Enid Hine spoke to us at the Worcester event about the Big Society concept – rather than being concerned by an uncertain future she cals it “invigorating”. You can listen to a brief interview with Enid below.
While she indicates that there is a concern over managing the balance between volunteer workers and paid employees of organisations, Enid is confident that if existing volunteers are given additional support and management then this will be a huge step forward.
Michael Amies, from the Pershore Market Town Partnership, talks about the Number 8 community arts centre – a volunteer-led project which serves the local community. It’s a very positive success story, and you can hear the interview with Michael in full below.
Interestingly, Michael comments about the importance of knowledge and expertise among the volunteers, including business skills which have been vital to its success – and he also adds that older volunteers, and especially those nearing retirement, are particularly valuable. (more…)
Wrapping up discussions at the Worcester Big Society event
At the Worcester event there were a number of presentations after the discussion groups had wrapped up. The session began, however, with a presentation from Helga Edstrom (Government Office West Midlands) which set out to explore the Big Society concept and pose a series of questions for discussion during the event.
Click here to see the version of this presentation which was delivered at a previous event in Stratford. (more…)
Delegates discussing key points at the Big Society event in Worcester
During the group discussions at the Big Society event at Worcester, each group was asked to provide feedback to the rest of the delegates, summing up the key points raised during their discussions. Below are the main themes, messages, questions and concerns which came out of each table’s workshop session:
Corporate threats to the voluntary sector – the sector is adaptable and responsive
The public sector could work better within less traditional boundaries to serve the communities
There is a big need for funding streams to be adaptable to needs rather than prescriptive via national or local government
Management of volunteers is very important – require support and guidance
Not all volunteers may be good citizens
Where is the strategic support coming from locally? Need more communication
Issues of sustainability – measuring impacts, not just financial
The need for strategic thinking and development of activities for them to be sustainable
Importance of doing groundwork and research before initiating projects – is there a need and will they work?
Start recruiting volunteers before people volunteer – look at sharing resources and cross-pollination
Requires a structure of support for delivering at the “sharp end”
Need for more communication, including across wider geographical areas
Anarchistic – maybe it needs the structures to collapse before they can be rebuilt and shaped to current needs/demands
Don’t want to lose the knowledge/skills/experience that exist in the community when working on projects, especially those that are volunteer-led
Perhaps corporate sponsorship is required to assist with voluntary sector schemes
With responsibility comes action – “I must do something about this” – we need to empower people to do this, especially young people
What is community? How do we ensure people feel part of a community?
Group discussions at the Worcester Big Society event
At the Big Society event in Worcester on Tuesday November 9th – held at Worcester Warriors RFC – the delegates split into groups to discuss their main comments, concerns and positive messages about the Big Society ethos and how it will affect the work they’re involved in, as well as activities at hyperlocal levels.
Below you’ll find a summary of the points that were raised during the workshops, which were identified and discussed by the small groups throughout the morning session. One table talked about inclusion and integrating local services in order to help better serve the community. (more…)
At the Hereford event there were a number of presentations after the discussion groups had wrapped up. The session began, however, with a presentation from Denise Taylor which set out to explore the Big Society concept and pose a series of questions for discussion during the event.
Click here to see the version of this presentation which was delivered at the previous event in Stratford.
After the discussion groups, Nick Booth from Podnosh talked to the delegates about social media and the role it can play in civic matters – particularly relating to transparency and accountability, where open data allows ordinary people to turn information into tools where previously only journalists would have had access. He also discussed the ethos of sharing ideas via blogging, and social media surgeries which you can read more about here. (more…)
Mandy Evans from South Wye regeneration partnership recaps on an interesting tale of working with an angling group as well as the community at large in an attempt to conserve a pool site in the local area. You can hear the interview in full below.
Groups discuss key themes of the Big Society at the event in Hereford
At the Big Society event in Hereford, taking place at the Kindle Centre, the delegates gathered in discussion groups to talk through what the Big Society means to them, and the effects which might come out of this agenda as well as issues which they feel need to be raised.
One discussion group considered some of the issues relating to communities not being in a position to support themselves, while also stressing that the need for co-operation – addressing the theme of establishing partnerships between relevant organisations to introduce a more effective form of collaboration – is tempered by the fact that the same organisations are pitted against each other to compete for funds: (more…)
Len Gale and Councillor Vaughan Owen at the Big Society event in Stratford
We spoke to Len Gale, of the Warwickshire Association of Local Councils, and Councillor Vaughan Owen at the Big Society event in Stratford on October 22nd. They discussed the role that parish councils have played and will continue to play in the future, the impact of the internet and social media on spreading messages throughout the community, and ways of bringing communities together to work towards mutual goals of improving quality of life in the local area.
