Tag: participation

Community led action Inquiry appoints independent Co-chairs

A new Scotland wide inquiry into how communities can hold the power to lead on change from within has appointed two independent Co-Chairs with extensive experience of supporting people who are most excluded in society.

The Social Action Inquiry will support communities to take action together, create change and share power, whilst working alongside them to understand what helps and what gets in the way of progress.

Led by people living and working in Scottish communities, this three-year independent inquiry will:

  • Provide money and power to communities to undertake activity, which they direct and lead on.
  • Support people to find their voices, take action and use what they learn to create wider change.
  • Try to make change as it goes along, partly by bringing together people who hold power, and those currently furthest from it.
  • Build evidence for longer term change in Scotland.

Sam Anderson and Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin join the Inquiry as the newly appointed Co-Chairs. They will be passionate advocates for participation, collaboration and shifting power so that change is led by the knowledge held by communities.

Sam is the Founder of The Junction (Young People, Health & Wellbeing), an award-winning charity based in Edinburgh which works with and for young people on a range of health issues. 

She brings extensive experience as a coach, mentor and facilitator supporting people furthest from power to feel understood and heard amongst systems that might otherwise exclude them.

Sam said: “Social Action has been a significant part of my life journey. I am therefore delighted the need for an Independent Social Action Inquiry for Scotland has been recognised and invested in.

“I feel honoured to be able to contribute to this important Inquiry through the role of Co-Chair and to see the potential of Social Action unleashed in our journey towards an equitable Scotland.”

Catherine-Rose is a social researcher with a wealth of professional, research and personal experience of care. Her experiences of kinship care and as an informal carer have inspired her to build a career that explores how the systems we live within could be reimagined.

Catherine-Rose said: “I am honoured to take up the role of Co-chair of the Social Action Inquiry. As someone who has tried to build community around every significant challenge in my life, I’m thrilled to contribute to an Inquiry that will help us galvanize the ways we take action together.

“I’m particularly delighted that we can shine a light on the work that people and communities are already doing in Scotland, to have the resource to strengthen that activity and the support to think about where power can be redistributed to making meaningful change.”

Catherine-Rose and Sam will shortly be recruiting an Inquiry Panel, along with an Inquiry Lead. If you’d like to apply to join the Inquiry Panel to help direct the Inquiry’s activity, or be part of the team as the Inquiry Led, please keep an eye on our website for announcements: https://socialaction.scot/

The Inquiry will also build on the findings and recommendations from the Together We Help research that explored social action in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Find out more about the Social Action Inquiry vision and background here:

 https://socialaction.scot/about/

Speaking on behalf of the partners who have founded the Inquiry – Carnegie UK Trust, Corra Foundation, Foundation Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), The National Lottery Community Fund, and The Robertson Trust – Fiona Duncan (CEO of Corra Foundation) said: “This inquiry starts from the idea that social action is a vital part of the solution to the challenges we face as a society – now and in the future.

“The issue is not whether community-led action should be at the heart of creating lasting change, but how everyone can help create the conditions for this to happen, and to flourish.

Collaboration is at the heart of this, and it’s down to the collective efforts of the partners that we’ve reached this point. The partners are delighted to welcome Sam and Catherine-Rose and look forward to the Inquiry taking shape and beginning to help bring about change.”

It’s been a while … Inverleith Neighbourhood Network to meet next week

The next meeting of the Inverleith Neighbourhood Network will be on Wednesday 31st March from 6 – 8pm.

Agenda is below: 

  1. Minute of meeting – 210120
  2. Role of Chair / Rep of the NN 
  3. Communications within NN 
  4. Inverleith NN Greenspace priority – how do we take this forward and are there any other local priorities to be considered.
  5. Revised LIP (Locality Improvement Plan) priorities – update from LCPP (Local Community Planning Partnership)
  6. Poverty Commission – update from LCPP

The meeting will take place online using Microsoft Teams.

