KE, impact and Key Terms - As Described by our Community

'Language', Understanding and Connection

At our launch event, Helen Wheatley, the Academic Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement, highlighted the importance of 'language'—how we use and understand words. We want to help our community appreciate and learn each other's 'languages.'

Salla Virman from Coventry City Council talked about how starting something new feels like the early stages of a relationship. It takes effort to understand one another, but we need to keep learning and growing together.

At the launch, we asked attendees from policy, research, and the third and creative sectors what terms like "knowledge exchange," "CovenTRY," and "research impact" mean to them. These responses not only help us define these words, but also guide our work with CovenTRY CollaborACTION.

Open and Accessible

We will aim to share information and resources in an accessible way.
We will aim to enable the exchanging of experiences and knowledge to better each other.
We will share info on 'what works'.
We will network and share best resources/practice/research to support others.
We will share information and insights between different sectors and professions.
We will aim to develop research, working on interdisciplinary projects.
We will engage with our community and other communities to foster greater understanding.

Diverse, Resilient and Creative

We will 'open the boxes'
We will 'think outside the box'.
We will 'valve all forms of knowledge' - and help all forms to be shared and to flow together.
We will strive to always find a common ground for connection without ego.
We will be focussed on 'improvement' - in terms of constantly working to improve the connectivity and collaboration between and across our communities.
We will not be afraid of having a go and working towards better, changing things, even when it feels difficult.

Try to create positive change

We will aim to share ideas with policy makers to create change.
We will try to create meaningful positive change.
We will try to make a difference.
We will try and ensure real world application of research and knowledge.
We will create research with impact and impact with research.
We will try to ensure that knowledge and evidence makes a direct difference in people's lives.
We will try and think about 'what research can do for us'.

Dreaming Big - and trying to make it happen

At CovenTRY CollaborACTION, we’re all about dreaming big. We want to envision a better future, but we’re also grounded in the present. While it's important to learn from past struggles, we don’t want to get stuck on what hasn’t worked. We’re optimistic that we can make a real difference, and that starts with belief in what's possible.

When we asked our community about dreaming big, here’s what they said:

“It’s how change happens. Remember, it’s possible.”
“Do it! Every! Single! Day!”
“It’s vital!”
“Yes! Dream big. Let’s go!”
“We’re creating a better world.”

We know dreaming big can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s exciting, but it can also seem distant or unclear. Big dreams need to be broken down into smaller steps. Whether those steps are tiny or giant, alone or together, we’re always moving forward.

Nourishing our impact dreams

Big dreams need nourishment to grow. Nourishing means providing the support, ideas, and resources for them to thrive. By exchanging knowledge, best practices, and creativity, we can build a community that helps those dreams grow.

Together, we’ll take it one step at a time.

Trying our best to make sure no one's left behind.

What does CollaborACTION mean to you?

We all know mistakes happen and you can only ever try your best. Due to a printing mistake we included one question twice on our feedback forms at our Launch Event, so we didn't get to ask this question.

We did answer it ourselves before the event though...and we would love to hear what CollaborACTION means to you (email us at coventrycollaboraction@warwick.ac.uk)

“CollaborACTION means to me acknowledging that through unity and collective effort, better days lie ahead.”

John Bernard, Project Poet and CollaborACTOR

“CollaborACTION to me means creating an approachable network that will enable anyone from any background to ask questions, seek connections and find a way to make real change for the good of the city.”

Marie Neville, Project Coordinator, Freelance Creative and CollaborACTOR

"Co-design is one of the main characteristics of systems change,....,CollaborAction is a very good example of local design for sustainable development."

Adela Glynn-Davies, Project Research Lead and CollaborACTOR

Research Impact

To me, impact means facing every challenge, issue, or complex situation and rejecting the phrase, "It is what it is."

Impact is about change. Things are never meant to stay the same.

“Nothing is what it is.”

Change is always possible. Things are what they are, until they aren't.

Change is the only constant in life. Positive change is what we can try and create when we collaborACT. Through research, we develop new knowledge together, apply it, together and make it work—for us, for people, together.

Resource and Time

Dreaming big needs support, time, and resources. We often feel limited by these and sadly are often limited by these.

But as Josh Leach, our project animator, put it:

“Sometimes you just gotta dream big
and let the time
and resources
do the pruning.”

So, let’s dream big while being mindful of time and resources—both individually and collectively.

It’s about taking it step by step. And CovenTRY CollaborACTION is our next step.