This blog reflects on learning about the coproduction process, which came from being part of Nifty Sustainability’s eco-hope and neurodivergence project.

In summary these key reflections about coproduction were:
* Careful and compassionate hosting
* Starting with a blank sheet, but with clear agendas framed around open questions
* Friendly "check-ins" and getting to know each other
* Acknowledge everybody’s strengths while ensuring people feel that it’s OK not to be OK
* Create space for honesty and for people to say what they need, with adjustments made
* A mix of communication and building ideas together 
* Online, chat, Mural, 1:2:1 chats, writing, visuals and hand signals
* "Yes....and" recognising we have different experiences and might not always have the same priorities
* Collective decision-making

From a neurodivergent perspective

My neurodivergence is something that can be hard to hide. When my brain gets overwhelmed, the flapping starts, my hands grab my ears, my speech slows, stutters or stops and a variety of other symptoms can emerge. For me, this is what it is to live with Functional Neurological Disorder,  Autism and awaiting ADHD assessment. In an ideal world without stigma and shame, I wouldn't ever want or need to hide these behaviours. 

Coproduction and eco-hope

As someone involved in climate action in Southampton, I welcomed the chance to connect with Nifty Sustainability and their project on Eco-Hope, Climate Change and Neurodivergence. The project developed through the principles of coproduction. Right at the beginning, Nifty’s Jen Dyer, asked if I was OK if things felt a bit messy, because we were starting with a blank sheet and we didn’t know what directions the project might go in.  Yes sure, I said. I don’t think we can work together as equals if a clear project plan is imposed from the start. It needs to evolve as we go, based on what we all say is needed and wanted. Dialogue not dictatorship!
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Through a series of online workshops, we decided what mattered to us about being neurodivergent and involved in climate action, and we worked out what we wanted to say. This culminated in a showcase event on 4 September where we shared what we found.

I’ve been working with others in Southampton on a project more generally about coproduction processes, in order to find out what people in the city think matters most about how we work together collectively. So for me it was brilliant to have the chance to be a participant in the eco-hope and neurodivergence project, without the responsibility of hosting the conversations or project. 

Here are some things that I have learned about the coproduction process and my experience around neurodiversity.

Firstly, all credit to Co-production Collective for funding the Eco-Hope project in the first place. We need brave and willing organisations to make space for topics to be explored through a coproduction lens. Some funders may be reluctant, given that they don’t really know what will come out as a result. So thanks to Co-production Collective for creating an environment for the unknown, trusting that the process of coproduction will deliver. I think there is plenty of evidence that coproduction processes do work, but that still needs the bravery of those putting their cash behind it.

The Nifty Sustainability team, Jen, Claire, Becki, Lauryn, and Ellie, worked well together to host the space, so those of us who were not previously involved with Nifty felt welcome and safe. It felt really appropriate that several people were involved in hosting the project. They all had personal contributions to make, but they also created a sense of teamwork and offered mutual support.

The Nifty team set the tone based on all of our strengths. If my symptoms came on during an online session, I knew it was “ok not to be ok”. I didn’t feel judged but felt appreciated for what I could input. Sometimes, I would switch my camera off and only use chat if the speech became too much. This also enabled those urgent thoughts that popped into my head to be shared with the rest of the group without interrupting the flow of conversation. The others present made the chat feel really interactive - lots of responses, likes and other emojis - so at all points our contributions felt valued. 

I can’t say I’m a fan of virtual meetings, but as we came from all across the UK, meeting online was the only way this project could happen. This was difficult for me at first because I couldn’t get the sort of personal connection with people that I would have liked. However, the fact that it was a safe space made it OK. The other thing that really helped me feel welcome was that there were regular chances to talk 1:2:1 with members of the Nifty team, so if there was anything that felt particularly hard, it could be expressed on a more personal level. I think that all projects should build into 1:2:1 time to help build those relationships.

Nifty worked hard to create an environment where we felt we could be brave, and we could talk about our fears and vulnerabilities. As Jen reflected during the September event, the process was perhaps too open for some at first, so the Nifty team stepped in to provide some “scaffolding” for the sessions. Jen would send out clear agendas, which included open questions. This led to a sense of safety for those involved because uncertainty can be way too daunting for many of us. 

When it comes to making adjustments in response to neurodivergent needs, accommodations for one person can be opposite to the needs of others, and this may need some exploring. As Lauryn said, “Just because it’s hard, it’s still worth doing.” 