Joan Beattie, Inverleith community representative on the North West Locality Community Planning Partnership ( LCPP), said: “Our Neighbourhood Network is having a Team’s meeting on 31st March starting at 6pm to discuss among other things how to take forward our priority ‘MAKING THE MOST OF OUR GREEN SPACES’.  ​

“This was chosen as our priority in the last meeting before Covid restrictions but has proved to be even more important given the use of our green spaces over the last year.   

“I would really like to hear all of your views on this to feed into the next LCPP meeting and to let you know how I think it could be linked to the Local Improvement Plan.

I really hope you are all able to make the meeting but if that’s not, please pass on your ideas.”

For further information contact:

Elaine Lennon

North West Lifelong Learning Development Officer, City of Edinburgh Council

8 West Pilton Gardens, Edinburgh, EH4 4DP

Tel: 0131 529 5270 / 35270

Email: Elaine.Lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

Heart of Newhaven: Last chance to become a member before the AGM

We are abandoning our usual monthly newsletter schedule to send you this advice that there is little time remaining if you wish to become a member of HoNC before our first AGM.

The AGM has now been set for Thursday 29th April and because of the admin work required, you must apply for membership before the 1st April.

New member applications will then be verified and confirmed by the board at their next meeting on 7th April and official notice of the AGM and all that entails will be sent out by the 13th.

Do consider becoming a member. It costs nothing and if you live in our area of benefit it ensures you have a say in who runs the charity and what they do. There is a simple form to fill in on the website under JOIN US.

The AGM may well be rather strange this year because of Covid. Only a small number of people constituting the required quorum will be allowed to be present in person. Everyone else will be invited to an online meeting. It also means that those voting members not present in person will have to send in a proxy voting form, but all that will be explained in the notice of meeting which will be sent by email to members only.

If you have any questions regarding the Board or the AGM please contact admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

In other news, we are so pleased to report that there was a tremendous response to our initial Crowdfunding appeal which has helped us pay for professional fees. The many supportive comments have also provided welcome proof that we are not working in vain. 

Here are some of the things supporters said:

This is a brilliant project that will deliver huge community benefits. It’s well thought-out and is being impressively well-organised.

Amazing project to support the community and get everyone of all ages together!

Great to see this project making progress – all strength to your elbows for what will be a tremendous asset for the community.

Fantastic work, well done to all involved.

Meanwhile our volunteers are working away in the background on greening projects, lending a neighbourly hand in the community and spreading the word, while we deal with preparing for our very first AGM, a momentous stage in our progress.

The trustees are looking forward to seeing you there.

Don’t forget to keep checking the website.
There’s always something new. April will see the addition of the first of a two-part blog by Bill Hall about fishing in the Forth.

There will be no April newsletter and the next communication will be with members only, by the 13th April.  The next newsletter will be in May, after the AGM.

Join Us!

https://heartofnewhaven.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fd16ea8a13e69c80d6ed68f43&id=e1e8965cc6&e=29f8451b48

Culture in Edinburgh: Can you help Sam?

Sam Buist, a postgraduate student at the University of Manchester studying MEnt Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, could use your help:

As part of my dissertation, I am carrying out a study into engagement in cultural activities, with a view to opening a cultural venue in the future. 

I am looking for participants to take a short questionnaire, who are interested in attending cultural activities in Edinburgh. We are looking for people who are both fully engaged in and those who are interested but find barriers that limit their engagement with cultural activities.

The questionnaire consists of 26 questions and takes approcimately 10-20 minutes to complete.

Follow this link to the Survey:

Take the Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/preview/SV_7UutED1tJhppqOq?Q_CHL=preview

I have attached a copy of the Participant Information Sheet (see below), which I would be grateful if you could also share with potential participants.

Samuel-Buist-Information-Sheet-Questionnaire-v3Download

Participants have as much time as they need to read the form before deciding whether to participate in the study.

If you can help me, I would be very grateful: just a few people completing the survey would be a great help. 

Sam Buist

Together We Help: report highlights community support during the pandemic

When Scotland first went into lockdown in March 2020, a wave of uncertainty and fear was felt throughout society as people were told to stay at home, to save lives.

But as schools, shops and offices closed, communities did not.

