Community Engagement

Learning Directly from Residents

Florida

Hancock

Williamstown

Peru

What better place to learn about the Berkshires than within its many small towns? Throughout the semester, we’ve been attending community events to speak with residents directly about what they love about the region, as well as the problems they experience.

Where We’ve Been

Peru: Climate Workshop

We sat in on BRPC’s Climate Vulnerability Workshop, listening to residents explain their weather-related problems in town.
Who you saw: Bella, Darren, Jacob
Hancock: Community Day

Hancock residents were one of the first to hear about our new project. At our table, residents filled out the BerkBlibs and left comments. Addison even won the pie eating contest!
Who you saw: Maitri, Ben, Addison, Cameron
Adams: Mt. Greylock Hike

We tabled here to spread the news to hikers about our climate resiliency efforts, and what kind of projects they’d like to see in their region.
Who you saw: Maitri, Cameron, Isabella, Darren
Sheffield: Fall Festival

Children and adults alike made small art pieces on our mini-canvases that captured how they felt about the town’s natural environment, and remain one of our favorite pieces of engagement.
Who you saw: Bella, Addison, Luke
Florida: Halloween Celebration

We attended the senior center’s Halloween Celebration, where we heard stories about the small, rural town’s history and trends over time. Residents labeled on a map their favorite spots in the Berkshires to give us a sense of where people tend to go within the region
Who you saw: Addison, Bella, Maitri, Jacob
Williamstown: Pumpkin Smash

Spread news of our project to the North corner of the region, as well as relieved some post-midterm stress by smashing pumpkins
Who you saw: Michelle, Ben, Darren

Engagement Strategies

The Stream Table

With the help of students from Springfield Technical High School, our studio workshopped an engagement event around a stream table. It simulates flooding using sand-like particles that erode when flowing water moves down the table.

In the style of a board game, groups of students took turns placing down houses on the table, and picked up cards that could benefit them in the event of a flood. At the end of the round, we turned on the hose to simulate a real flood. All were able to watch the pieces they placed either be swept away, or stay safe from the water!

Our card game (in development) is a result of this event, where we’re making this activity possible to do without a stream table.

BerkBlibs and Budgeting

The BerkBlibs are a Mad-Libs style exercise where participants fill in blanks on a climate worksheet. Their choices show us preference patterns and attitudes within the region, and we have them with us wherever we table.

The budgeting exercise is similar; participants are given a particular dollar amount to spend on categories on a worksheet. These categories include the economy, environment, education, and more. Seeing how much people put into each category tells us their preferences, and can directly help planners determine where residents want to spend grant money.

Canvas Art

In Sheffield, we had residents convey what they wanted the Berkshires to look like through drawings. Kids and adults alike drew small pictures for us, which prompted conversations about the environment in a fun and simple way.