Dr Nikki Daniels, Head of Communities and Connections shares how we’re working with members to improve our communities’ model.
‘I would say that the majority of the inspirational things, the things that really get me to think, are those communities that I've met online and those communities that I've met through engaging in RCOT events.’ said Rachel Booth-Gardiner, from the RCOT Northern and Yorkshire region committee.
I hear that sentiment a lot, as well as how much networking opportunities are valued by members. Our Specialist Sections, regions and other small networks are great at offering opportunities for members to learn together and share their expertise. But there are barriers to this approach.
Less than 20% of our members choose to join a Specialist Section and we know that the additional membership fee doesn’t help. Others feel that there isn’t a relevant group for them, or maybe they’d like to be part of multiple groups. Some of the regions cover such a large area that there is a reliance on online activities.
In last year November’s OTnews we shared our plans to improve our community model and invited you to get involved. Since then we’ve learnt a lot by engaging with members, including our Specialist Sections and regional committees, to discover what’s important. I’d like to thank everyone who got involved and shared their views with us.
So, what have we learnt from engaging with our communities?
Some of the headlines that came out of our engagement exercises with members were that our new community model should be accessible, diverse, relevant to the professional lives of our members and sustainable. There was a strong message that our communities should empower and energise members, support their development and share and recognise skills, knowledge and expertise. Specifically, you told us:
• You want access to a community where you can be curious about an area of practice, connect with others working in a similar area, share resources and access learning and development opportunities.
• You want to network with members from across career levels with diverse experiences so you can learn from and feel comfortable to engage in regardless of your own stage of career.
• You want to use your expertise to curate and create activities, opportunities and resources which support the development of the occupational therapy workforce and service provision in focused areas.
• You’re passionate about being advocates and leaders within your area of expertise and want to ensure the voice of occupational therapy is represented at strategic level.
Taking our member insight forward
We know we must be able to respond to needs of our members so every occupational therapist can feel part of a community that supports them to be the best they can be throughout their entire career.
Our volunteers are absolutely critical to this. They provide invaluable support and use their experiences to help us shape and deliver activities for the benefit of our communities, members and the wider public. Technology also will play a pivotal role, helping people to connect, create opportunities to source information, problem solve and collaborate around real-world challenges.
An ongoing journey
We’re continuing to work with member groups, including Specialist Sections and regions, to shape our future communities’ model. One that is accessible and inclusive and makes best use of in person networking and learning opportunities to compliment virtual networking.
In this year’s Elizabeth Casson lecture, Professor Katrina Bannigan challenged us all to take collective action and be part of a social movement to ensure the centrality of occupation and demonstrate the impact of what we do. A strong communities’ model is key to our social movement and we’ll update you more in the June issue of OTnews.