Local people and grassroots groups were quick to come up with innovative ways to help during the crisis. Social action accelerated and became a central feature of Scotland’s response to the lockdown and ongoing challenges of coronavirus.

In July 2020 Social Action Inquiry partners commissioned The Collective to lead on a short-term piece of research to capture the stories and lessons learned from communities coming together to help.

From food drop offs to phone calls to isolated neighbours, volunteering and wellbeing support, the research brings to life the ways people developed creative approaches to make a difference.

The final research report Together We Help is now available and shines a light on the power of communities to mobilise and initiate social action in response to the issues that matter to them.

Eighteen community researchers gathered insights from 367 people involved in social action in their local areas, asking what inspired them to be involved and what lessons can be learned to build a fairer Scotland.

The research suggested that the stigma associated with accessing support such as food banks in times of need may have reduced as demand for these vital services increased dramatically throughout lockdown in 2020.

Community researchers also found that offering support and participating in local responses to the coronavirus crisis was both a ‘blessing and a curse’ as while it helped people to feel more connected to their community it also increased awareness and feelings of frustration at the growing levels of inequality on their doorstep.

The findings from the Together We Help research will help inform the Social Action Inquiry.

This independent inquiry will look at how communities take action and will try to contribute to a Scotland where social action is valued and is able to make change happen in communities.

Read the final report online here

Young Women Lead at Holyrood

A project which aims to boost women’s involvement in politics have their work recognised this week in the Scottish Parliament.

Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP led a debate in Parliament on Thursday welcoming the publication of the 2019-20 Young Women Lead Report.

The report investigates the obstacles facing BAME women transitioning from school to the workplace. A subject chosen due to a lack of Scotland-specific data on the issue. It looks at employment opportunities for women from ethnic minorities considering recruitment, retention and development policies and practices.

The Young Women Lead Committee is a leadership programme for young women aged 30 and under who live in Scotland and is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Parliament and YWCA Scotland – The Young Women’s Movement.

Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP said: “I am delighted to lead the debate today which will give us all an opportunity to better understand the barriers faced by young BAME women across the country.

“Throughout the last year, I have been continually impressed by the young women involved in this project. They have put together a vital piece of work despite the immense challenges presented by a global pandemic.

“The recommendations of this timely report should be taken on board to help create a fairer and better Scotland for all.”

The Young Women Lead programme was launched in 2017 and was created from a need to address the lack of representation of young women in politics. In 2019-20 the programme was revised with the intention to increase young BAME women’s political participation and to hear their voices and experiences.

The programme was created from a need to address the underrepresentation of young women in politics. Working with the Scottish Parliament, The Young Women’s Movement (YWCA Scotland) has designed the programme for 30 participants from a range of diverse communities to come together in the Parliament to run their own committee inquiry, focusing on a topic of their choice.

You can read the full report here.

‘Doing Politics Differently’: Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly publishes final report

Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly has published its report setting out a shared vision and 60 recommendations for the country’s future.

The vision and recommendations were agreed by an overwhelming consensus of members, and cover a wide range of areas including future Citizens’ Assemblies, incomes and poverty, tax and the economy, health and wellbeing, support for young people, sustainability and further powers for the Scottish Parliament.
 
Doing Politics Differently: The Report of the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland can be read online at www.citizensassembly.scot  
 
This report has been submitted to the Scottish Government and Parliament. It will be laid in Parliament for debate, with an action plan from the Scottish Government to follow.
 
To accompany the report, a short film on the Vision and Recommendations agreed by the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland, and featuring the voices of members is here: Our Vision and Recommendations – YouTube

And a second one that considers the deliberative process is here: Finding common ground through deliberation – YouTube
 
All of the materials including evidence from previous weekends, an interim report and range of supporting papers covering previous work and articles and videos about the impact of COVID-19 are available on the Assembly website

www.citizensassembly.scot 

together with recordings of plenary sessions.
 
