, and welcome to the Art of Hosting community! Glad to see you here. Yours is a beautiful story. You have found a committed and curious community here. Post a photo when you can so we can really "see" you here. Then join in with all the conversations. You'll find plenty of resources here, too, to help you deepen your practice. And the more you add to your profile, the more the community can learn from you and share with you. We hope you will find value in exchanging in this virtual community!