,An insight into Our #WaysOfWorking
A Collaborative Poetry Activity with Raisa Hassan
Welcome, to a summary sharing how Raisa Hassan, Poet and Safeguarding Peer Worker at Active Inclusion, organised and ran a collaborative poetry activity Our #WaysOfWorking.
The activity was designed to explore person-centred approaches to employment equity, resulting in two co-produced poems created by anonymous participation of 50 people at What’s a ‘Happy’ Workplace Unconference. The activity, was held on July 23, 2024, at Clifford Chance in London.
The goal was to help attendees understand person-centered ways of working and communication, creating fairer workplaces for themselves and their colleagues.
About the Activity
The audience consisted of 50 people from a variety of organisations, including the Greater London Authority, local councils, businesses, charities, and academics. The activity was in two sections and ran for an hour.
Throughout the session, participants were considered “Team Buddies,” working together to explore shared experiences with empathy at the core.
The activity was rooted in the idea that everyone is a “book with different pages, chapters, and individual stories”. Participants were invited to acknowledge how their “Ways of Working” are influenced by various factors, such as personal lives, the economy, politics, and societal attitudes, particularly stigma and inequity. .
Activity Structure and Expectations
The session was guided by poet Raisa Hassan and was designed to be a safe and voluntary space for all participants.
Everyone was encouraged to participate as much or as little as they wanted—from observing to taking part fully. They could also leave the room for a break at any time.
During the activity, Raisa first shared her personal poem, “Disposable,” and then led the groups in creating two collaborative poems. These were based on the themes: “What we wish we knew” and “Disabled Worklife”.
Participants worked in four small groups, with one person in each group assigned as a “scriber” to record the collective responses. The materials for the tasks included worksheets, notebooks, pens, and personal tech tools.
The activity aimed to help attendees learn to change attitudes towards a person-centered approach to inclusion in employment. Participants were expected to become co-producers by taking part, creating new connections, and having agency in themselves and providing it for others through active listening and co-production.
Communication
To ensure effective communication, participants were asked to speak slowly and clearly, directing their speech to the BSL Live interpreters and microphones.
A “wooden spoon” was also used as a signal to politely ask speakers to slow down or to indicate when sensitive topics were being discussed, prompting a mindful approach.
After the poetry session, a half-hour summary session allowed for reflection on the day, with key speakers sharing their thoughts.
What We Created Together
Two poems were made during the fun but serious activity to tell the stories and feelings of the people who were there. Everyone worked together, but anonymously to be creative and honest about their experiences.
We are happy to share these poems with everyone. We’ve given them a special permission called a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-NC-ND), which means you can read and use them. You can even use them with your friends at work to learn about how to be fair and kind to each other.
If you want to know more or want our help to create your own projects, please get in touch with us. We believe in a rule called #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs, which means we work
‘with‘ you, not ‘for’ you. Everyone has the right to be treated fairly at work.
What's a 'Happy' Workplace? 