All our sessions started with a Check-In around the virtual room, which helped us connect as humans. We didn’t focus on our roles or what might make us appear important (“head of something or other, at this or that company”). Sometimes the Check-Ins were general questions such as “sharing a time you've felt part of a community” and sometimes more specific to the work we were doing, such as “one key message you’d like to hear at our showcase event”?

It took me a long time to remember all the individuals involved in the meetings because I didn’t have the added benefit of seeing people in the flesh or getting a sense of their body language. The Check-Ins really helped. I must say that small talk can feel a bit overwhelming to me, but if there was chat about people’s cats or the weather, I knew it was ok not to join in, and I wouldn’t appear rude (being rude or aloof is something that autistic people get accused of all the time). It’s OK to find small talk a bit awkward.

Neurodivergent folk can sometimes be timeblind, whereas others need to stick to the clock. If a subject is of interest, it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole exploring that topic, which in itself can lead to some wonderful places. This is where careful hosting, with more than one person helping to keep on track and ensuring mutual agreement for going “off track”, is essential. Plus, the safe space to say, “I feel uncomfortable; can we adjust this, please?”.

Sometimes I said things about my experience of neurodiversity that didn’t reflect other people’s experiences. This was greeted with a “Yes…And” approach to dialogue, so at no point did I feel like my viewpoint wasn’t worth expressing or that sense of inadequacy that can accompany a tumbleweed moment.

I’m not involved with Extinction Rebellion or People’s Assemblies, and I wasn’t fully aware of the range of hand signals used by these forums to help people communicate in large groups. This was game-changing for me. As someone who can struggle with sounds and speech at times, I find hand signals are an important way of communicating when the words won’t get from my brain to my mouth. Using hand signals helps reduce the amount of background noise, which again can mean that group spaces feel less overwhelming. If you aren’t used to hand signals in group settings, then check out this handy guide 2518-XR-PeoplesManual_V3_FW_edit.indd (extinctionrebellion.uk)

When people express something that matters, I want to see that captured in writing. Having had some software provided to me through the Government’s Access to Work scheme, I’ve realised that this is part and parcel of my form of neurodivergence. Like many people, when I join meetings and gatherings that are based on verbal communication only, I can feel overwhelmed. There is too much to process, and I know I can lose the thread of what people say. The thoughts in my head are happening at a million miles an hour, and it's pretty much impossible to listen and fully process what others are saying. So, I was delighted that everything was captured in an online Mural. 

We were given the space to learn how to use the Mural and build our confidence to use it. Then, every time we met, we answered different questions on virtual Post-it notes. This worked well for me for many reasons, not least that during every 2-hour online workshop, we had at least 10 or 15 minutes of quiet time. We had the opportunity to think things through without lots of talking or noise, and this helped it feel like a reflective and thoughtful process. There was one session where I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with words, and I spent a few minutes checking out the emoji and cartoon images on the Mural, adding my thoughts with pictures rather than words.

The Mural means we can go back to see what we’ve talked about, seeing everyone’s individual contributions. The brilliant Nifty Sustainability team helped to put the structure around the individual thoughts, stepping in to summarise what has been said. They always checked in with us to ensure they reflected our group thoughts properly and gave us chances to speak more if we wanted to explore anything in more detail. 

I’ve talked a lot here about the challenges of being neurodivergent and how Nifty Sustainability has accommodated these in this eco-hope project, but this is, of course, not the whole picture. It was so uplifting to be in a space where people fully got and appreciated the wonderful positives that come from autism, ADHD and other ways that brains work differently. 

During the event in September, Gudrun made a great point that neurodivergent facilitation can be more mindful, as we know what it’s like to feel excluded. This is one of the many positive aspects of being neurodivergent. We have deep feelings and empathy and want to feel part of something meaningful, which fits very well with a coproduction approach.

A big takeaway for me and my work is to make sure that people have spaces where they can feel safe and explore issues together, giving people a chance to “find their tribe.” Of course, talking to others from different backgrounds and experiences is really important too, but let’s not forget the importance of building a sense of safety around all dialogue.

Ultimately, coproduction is about making decisions together as equals and ensuring that power plays don’t disrupt the process. By implementing the ideas mentioned above, we were able to reach a consensus on what matters most to us. Watch the September event webinar to hear this project's results.

Thanks, Nifty Sustainability, for inviting me on this journey of discovery. I look forward to seeing more coproduced activities emerging in the future. 

