We stand for more than just making a buck; we’re part of a wider community that cares and are committed enough to stand up and be challenged” — Allyson Lowbridge from Australian Ethical for Matters Journal. We are excited to have Local Peoples on board as a Supporting Partner of Champions Retreat this year! In this blog, they share how storytelling can create a stronger community —and in turn, a stronger movement.
Local Peoples is a Melbourne-based studio that has been using human-centred design to create healthy, resilient and resourceful communities for over ten years. We have been fortunate enough to carve out a service for clients who share our vision for positive impact — and prioritise the importance of innovation, future forecasting and environmental value.
In human-centred design, our research process is, well, very human-centred. As we take on a new brief, our general port of call is then talking to the people in our communities we’re designing for. In absorbing the opinions, stories and nuanced outlooks from the interconnected communities we spoke to in Melbourne, we realised these stories were important, and we needed to share them. We realised the need for a celebratory archive of people and businesses doing good, stories we could build a community around, and in 2017 Matters Journal was born.
Now in the eve of our Fourth Issue, Matters’ readership has developed into the healthy, resilient and resourceful community that Local Peoples design for. Pairing long-form journalism and essays with community gatherings and focused discussion, we’ve recognised the importance of sharing personal stories as a force for social change.
From nuanced conversations on civilisations and sustainable cities to showcasing how local businesses are shaping more sustainable futures, to collaborating with local projects that share our vision for social change — the backbone of our magazine is the individual stories that interconnect to grow our understanding of how we can do good.
As the B Corp Champion’s Retreat approaches, Local Peoples are excited to be part of such a significant cause. Events like this not only unite us under a shared goal but create a stronger community —and in turn, a stronger movement — through sharing personal stories.
