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Foster Community Innovation – Small Shops Cre-Action Lab‎

我們的工作
FOSTER CO-CREATION

Small Shops Cre-Action Lab: Connecting Community Actors to Prototype Solutions for Neighbourhoods

Duration: August 2022 – November 2022

Project Partner: Social Enterprise Summit

Project Collaborators: REstore, Life Workshop, Catholic Diocese of HK Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Workers

Project Background

The Yau Tsim Mong district (YTM) has long encapsulated the cultural diversity and rich history of Hong Kong, but the prolonged pandemic has sapped its vitality and scarred the lives and local economy that form the very fabric of this neighbourhood. Despite these challenges, the pandemic also brought to light the importance of local small shops in YTM. Their unique role as the anchor for neighbourly support and connections, which often transcend their commercial focus and was further accentuated during the pandemic, makes them valued social capital for community resilience building.

Amid the gloom of the pandemic, how might we leverage the valued social capital of small shops to lift community spirits? What new possibilities might it open up when we tap into the power of our collective creativity and turn Yau Tsim Mong into a testing ground?

The Co-Creation Journey

The community programme “Small Shop Cre-Action Lab”, was a two-month co-creation journey underpinned by Design Thinking. The programme provided a platform where unlikely relationships and synergies can be developed between the community actors, to leverage their collective creativity and test out alternative ways of collaboration for revitalise the post-covid Yau Tsim Mong community.

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Stage 1 – Co-Learning: Build relationships through empathy

We organised Co-Learning Workshops, where programme participants (i.e. co-creators) learnt about community culture landscape from subject matter experts, and exchanged thoughts with local community organisations. As co-creators connected with local small shops during the Community Tour, they also learnt to see the role of the small shops, from a different light, in the broader cultural and urban landscape of YTM.

Stage 2 – Co-Ideation: Brainstorm ideas around community challenges and strengths

Co-creators were guided to consolidate the observations, with the inspirations gained from social innovation practitioners, they reflected on how might we utilise the identified strengths and characteristics of the small shops to tackle the challenges faced by the neighbourhood. Co-creators were then splitted into three teams, focusing on “Multicultural Shops”, “Old Artisan Shops” and “Next Gen. Stores” respectively, to develop their creative ideas for actions.

Stage 3 – Co-Creation: Prototype experiments with small shops

As co-creators continued to engage with small shops to refine their creative ideas, they also received a small amount seed funding to transform their ideas into prototypes. A “Sharing Day” event was conducted to test the prototypes, and concluded the programme with a fruitful sharing session.

Creative Actions

Co-creators co-created with small shop owners to develop creative actions, and these actions were tested in the community on the “Sharing Day”.

Look Closer: A Nepali Cultural Tour to Bowring

Located in Jordan, Bowring Commercial Centre gathered numerous multicultural shops. Partnered with the Nepalese shop owners, we organized an Open Day event to invite community members to enter the “Little Chungking Mansions” and experience our exclusive activities. It offers a chance to unveil the stories behind these multicultural shops and embrace their culture.

Crafted in YTM: An Adventure into Old Shops

As old artisan shops gradually close down in the Yau Tsim Mong, the co-creators team designed an exploratory activity based on their “One-Day Shop Assistant” experience in old shops. It aims to involve more community members in understanding the relationship between old shops and the community, as well as appreciating the traditional craftsmanship and exploring possibilities on how all these can be passed onto the next generations.

Creatively Jordan: Small-Shop Museum

Transforming community observations into inspirations, the co-creators team used materials from small shops to craft creative artworks. The team turned a coffee shop into a vibrant community museum. It aims to stimulate new insights and possibilities of the community, rediscover street culture and deepen our relationships with it.

Sharing Day

A sharing session has been conducted to share our insights gained in the co-creation journey.

A Small Shop Culture and Story Map

The Good Lab team, together with the co-creators and illustrator, created ‘A Small Shop Culture and Story Map’ to introduce the small shops in Jordan and Yau Ma Tei, also with the three creative initiatives driven by co-creators and small shops.

Click to view the community map

The Impact

  • Forged new bonds between 20 co-creators and over ten local shops, including old artisan shops, multicultural shops, and new businesses helmed by the younger generation.
  • Three creative actions were prototyped to celebrate the unique landscape of multiculturalism, traditional craftsmanship, and emerging businesses in Yau Tsim Mong, and attracted over a hundred community members to participate in the Sharing Day. 
  • Inspired community members to rethink their relationships with the local small shops, and empowered community members to become active agents in the continued stewardship of their neighbourhood.