During the Great Depression, 200 marchers from a small northern town called Jarrow demonstrated remarkable resilience as they marched to London in protest against unemployment in their community and for others in a similar situation across the UK.
The marchers, with no resources of their own, were buoyed by the collective support of the public on their journey. Wherever they stopped for the night, local people generously provided them with shelter and food.
Almost 80 years later, we find ourselves in a similar economic situation, characterized by high unemployment rates and a growing sense of disenfranchisement among the youth. Like the Jarrow marchers, many young people also feel that their voices aren’t being heard and their needs aren’t being met, around 78% according to a recent poll.
This isn’t just an issue for politicians; it’s an issue for charities and businesses, too, who need to deeply understand and empathize with the needs of their customers. We discover how social entrepreneurs use travel to uncover the needs and innovations that often go unnoticed.
1. Walk a mile in the shoes of the people you serve
Social enterprises and charities use various methods to understand how their service users are experiencing the crisis. How about letting them take the lead and showing you how they live…not just through consultations or workshops, but walking a mile in their shoes?
Founded by an informal volunteer network, Unseen Tours’ homeless guides share their experiences of living on the streets, helping people rediscover the nooks and crannies of London through the eyes of those who know it best.
Social Safari in Amsterdam combines a method used in developing countries with those used in hack days. People from across the world are given a challenge, and then they go around the local neighbourhood to uncover its issues and work tohack solutions for them.
2. Discover how people from other backgrounds are solving problems
The world of social entrepreneurship is peppered with travelling references from “camps” to “roundabouts”. When entrepreneurs go on accelerators, they describe “going on a journey” with fellow innovators to discover and test the limits of their ideas and drive.
What about if you went on a journey to discover social innovations being developed in environments as different as inner-city neighbourhoods and isolated villages?
Progetto Pionieri, Millennial Trains or Start-Up Bus Europe all combine the spirit of adventure of Jack Kerouac and Steve Jobs, recruiting people who want to develop projects with the communities they meet and want to learn from those they’re travelling with.
Spoken word artist Suli Breaks travels the world in 80 days to meet people making change happen and challenge young people to follow their passions.
3. Help people tell their stories in their way
European Alternatives has developed creative activities to help people imagine and connect on issues across borders. People may have come to our Transeuropa Festivals taking place across Europe. They may have helped design scenarios for the future, played our urban games or even been a human book in our living libraries.
This time, we came to them. About 30 young people travelled in caravans in six zones across Europe to uncover how people cope with the crisis. Travelling through different environments — from coastal resorts to inner city neighbourhoods via mountain villages — our caravans discovered how people create new ways of living.
We met people who felt their needs weren’t being voiced in the public sphere and were using creative techniques to tackle social, economic, and environmental issues.
Working with filmmakers, designers, social reporters & community researchers, we used various methods to tell the stories of the people and initiatives we discovered — from fly-on-the-walldocumentaries to live illustrations via urban games.
From the Jarrow March to Jack Kerouac, travelling has always surfaced voices that weren’t heard and uncovered new ways of solving problems. It’s a method that’s always been used in developing countries; it’s an effective tool social enterprises and charities can use to better understand the people they serve.
