The “Stronger Communities, Stronger Economies” discussions

This week discussions in London, Sheffield, Stoke on Trent and Birmingham took place around the proposals made by the Council on Social Action in the paper ‘Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy’.

Groups of people from a variety backgrounds gathered to share their ideas on how, in this period of recession, we can work together to create social renewal alongside economic renewal.

People outside of the room were also able to connect with the discussions via Twitter, giving their feedback to the outcomes of the discussion groups and sharing their ideas.

These discussions have already resulted in a huge number of practical ideas (such as Sex up Stoke!), and feedback – all of which will be shared on the Chain Reaction website in the next couple of days.

If you can’t wait that long, you can catch up on the Twitter conversations here, and also see some of the video footage and vox pops from the London discussion on our YouTube channel

Join the Chain Gang

By Julian Dobson, Editor of New Start Magazine

One thing always strikes me when I meet local people who want to change their communities. It’s their passion and determination to make a difference, often against all the odds.  Community reps, local activists, residents, ordinary people: call them what you will, they’re the people who work, often without pay, to improve the lives of their friends and neighbours.

I’m thinking of people like Emma Jenson at Liverpool’s Rotunda College, who made delegates to last year’s British Urban Regeneration Association conference sit up and listen when she described her community’s fight to improve a small strip of land.

People like Diane Cocker, whose drive and determination turned a neglected set of allotments in north Sheffield into a practical learning centre on horticulture and healthy eating.

Or Pam Stewart, who battled ill health to become a volunteer director of a women’s refuge in Leigh, Lancashire, and chairs Urban Forum, a network of voluntary organisations.

People like that are the reason why New Start is supporting Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy – a series of events that are feeding ideas into the prime minister’s Council on Social Action.  The events have been set up to help inform the government about how communities can help each other and build their own resilience through the recession and beyond.  As David Robinson, vice chair of the Council on Social Action, says, it’s ‘a chance to do things differently and create a different future for our country’.

We think that future has to start with the ideas of the people most directly affected by poverty, unemployment and disadvantage.  Not because that’s a nice thing to do if you happen to have a social conscience, but because the evidence consistently shows that regeneration that’s rooted in the aspirations and involvement of local people stands a far better chance of success than schemes and programmes imposed from on high.

We’re holding a discussion in Sheffield on 26 March – if you’d like to take part, you can register your interest here. There are other discussion groups in Liverpool, Stoke on Trent and Birmingham, all feeding into the same national debate. There’s more information about this campaign on the Chain Reaction website, hosted by Community Links.

 (The Sheffield “Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy” discussion group will take place on 26 March 2009, 5-7pm, and will be hosted by New Start magazine, St Mary’s conference centre, Bramall Lane, Sheffield S2 4QZ  Click here for more information)

Click here for more from Julian Dobson’s blog

Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy? The conversations have started…

Last week we began inviting people to participate in a chain of conversations around the proposed paper ‘Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy?’ by the Council on Social Action (CoSA)

The Council are posing the questions;

Does the recession provide an opportunity to rebuild a better, fairer society? And what can we do now to ensure that we emerge from the current economic challenges with stronger, more connected and more caring communities?

We have had a great response already, with conversations being scheduled next week in Stoke on Trent, Sheffield and Birmingham as well as London.  For further information or to register a place on any of these meetings please click here>>>

And where people cannot join any of these meetings, we are encouraging them to hold their own.  

Holding your own discussion around this paper is a great way to create change in your own communities, and get your ideas heard, and anyone can get involved with minimal organisation. 

As a guideline, all we are advising that these conversations have around 20 people or less and take place before 31st March 2009 (the deadline for feedback).

Hosts can choose how they wish to run the meeting – if its simply an informal discussion or a facilitated meeting – and how they wish to feedback the outcomes to us.  We have also produced some brief guidance notes on how to run your own discussion group for further information

As Clare White says on why she has organised a discussion group in Stoke on Trent:

“It’s … a good chance to get a group of people from different backgrounds together at a significant time for our societies”

We are asking that all outcomes of all discussions are sent back to us at Chain Reaction.  Feedback will then go directly to CoSA, who will  make recommendations to the Prime Minister and government departments.  Also, as these meetings will take place just before the G20 Summit in London, the feedback will also go to the we20 initiative.

Details of all meetings and feedback will appear on the Chain Reaction website, and if you want to follow or contribute to the conversations as they happen via Twitter the hashtag to use is #scse. You can follow all the conversations on our live Twitter feed.

For further information on getting involved in any of the scheduled meetings or to run your own please visit the Chain Reaction website

Click here for a summary of the ‘Stronger Communities, Stronger Economy?’ paper >>>