Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack MSP has today lodged her final proposal for her Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Members’ Bill.
Despite ’empty promises’ for action from the SNP-led Scottish Government to legislate in this area there have been no tangible results to date.
As a result Sarah Boyack MSP has taken the initiative and pursued this issue as a Members Bill.
The lodging of the members’ bill follows an extensive consultation process which confirmed overwhelming support from stakeholders and constituents for all aspects of Ms Boyack’s Bill.
Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack explained: “Over 100 organisations called for this action in the run up to the 2021 elections. My Members’ Bill will end short-termism in the Scottish Government, and commit to the long-term thinking and action that has Wellbeing and Sustainable Development at its heart.
“Successive Programmes for Government have promised a bill of this nature, but as always its warm words and little action from the SNP.
“After a long and comprehensive consultation process it is clear that there is overwhelming support for action and a new Future Generations Commissioner and I encourage all members to support my bill now that it has been lodged”.
Also commenting Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK, said: “New wellbeing laws in Scotland would help to hardwire long-term thinking into our political and governmental decision-making.
“Backed by a new Future Generations Commissioner, the legal framework would help our decision-makers to look toward the horizon as well as deal with current emergencies.
“We’d urge MSPs from across the political spectrum to back these moves to help us to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.”
New Carnegie UK report: GDWe: A spotlight on democratic wellbeing
Carnegie UK has published a new report GDWe: A spotlight on democratic wellbeing, research andpolling which shows that democratic wellbeing in England is under severe threat.
This research was conducted by YouGov polling between 12th – 13th December 2021, which coincided with a heightened focus on levels of trust in government. The results are stark:
● 2 in 5 people in England (41%) now say that democracy is not working. People see the biggest current threat to our democracy as a loss of trust (32%) followed by corruption (16%).
● 76% of the public in England don’t trust MPs, while 73% don’t trust the UK Government.
This report builds on Carnegie UK’s work on Gross Domestic Wellbeing (GDWe) – a holistic alternative to GDP as a measure of collective wellbeing. We use data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Wellbeing Dashboard to calculate GDWe.
However this national wellbeing dataset underrepresents the importance of democratic wellbeing, with only 2 indicators out of 41 measuring this aspect of our lives.
At Carnegie UK, when we talk about democratic wellbeing we are referring to the extent to which we all – collectively – have a voice in decisions that affect us. Wellbeing cannot be ‘done to’ people, it has to be done by and with them.
Yet, in order for people to feel positive about participating in democratic processes and decision making, it is essential to have public trust in government at all levels.
GDWe: A spotlight on democratic wellbeingfound that in addition to a loss of trust there are also issues with current levels of participation in decision-making; misinformation, and misalignment with commonly held public values.
Other aspects that help make up democratic wellbeing, such as involvement in public participation and citizen engagement, are also poorly measured in the UK.
This report calls on government to invest in democratic wellbeing by increasing participatory democracy and improving transparency, as well as focusing on measures of national success in keeping with people’s priorities, rather than relying solely on economic measures.
The full report is available here and you can add to the debate on Twitter using the hashtag #GDWe
My name is Darryl Gaffney du Plooy, and I am one of the Co-leads for the Social Action Inquiry (Scotland). The other Co-lead is Deborah Menezes.
We are currently looking for people to help shape the direction of the inquiry. We have given these roles the name of Guides because lived experience will be crucial for us to navigate sensibly and sensitively through the complex landscapes of Scotland’s Civil Society.
We are inviting applications from any age and all backgrounds. We have produced Easy-Read materials and are welcoming applications sent via video and audio file for people who prefer these forms of communication.
We appreciate that our deadline (12 noon, 22nd of October) might be too short for some people but we would like to communicate that we will be looking to recruit more Guides in 2022.
I also wanted to mention that we will also soon be ready to share with you a programme of activities for us to listen, learn and build bonds with people, places, and communities in Scotland.