Rebecca Kinge
Sept 2024

Contact Rebecca through Southampton Collective or via Linked In

I have really enjoyed my week of work experience placement with Nifty. I was surprised by the wide range of different projects Nifty is involved in, and I feel that this has given me a real taste for what they do and the ways they work. My placement involved me gaining an understanding of the kind of work Nifty does and carrying out some of my own research in areas that interested me most.
I found the Mixed Ability sports model particularly interesting and completing the introduction IMAS course helped me understand the importance of this model of sports and introduced me to people who have benefitted from being a part of Mixed Ability sports clubs. These personal stories really highlighted how valuable the work Nifty does through their partnership with this organisation. It’s really inspiring how quickly this model has spread to become a global movement of sports and what a large positive impact this has on people’s lives through providing inclusive and welcoming spaces for people to enjoy sports.
I found It a valuable experience being able to get involved in some of the research Nifty does and relate it to aspects of my life, such as the research surrounding eco anxiety and how common this experience is in young people’s lives. I was also able to relate the sustainable development goals to my experience of learning about them at college and how important it is for young people to be educated on the importance of the SDGs.
After researching how organisations and companies recognise and use the sustainable development goals, I had the opportunity to talk to Nifty about how they use SDGs in a focus group setting. We discussed the different ways the goals can be implemented and alternative frameworks for measuring sustainability that may work better for different business models.
Overall my placement with Nifty has introduced me to a range of sustainability projects and concepts that I would like to further explore and work with in the future.

Who we are
Our names are Kitty and Laura and we have just finished our degrees in Sociology and Criminology at Leeds Beckett University. Since completing our degrees we both took part in the graduate programme with Leeds Beckett University to seek advice and gain new skills in the workplace. We both choose Nifty Sustainability for our internship because we are both personally interested in investing our time into more ethical practices such as recycling more, eradicating fast fashion purchases where possible and learning about sustainability as a whole. As well as understanding more about the usefulness of co-production. We are beginning to understand how important this is, especially in today’s climate where large corporations, fashion and technology are more accessible than ever!
What we are doing
We have both been assigned different tasks within different areas, however, we both have the end aim of gaining insight into what Nifty do, as well as personal reflection around the topic. I (Laura) am currently learning about co-production as a research method and how this relates to IMAS (a mixed ability sport organisation). I began by attending a conference on co-production, transgender males in sport and allyship. The conference was useful as it provided the groundwork into the different types of co-production and the potential issues which allowed me think about how this relates to IMAS. I also completed an online course (created by Nifty) which taught me about the work IMAS do and how they break down barriers for the inclusion of people with disabilities into sport; this is achieved through peer education as educational resources are developed alongside those with disabilities and then provided to other clubs through weekly training sessions. I also attended one of IMAS’s weekly classes. From this, I began to read the current literature on co-production in order to write up a literature review. Whereas I (Kitty) have been focusing on Nifty’s social media accounts, and attempting to put ideas into practice so they utilise these platforms to their full potential. I feel like Nifty sustainability would benefit from creating a small community via different social media, to allow them to encourage and educate people online, and to contribute to the fantastic work they do in real life! Furthermore, I have really attempted to immerse myself into this opportunity, and attended a workshop in Shipley surrounding the ideas of sustainability. I felt this was both necessary and useful, as I was given a deeper insight into why the notion of being more ‘green’ conscious and engaging with our carbon emissions is salient. As fulfilling the needs of today’s society, whilst not compromising the environment for future generations will ensure that the ecosystem and natural resources are able to remain preserved.
Who we thought Nifty were
When we first sat down together at the ‘get ready for work week’ (held by Leeds Beckett University) we began to discuss what the work experience may entail, yet we both found ourselves asking the same questions - What do Nifty Sustainability do? Who are they and what kind of work would we be doing? We were also unsure about what kinds of organisations would work with them and the role of Nifty specifically. We understood they did research, however, how they manifested this into wider work with corporations was still a question we both had. Despite this uncertainty, we were both excited to discover more about the positioning and function they provided within their consultancy and research work.
What we know of Nifty now
From being half way through the project we have both gained the answers for our questions and acquired new knowledge on the work Nifty does. We now understand that companies such as IMAS (international mixed ability sport) and the University of Leeds, utilise Nifty’s expertise in the field of social research and educational resources to inform better sustainable practices as well as creating online courses for different organisations. We have realised the vitality of the work Nifty are doing, and how they are helping businesses and organisations make positive social change and therefore making our world a cleaner, more ethical and sustainable place to live in.
How has this experience impacted us?
We would both like to express how thankful we are for the opportunity at Nifty, and how this internship has helped us to shape our individual values as well as thinking beyond ourselves. We have realised how similar the ethics and principles of this company are to our personal beliefs. The passion for positive social changes align with us, as well as our degrees so we have been placed perfectly to work for Nifty during this time. Within the political and financial fields of today, the work being done at Nifty and similar organisations are often undervalued or overlooked, hence this has reiterated the importance of their work. Another thing we would like to mention is how ethical, inclusive and welcoming the team at Nifty have been to us. This experience would not have been as enjoyable or easy to navigate without Jen, Claire, Becki and the others so we want to give our gratitude for this also. We are excited to see what is to come for our future ventures, as well as Nifty’s…

