This week is Co-production Week, a chance to celebrate something that sits at the heart of life across MacIntyre, which we call 'Working Together'.
Co-production is a simple idea. It means listening to people, finding out what matters to them and making decisions together. It means recognising that people are the experts in their own lives.
At MacIntyre, Working Together is part of our DNA – we believe everyone has a voice and should be listened to. That might mean sharing ideas about what happens next, speaking up about something important, or simply finding a way for someone to tell us about the things they enjoy.
It doesn't always happen in meetings or formal groups; more often, it happens in everyday moments.
The stories below show what that can look like.
Dancing together in Silsoe
Every Friday morning, people from The Haddons head to Silsoe for an inclusive dance session with Beee Creative.
The group works together to create movements around a different theme, with everyone contributing ideas and helping shape the dances. Over time those dances become performances, giving people the chance to share what they've been working on.
Along the way, old friends have met up again, new friendships have started and plenty of laughs have been shared.
By the end of the morning, people head home tired, happy and already talking about next week.
Sharing experience through film
Nathan wanted to help other people understand epilepsy better.
Working alongside colleagues in Derbyshire, he created a presentation about epilepsy awareness, sharing his own knowledge and experiences. With support from Martha, he developed his ideas and helped build the presentation before working with Rachel from the Best Practice Team to turn it into a short film.
Nathan recorded the voiceover himself, making sure the film was told in his own words.
The finished film was shared during Epilepsy Awareness Week, reaching people across MacIntyre and beyond.
Nathan was proud of what he'd created and enjoyed hearing the positive feedback. More importantly, people got to learn from someone with first-hand experience. His knowledge, his voice and his ideas were at the centre of the project from start to finish.
Lights, camera, action
In Milton Keynes, one person supported by MacIntyre has always wanted to be a pop star.
Not just singing along to a favourite song, but creating proper music videos.
So that's exactly what happened.
He chose the songs, developed the ideas and decided how he wanted the videos to look. Staff helped with filming, editing and practical arrangements, while other people got involved with acting, filming and sharing ideas.
The videos became a real team effort, but the creative direction stayed firmly in his hands.
Watching an idea grow from a conversation into a finished music video brought a huge sense of pride. It also gave him a chance to share more of who he is, what he enjoys and what he's capable of creating.
Starting with favourite things
Ahead of one young person's first day at No Limits in Oxford, the team wanted to get to know him a little better.
Rather than asking lots of questions on the spot, they worked with him and his family to find a way that suited him.
At home, he created a poster filled with things he enjoys. Scooby-Doo. Star Wars. Favourite interests and hobbies. He chose what to include, printed the pictures and put the poster together himself.
When he visited, he brought it with him and shared it with the team.
It gave everyone a much clearer picture of who he is before he'd even started. More importantly, it allowed him to introduce himself in a way that felt comfortable and enjoyable.
Deciding together
When planning future meetings of the Warrington Autism Network, Autism Self Advocate Jess Sutton made sure there was space for everyone to contribute.
People shared ideas about subjects they wanted to explore, discussed future topics and decided together what meetings should look like. Sometimes that included inviting guest speakers from the local community to talk about subjects people wanted to learn more about.
The result was a network shaped by the people attending it.
The conversations reflected their interests, their questions and the things they wanted to spend time talking about.
Working Together across MacIntyre
These stories are all very different.
One starts in a dance studio. Another in front of a camera. One begins with a poster covered in favourite characters. Another around a table planning future conversations.
What connects them is that people were involved from the beginning.
Across MacIntyre, there are lots of ways people help shape what happens. Through working groups, MacIntyre Easy Read Creators, i4T, The Mag and countless everyday conversations, people share ideas, challenge assumptions, make suggestions and influence decisions.
Sometimes Working Together leads to a film, a performance or a music video.
Sometimes it starts with something as simple as asking someone what they're interested in and really listening to the answer.
As we celebrate Co-production Week, these stories remind us that Working Together isn't something extra we do.
It's how good things happen.
