A Strategy to Drive Community Engagement and Cohesion
Overview
Jon Harper at Future Foundations won a £250,000 “Big Change” grant to road test how ‘we turn school canteens into social restaurants that are catalyst for social change and a platform for real-world education‘.
Such a bold idea needed serious and passionate support to turn it into reality – this project was designed to help alleviate social isolation, obesity, the cost of living crisis and the increasing disconnect between generations.
Key Insight:
“This is a vision to transform community cohesion and educational outcomes”
Aims & Impact
1. Design Thinking Methodology
Such a complex problem requires solution-led thinking that centres needs of the eventual users and participants.
Rather than focus on a perceived problem, we ensured that the solution led the project development at all times.
2. Speed and Prototyping
As the project was designed as a road test for Jon’s ideas, timing was critical. The faster the theory could be tested, the faster the initiative could be rolled out nation-wide. This meant work had to be done at pace without losing a close eye to detail and adding value at every stage.
3. Overall project impact
The goal was to ensure that learnings from this early stage were used to improve the eventual official roll out – every bit of feedback was taken as an opportunity to make the entire project ever more fit for purpose.
Our Partnership in Action
Executive Support
Andy provided a constant sounding board to Jon and helped in the constant refinement and iteration of exciting but unwieldy concepts.
Stakeholder Workshops
The real experts were the people whom Jon most wanted to help; students, school leaders and staff members, food and nutrition patterns, parents and caregivers who could be advise on what their community needed most.
We created and structured workshops that allowed them to share, and us to capture, their incredible insights.
An Innovators Mind
This project required a curious mind and constructive energy as it was the first of its kind. Everything was new, interesting and helpful – every new idea was brought to the table to ensure no information was lost.
The Work Continues
This programme has been one of the most ambitious I’ve had the privilege to be part of, led by an award-winning innovator with a bold vision for real-world impact. What strikes me most is how much learning has been built into every step. Working on complex societal issues has required us to stay empathetic and holistic in our approach, combining creative problem-solving with iterative learning, and always keeping sight of the real people whose everyday lives this work is about. What excites me is that the journey is still ongoing—each stage continues to bring new insights, challenges, and opportunities to make a difference.