This summer I had the pleasure of completing a 10-week project placement with Nifty Sustainability. The opportunity presented itself through my MSc in Sustainability and Consultancy at the University of Leeds. My time with Nifty involved a consultancy style project with their partnering organisation International Mixed Ability Sport (IMAS). As a keen sportsperson, I was really excited to work with IMAS and help spread their message of inclusive sporting opportunities. My research for IMAS involved exploring the concept of ESG and considering the opportunities it could present them. This offered an exciting research prospect for me, as it would unite my passions of sport and sustainability.

The project process brought some great personal experiences and insights. The first of these involved being invited to IMAS’ weekly catch-up with their trainers; the IMAS trainers are individuals who work and volunteer for IMAS, helping to spread the Mixed Ability message. Meeting these people demonstrated the power of Mixed Ability sport and its impact on society. Hearing the Trainers' passion about Mixed Ability sport helped me reflect on my preconceptions about sport and disability. The experience also demonstrates that inclusion, friendship, and competition are the core values of sport, rather than results and personal achievements. I was also fortunate enough to visit Barnsley College with IMAS. This day involved presentations about IMAS and some inclusive physical activity. It was great to see IMAS’ work first-hand, get involved with some Kin Ball, and experience the College students’ reception to Mixed Ability.

My final two weeks of the project placement involved conducting semi-structured interviews with IMAS and Nifty representatives. This was a great opportunity to understand more about IMAS and gain primary data for my project dissertation. These conversations were honest, insightful, and enjoyable. The interviews and observations provided valuable data and analysis for my dissertation. The dissertation due date was the end of August and it kept me busy during the summer months. Despite some difficult days, Claire and Jen were so helpful throughout the whole process - their support and knowledge of academic research and writing was invaluable.
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I want to express my sincere gratitude to Nifty Sustainability and IMAS for providing such a great placement experience and welcoming me into their organisations. Following this project placement, I started my full-time professional career with the infrastructure company, AECOM. I will reflect on Nifty’s values throughout my future career and pursue work that promotes social value and creates effective change. I will be starting my job in Leeds and look forward to catching up with Nifty and IMAS in person soon!

When I started working with Nifty Sustainability in the November of 2020, I was sure I’d somehow misled Jen and Claire into thinking I was more capable than I was. I couldn’t see in myself the qualities they saw in me, the potential they saw, but I decided I wasn’t going to hold myself back, and that I would battle through the doubt, anxiety, and imposter syndrome to hopefully prove to myself that they had made the right choice, even if I didn’t believe it at the time!
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When I began work on my first research project, Jen and Claire were wonderful and I couldn’t have asked for better or more supportive mentors. They took time to explain and guide, but most importantly, trusted that I could do what was asked of me, even when I secretly wasn’t sure if I could do it myself. I kept proving my inner critic wrong, with every victory, big or small, I started to believe in myself the way that Claire and Jen believed in me.

The moment I noticed the most progress was when I started working on another research project. I realised I was capable of supporting another researcher and helping them during interviews and the various steps to gathering and analysing data, and the biggest surprise of all came when I discovered how much I had improved when writing research summary drafts. The quality of my writing had improved, didn’t have to be reworded or edited as much and the process I used to write the first draft had become more efficient and better suited to my needs.

Learning on the job in such an immersive way was really beneficial to my development. I was able to see how Nifty worked and pick up skills through observing, I got involved with practical sessions and open days with IMAS and Unorthobox and attended various online events, and really began to understand the importance of the work we were doing. I even picked up a few hobbies on the way!