Outside Influence

Outside Influence is a community-led research initiative in partnership with Good Organisation and others that seeks to strengthen participatory democracy by building knowledge around issues that local people care about, and by collectively working to address shared concerns. In collaboration with Community Links and the Good Organisation, we contributed audios and videos from people with direct-experience of using support services in York, with a focus on housing. 

We listen to people’s experiences with a wider view, looking at the whole system around them. Instead of focusing only on personal choices or stories that create sympathy, we’re exploring what works, what doesn’t, and what could be improved. We want to share experiences that show how people interact with services, organisations, and systems, piecing together a picture of how an individual’s life is impacted both positively and negatively, by the interplay between services and community support, highlighting the bigger picture. Our aim for this collaboration is to show how social structures affect people’s lives, especially when things are complex or unequal. Sharing these voices is just one step in making real change happen.

“You can’t, listen to me, you can’t talk down to somebody, you can’t talk up to somebody…you’re on a level playing field, you speak to somebody as you like to be spoken to yourself” Homeless Male