RECHARGE Diary

Co-creation of value starts from meeting up, sharing practices and being honest about the needs different institutions and stakeholders in general, might have, to come up with a plan to reach common goals.

Understanding the importance of working together is at the basis of what we do in our Living Labs. So, we asked members of the corporates that took part in the Co-Creation workshop at the Hunt Museum on February 10. Here is what they fed back to us:

EDC

The Recharge workshop was a great opportunity to meet with local Limerick businesses and museum representatives from around Ireland to find creative ways to increase community cultural engagement. I enjoyed the conversations and collaboration with a diverse group of people to come up with possible ways to bring fresh ideas to Limerick and elsewhere! It was helpful to hear presentations of the RECHARGE mission in Europe and see what is happening in other cities and countries. I look forward to seeing how the Living Lab will bring people together and spark new partnerships and learning. 

Jeffrey Stanford, Mechanical Engineer, EDC

Ernst & Young

The event was fascinating from the point of view of understanding the different desires of each of the three stakeholders (museums, corporates, community) from CSR and how a big part of getting everyone pulling in the same direction was understanding where the other parties were coming from. The key takeaway was that there’s clearly a desire from corporates to get more ‘practically’ involved and not just sign cheques (although we don’t always know how or the best way to do that! Another key takeaway was that the projects don’t have to be massive in terms of scale or ambition – starting small and starting local will be just as good and word of mouth / viral impact of a well thought out cross party project will be very impactful. Museums have loads to offer corporates too – even if it's just a very different and engaging event space!

Éanna Brennan, Earnst and Young

Arup

Speaking in 1970, our founder, Ove Arup, reflecting on Arup's nature, values and future, laid out what he believed the main aims of the company should be. Along with talking about total architecture and quality of work, he expressed his desire for Arup to be a ‘humane organisation’ with ‘Social usefulness’ and ‘satisfied members’. Working with an organisation such as the Hunt museum, in assisting with the Olmec Man installation as part of the ‘Museum in a Garden’ project and more recently participating in the co-creation workshop for the RECHARGE project we are continuing that legacy. Attending the workshop allowed us to not only investigate future projects we could partner with the Hunt museum on, we were also given the opportunity to see the challenges that organisations such as the Hunt Museum are facing both now and in the future. We were also able to discuss with like minded organisations how they approach their CSR activities. During the workshop it became clear that many of the challenges facing museums as diverse as the museums themselves, however there are a number of challenges we are all facing, rising energy costs, drives to be more sustainable, relevance in an increasingly digital world and post-covid recovery all to be faced while trying to preserve the museum’s collection for future generations. The RECHARGE project allows museums and industry partners to approach these challenges collectively and devise holistic solutions that will benefit all parties. 

Stephen Fraser. Senior Engineer, Arup 

Optel

Attending a workshop on CSR engagement and securing the future of the Hunt Museum was a valuable experience allowed me to gain insights into the importance of corporate social responsibility(CSR). The workshop focused on the hunt museum, which houses an impressive collection of art and antiques and how the museum can engage with companies and the wider community to ensure its sustainability. During the workshop, I learned about various challenges faced by the hunt museum including financial constraints and in need to attract visitors and donors. I also gained an understanding of the role that CSR can play in addressing these challenges through initiatives such as corporate sponsorship, employee volunteering and community outreach. One of the key takeaways from the workshop was the importance of collaboration and partnership in achieving corporate CSR goals, where the hunt museum has been successful in engaging with local businesses and the local community groups to raise awareness of its collections and create a new state of the art garden exhibition where new meets old. By working together the museum and its partners can create meaningful and sustainable impact on the local community. Overall attending this workshop on CSR engagement and securing the future of the hunt museum was a thought provoking an informative experience that highlighted the importance of CSR and preserving cultural heritage and demonstrated the potential for collaboration between businesses and cultural institutions to create positive and social environmental impact.

Glenn Campbell, Optel

Takumi

My experience of the Recharge workshop was a very positive and engaging one. The opportunity to meet people with a variety of disciplines from multiple sectors and share and learn was a unique opportunity. The presentations at the beginning of the session really opened my eyes to the participatory model of CSR. The explanation made it very clear how the synergy that companies can have with a museum really lends itself perfectly to this type of model. The key part of this workshop was that it really was a workshop. Mixing groups for the ideation session certainly re-engaged my thinking and the ideas that came out of the different groups showed potential to be developed out. I did go back to my own organisation with renewed enthusiasm to create positive social impact at every opportunity that my role presents. 

Fiona Murphy, Takumi