Our intention is for the activities to mirror our approach to the inquiry, as in, focusing on relationships, being inclusive & participatory, and orientating energy towards action.
If either or both of these developments interest you, please share and if you would like to get in touch feel free to do so. We will be delighted to hear from you.
Invitation for Guides of the Social Action Inquiry in Scotland
Do you want to live in a Scotland where communities can make positive differences to their way of life? A Scotland that values social action and helps to make it happpen?
We invite you to be part of our Social Action Inquiry team to shape the direction of the inquiry by adding your voice and experience into the inquiry process
What is the Social Action Inquiry?
The Social Action Inquiry is being set up to find out more about how communities can take action that makes a difference. It will look at what helps, and what gets in the way. It’s hoped that it will help influence how Scotland rebuilds after the coronavirus pandemic.
The Inquiry’s vision is:
A Scotland which recognises the value of social action and its potential to enable us to overcome the challenges we face in the 21st century.
This independent inquiry will be led by people with direct, lived experience of Scottish communities which have felt powerlessness over decisions affecting their own lives, and that this power has been exercised by others.
It will support people to find their voices, take action, and use what they learn to help create wider change. For more details, see our website – socialaction.scot
To help the Inquiry we are inviting people to become Guides.
What will a Guide do?
To allow for the Inquiry to create a more inclusive and sustainable journey the Guides will help shape the direction of the Inquiry. For more details on the role please download our invitation to become a Guide file below (General or Easy-Read versions).
Work, Hours and Pay.
The Guides will meet once a month for one full day, online or in-person.
The Guides will be offered £200 per day for their time.
The panel of Guides will be reviewed every six months. This is to ensure diverse perspectives can contribute into the Inquiry.
I would like to be a Guide. How do I do that?
You can choose apply that in four different ways:
Write your answers on our application form (attached below).
Write a personal statement (no more than 1000 words) telling us why you would like to be a Guide.
Send us a video, no longer than 10 minutes, telling us why you would like to be a Guide.
Send us an audio file, no longer than 10 minutes, telling us why you would like to be a Guide.
We have chosen these four different ways because we know writing applications can be difficult for people. Guiding questions with how to design your application can be found by downloading the ‘Invitation for Guides’ file below (General or Easy-Read versions)
When is the closing date for applications?
Applications are open until 12 noon on the22nd of October
We will let people know if they are being invited to an interview by the 29th of October.
Interviews will be arranged for the week beginning the 1st of November.
How to submit your application.
A copy of the application can be downloaded below.
Video and Audio Files should be sent by WeTransfer, or via the communication platforms Telegram or Whatsapp to 07867 181 040.
Please send a confirmation email to hello@socialaction.scot informing us which platform you have used to submit your application.
If you would like to speak to someone above being a guide before you apply or have any additional queries regarding the role or any information noted above, please email: hello@socialaction.scot
Nearly two years ago, Carnegie UK first convened a Kindness Leadership Network (KiLN), made up of members from different sectors spread across England, Scotland and Wales, with the stated aim of supporting and challenging organisations to move kindness ‘off the page’ and into practice.
As with many things, COVID-19 changed the nature and timetable of this programme of work, but it also presented opportunities for embedding kindness in organisational responses to the pandemic.
Today, we are delighted to launch a set of materials that tells the story of KiLN which we hope will inspire and support other organisations to join this growing movement in seeking to put kindness at the heart of their practice.
1. Our main report, Leading with kindness, narrates the journey we’ve been on since 2019: how KiLN members adapted to COVID-19, and what we learnt about what is possible when kindness becomes an operating principle.
2. The report culminates with a Commitment to Kindness, which distils the collective experience of KiLN members into six goals designed to enable organisations of all kinds and in all places to sustain and deepen their focus on kindness.
3. Alongside this, we worked with Simon Anderson and Julie Brownlie to produce Getting the measure of kindness– a guide that aims to support organisations to develop their approach to the persistent challenge of measurement.
