Inclusive Neighbourhood Groups

INCLUSIVE NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUPS

Pilot-testing a new way of fostering inclusion organically in neighbourhoods

Issue at Hand

INCLUSION SHOULD IDEALLY BE 'UNREMARKABLE'.

Often, we are reminded to practise inclusion through methods that are 'remarkable' and attention-grabbing – e.g. disability-awareness campaigns. While these can drive advocacy, they may also result in inclusion that is perfunctory. They also tend to draw even more attention to people’s disabilities and differences.

As a team, we believe genuine inclusion happens in the everyday ‘unremarkable’ ways when we build relationships with those who are different from us and become attuned to their needs – and this can happen in our everyday life! In our neighbourhoods, there will always be vulnerable individuals whose needs are overlooked or may be excluded from residential communities.

This project seeks to unpack the concept of inclusion and explore how inclusion of vulnerable individuals can be fostered unobtrusively in neighbourhoods.

Project Highlights

PHASE 1: UNPACKING INCLUSION & PROTOTYPING ING

In 2022, Solve n+1 partnered with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and secured the Good Design Research (GDR) grant from DesignSingapore. Together, we set out to explore if organic and unobtrusive inclusive activities can help to better foster the inclusion of people with disabilities into residential life in their neighbourhood.

Our Work

We created a prototype of an Inclusive Neighbourhood Group (ING)—a group of individuals who are interested in strengthening social relationships in a neighbourhood, particularly with individuals who may be excluded or overlooked in community.

The ING comprised of neurotypical individuals and autistic individuals with lower-support needs. Together, we investigated these questions:

What does inclusion mean from the perspective of both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals?
Is inclusion between these two groups even seen as important or necessary to them?

After that, the ING co-created and tested activities designed to integrate people with disabilities into everyday neighbourhood life—naturally and without fanfare.

Key Outcomes

Unpacked a richer understanding of inclusion and conceptualised a 5-stage framework mapping the different stages of inclusion
Validated the importance of INGs who undertake inclusive activities to foster inclusion
Created a practical playbook for others who are interested to organise inclusive activities, which is available for download here:

Click to download

Project Highlights

PHASE 2: PILOTING ING IN NEIGHBOURHOODS

Following Phase 1’s success, IPS engaged Solve n+1 in 2023 to pilot an extension of the project – this time, forming 4 INGs in 4 neighbourhoods. This phase expanded the focus beyond people with disabilities to include a broader range of “targets of inclusion” such as isolated seniors, single mothers, foreigners, and others who have a higher risk of being excluded in community.

Our Journey

Solve n+1 formed 4 INGs across Queenstown, Dover and Clementi neighbourhoods. Each ING was trained and supported to undertake inclusive activities, specifically: 4 walkabouts with ‘targets of inclusion’, 2 neighbourhood orientation tours, and facilitating local area connections between residents with specific needs to other residents who can help.

Key Outcomes

Phase 2 deepened our understanding of how to create inclusive communities and scale efforts across more neighbourhoods. The pilot uncovered a rich experience of building relationships with ‘targets of inclusions’ in neighbourhoods and offered invaluable insights, such as:

Trust and sincerity serves as the bedrock of many communal relationships, requiring patience and time to cultivate.
ING Champions played a vital role in driving the group forward.

Click to download

Our learning and insights from the pilot project culminated in an ING Operations Manual for people who are interested to run an ING in their neighbourhood, which is available for download.