Through our work we aim to generate understanding, energy and commitment to projects. We have a strategic approach to our work focusing on what is needed to deliver real change.

We have five key principles to our approach:

Understanding the context
Communicating well
Going out to local people
Valuing people
The right tools for the job

Understanding the context
We recognise the importance of getting to know an issue or area before we start work. We put time aside for meeting stakeholders, learning about their concerns, understanding the context to the work and mapping existing resources.

Communicating well
Good communication generates commitment to a project and reduces the possibility of conflict. We ensure that all people connected to a project receive clear, engaging information throughout its life and have chances to inform and feedback on the processes we use.

Going out to local people
We are successful at gathering information from people because we go out to reach them. We map local networks and gather views in shops, libraries, clubs and parks. For marginalised groups we design tailor-made, supported processes to address their needs, like visual tools for people with low levels of literacy.

Valuing people
Valuing people is central to the Pathways' ethos and is evident at all levels in our work: from thanking people, to making our events fun, to ensuring agencies can hear difficult messages. We respect different perspectives and value diversity. We credit and use the skills of local people and this adds richness to our work.

The right tools for the job
A different package of tools is needed for each project, depending on the information sought and the needs of the target groups. Some tools are in-depth, like community conferences, others are fast, visual and fun. However all our tools aim to generate thoughtful responses that support strategic planning whilst also fostering participation. Ultimately we seek to give people a powerful and creative voice on the issues that affect their lives.

''We give people the chance to express their views powerfully and creatively, using tools that bring communities together and foster shared goals.''

Jane Whitaker, Pathways Director

Our tool kit

We specialise in tools which generate specific, personalised information. This is exactly the kind of qualitative data that is missed by more standard approaches.

Pathways researchers are skilled at this work and help people to capture experiences and reflect on the learnings contained within them. We help people focus on what is important to them and what they can contribute to making change in the future.

Tools we use range from visioning events, to partnership building conferences, to on-the-street participative tools:

Arts projects Community conferences Consensus tools to reach decisions in a large group Examples of solutions Facilitated events Focus groups to discuss issues Games to investigate policy options Maps to gather information about a place One-to-one interviews Open days

Photography Pictorial questionnaires Prioritisation charts Stories of experiences Thermometers to measure agreement Timelines Tools to explore issues Visioning tools Walk-In reports Washing lines, wheel barrows and giant bunny rabbits!