4. Finally, over the next week we’ll be releasing a number of digital stories that aim to communicate the value and importance of kindness in a new way for people within organisations, and people interacting with organisations (look out for these on social media).
However, we don’t just want to share this learning; we want it to lead to action that improves wellbeing.
Therefore, if these reports resonate with the journey that you and your organisation are on, we invite you to endorse the Commitment to Kindness, to use it as a framework to enhance your organisation’s approach to implementing kindness, and to join a growing movement of ‘kind organisations’.
Finally, we would love to hear your thoughts and reactions, which you can share with the team via ben.thurman@carnegieuk.org and with others at @CarnegieUKTrust
Improving wellbeing has been Carnegie UK’s mission for over 100 years. With our new strategy and accompanying rebrand, we are signalling a refocus on that core purpose, putting it at the heart of all of our work.
We believe that if there was ever a moment for a wellbeing organisation to lean into its mission, then that moment is now. Our new strategy is centred on our model of collective wellbeing: what is required for all citizens to live well together.
Achieving collective wellbeing requires social, economic, environmental, and democratic wellbeing outcomes to be seen as equally important and given equal weight. We will be advocates for public policy approaches that embrace and reflect this balance.
Whatever we are working on, our values of being motivated by change; collaborative; challenging, and kind will shape our approach. These are new values for the organisation and reflect what are recognised as our existing strengths, as well as our aspirations for the future.
As Carnegie UK embarks on this new strategy we do so very much in the spirit of partnership.
The social change eco-system is extensive and complex. Different players bring different approaches, perspectives, and skills. It is important to us to understand our place in this system and to make a distinctive and useful contribution, complementing that of others and being a good collaborator and partner.
We are also committed to keeping learning. The field of wellbeing has developed a great deal over the past decade, but there is much more to discover, and we are keen to add to the collective evidence base.
We also want to know more about how change comes about, and how to use the resources at our disposal to make an effective and persuasive case for the actions and practice which will lead to improvements in wellbeing.
I am hugely grateful to all of those who have supported us in the development of our new strategy. This includes the whole Carnegie UK team, our Board of Trustees and the many partners and stakeholders who have engaged with us at different stages of the journey and generously shared their views and experience.
I hope that you enjoy reading about our new strategic direction. Please do visit our website where you can find more information about our approach and our initial programmes of work.
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every part of our society: our economy; our environment; our social connections; and the relationships we have with our governments.
As we embark on the process of recovery, the Carnegie UK Trust believes that there is a collective responsibility to use what we have learned, not just to repair the damage, but to reconsider the fundamentals of economic, social and democratic structures that are no longer delivering positive outcomes for citizens and communities.
We have used what we know from our long history of research and practice development to set out a series of propositions, backed up by recommendations of practical things that could be done to improve wellbeing. The propositions are:
National wellbeing can be the goal
The relationship between the state and the citizen can be reset
The future can be local (as well as global)
Our relationship with work can be remodelled
We can build a new level of financial resilience
Technology can be for all
These will not be the only things that require to be considered for the medium-term recovery, but we hope that by taking a wide perspective we can connect the recovery effort with the transformative change to prevailing systems that so many have identified a need for, both before and during this pandemic.
Over the coming months, we will continue to work with organisations across all our networks to understand the impact of the pandemic on the people they work for. This will include central and local government; third sector and community organisations; credit providers; good work stakeholders, and many others. Where gaps remain in the space for collective sense-making, we will explore new opportunities to stimulate the necessary discussions.
If you would like to contribute to these conversations, please email me (Sarah@CarnegieUK.org) or join the debate online by tagging @CarnegieUKTrust – we would be pleased to hear from you.
The Carnegie UK Trust has published a new report: Switched On, bringing together research and evidence about key issues related to digital inclusion with a particular focus on children and young people. The report emphasises that adequate digital access is still far from universal.Continue reading Switched On: digital access ‘still far from universal’
