Reflections from the Studio on Community: Finding Hope in Community

The Harwood Studio on Community was established in 2017 to create the time and space within the Institute necessary to explore new areas and innovate around complex civic challenges, and to be a space where individuals can spend time at the Institute to develop their own ideas and skills. 

The following reflections come from Natalie Rogers, a community development professional who joined the Institute as a Studio Associate for spring/summer 2023.

The world around us can be so overwhelming. Every day it seems there is something devastating going on. Another problem that seems too big to solve. It’s hard to hope when the problems feel so big. Where do we go when we feel hopeless? How do we regain a sense of agency over these huge societal problems that feel so out of our control? After my time at the Harwood Studio, I think that place is our community. 

The special thing about The Harwood Institute is that they don’t claim to know all the answers. The Harwood approach is not about coming into a community and telling them that we know best. Instead, we trust that communities know what they want for themselves. What we offer is a framework to help them work together to get there. 

I think the most powerful thing that the Harwood approach does is focus on the aspirations of the community. Something happens when people get together and imagine what the future could look like. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Robin D.G. Kelley: “Without new visions, we don’t know what to build, only what to knock down. We not only end up confused, rudderless, and cynical, but we forget that making a revolution is not a series of clever maneuvers and tactics, but a process that can and must transform us.” 

In my nine months at the Harwood Institute, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from community members from all over the country where The Harwood Institute is working. Part of my work involved reviewing personal growth reflections in communities who have been using the Harwood approach. As I read the personal reflections, time after time I saw that community members are better able to listen to different voices, collaborate with each other in new ways, and feel a greater sense of hope for what they and their community can achieve as a result of applying the Harwood approach. 

Participants were able to approach their community work in a new way. Instead of focusing on the problems, they engaged the community to understand their aspirations and hopes for what the community could be. Instead of trying to take on huge, systemic challenges, they started small. Achieving small wins allowed them to feel more agency over the issues they faced, gave them something to celebrate, and left them feeling more hopeful for the future. 

When we let hope in by talking about our aspirations, we allow it to flourish. We might not be able to fix the world’s problems overnight, but we can unite around a more hopeful vision of the future. I’ve seen it happen at The Harwood Institute.