{"id":2287,"date":"2025-06-29T09:38:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T09:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/?p=2287"},"modified":"2025-06-29T09:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T09:38:23","slug":"reviving-third-sector-talk-visual-thinking-community-action-and-fresh-perspectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/06\/29\/reviving-third-sector-talk-visual-thinking-community-action-and-fresh-perspectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviving Third Sector Talk: Visual Thinking, Community Action, and Fresh Perspectives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome Back<\/strong><\/em>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a while since I last wrote here….actually 5 years today…Back in 2020, this blog emerged as a space for me to share insights, reflections, and resources during a time when the Third Sector was under immense pressure. Like many working in community development and engagement, I was fully immersed in the COVID response, supporting local organisations and amplifying the #NeverMoreNeeded message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since then, things have changed for all of us. I\u2019ve stepped back, taken time to reflect, and stepped into new ways of working that feel both meaningful and creatively fulfilling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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These days, I work freelance as a consultant supporting Local Authorities and communities through Community Action Plans<\/strong>, Local Place Plans<\/strong>, and meaningful community engagement<\/strong> processes. My focus remains on amplifying local voices and co-producing solutions that work on the ground.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

But alongside this, I\u2019ve stepped more fully into another passion: visual thinking and creative communications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve decided to breathe new life into this blog for three reasons: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(True confession: I meant to move this blog onto my main website before the hosting renewal came up, but I missed the window and here we are \u2013 signed up for another year. I\u2019m taking that as a sign to dust it off and make the most of it.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. To Share Insights<\/strong> \u2013 From grassroots engagement to visual facilitation, I want to share what\u2019s working (and what\u2019s not) in community development and creative strategy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. To Showcase Visual Work<\/strong> \u2013 Graphic facilitation, design for the third sector, and creative ways to communicate ideas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. To Open Conversations<\/strong> \u2013 I\u2019d love to reconnect with others working in community development, social impact, and visual thinking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/em>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the coming months, you\u2019ll see posts about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • How visual thinking supports community planning<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Case studies on graphic facilitation for Local Place Plans<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Tips for small nonprofits to tell their story visually<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Reflections on localism, participation, and sector trends<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      I\u2019ll also be sharing pieces about my pursuit of a healthier work-life balance. With full retirement about ten years away, I\u2019m becoming more mindful about how I spend my time focusing on meaningful, positive projects as I move towards a semi-retired phase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Thanks for sticking around or for joining me for the first time. I\u2019m excited to start sharing again with a fresh perspective, renewed creativity, and a marker in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      –-Jacky Niven
      Visual Thinker | Community Engagement Consultant | Graphic Facilitator<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Welcome Back… It\u2019s been a while since I last wrote here….actually 5 years today…Back in 2020, this blog emerged as a space for me to share insights, reflections, and resources during a time when the Third Sector was under immense pressure. Like many working in community development and engagement, I was fully immersed in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-before-after","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/between-the-ears-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2287"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2295,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287\/revisions\/2295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdsectortalk.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}