 We will be promoting the report and other content on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

 Citizens’ Assembly Secretariat

Citizens Assembly to hold final meeting today

The Citizens Assembly will meet for Weekend 8 today – Saturday 5 December. Convener Kate Wimpress has written a blog where she provides an overview of the weekend (see below). 

We will be livestreaming the plenary sessions on our website, 

www.citizensassembly.scot 

and materials for the Assembly that members will use, are also available to view online.

Convener Kate Wimpress (above) said: “I am very much looking forward to the last meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly.

“Members will be meeting online on Saturday, 5th December, to discuss support for the final recommendations to advance their vision for Scotland. This is the culmination of the remarkable journey we have taken, together, as Scotland’s first  Assembly. As usual, we will be livestreaming the plenary sessions on our website: www.citizensassembly.scot

“Members will be reading out their recommendations, and it will be a privilege to hear the recommendations, formed through careful deliberation, shared in their own voice. They will also be voting on the levels of support for each recommendations agreed during weekend 7. 

“The recommendations are varied and speak to a number of broad themes: 

How decisions are taken 

  • Recommendations about improving citizen participation, the provision of information, and accountability in our political institutions.

Constitutional issues 

  • Some recommendations explicitly call for further powers, for example, around taxation and negotiating  trade agreements. Others call for changes in areas that are currently reserved, including aspects of employment law, incomes and regulation of utilities to support environmental objectives. 

Building a sustainable country  

  • A range of recommendations about environmental sustainability.

Tax and economy  

  • Recommendations on changes to, and improving the understanding of, the tax system

Income and poverty

  • Recommendations covering a range of action to address poverty including to improve information on poverty and relating to income and employment.

Helping people to realise their potential 

  • A broad range of recommendations, including around education and training for young people, and action around health and wellbeing, the NHS, and wider health services 

“There is a great deal of detail within each of the  themes and members will be finalising their recommendations during Weekend 8.

“The final report will incorporate the Assembly vision and the recommendations, alongside a description of how the process worked, and reflections from Members on their journey. It is to be published early next month, presented to the Scottish Government and Parliament, and debated in the Scottish Parliament.  

“We are making plans for communicating the final reports and our subscribers will be kept up to date with all the latest developments.

“In the meantime, we will continue to promote the Assembly across our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social media channels.”

Young Start lottery boost for Capital employability project

Projects that will boost the physical and mental health of young Scots are amongst those sharing in £732,323 of dormant bank accounts funding announced on Thursday.

Ten projects, run for and by young people, are celebrating the cash from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start fund. 

One of them is Edinburgh’s Capital City Partnership, who receive £62, 500. The city council’s arms-length employability agency will use their Young Start funding to work with ‘young people in Edinburgh at high risk of unemployment’ who will be supported by a dedicated Employment Advocacy worker. The project will work with twenty young people and will also offer two volunteering opportunities.

The Young Start funding will remove barriers to sport and physical activity for young disabled Scots like racerunner athlete Wiktoria Mucha following a grant of £66,000 to local charity, PHSYICAL.

Wiktoria Mucha, 18, from Blairgowrie has cerebral palsy and is a member of Perth Strathtay Harriers which is one of the many partner organisations and sports clubs that PHYSICAL will work with as part of their Young Start funded ‘Positive Beginnings’ project.

Over the next three years hundreds of young people from Perth & Kinross will be able to access coaching opportunities, accredited courses, volunteering opportunities, one to one mentoring and peer support.

Welcoming the news Wiktoria said: “I enjoy race-running as it improves your overall fitness and emotional well-being. I’m looking forward to taking part in Positive Beginnings as I think it will help me with my confidence by meeting other people and learning new skills.”

PHYSICAL trustee Jim Hunter added: “This Young Start grant will allow us to evolve and grow our ‘Positive Beginnings’ programme. Young disabled people, like Wiktoria, will be at the centre of this process and involved throughout.

“It will help each young person develop lifelong skills and knowledge through the platform of sport and physical activity. This cash boost goes a long way to help us reach the financial target for this project.”

Meanwhile, Dundee Football Club in the Community Trust receives £95,624 to help build the confidence, skills and future employment prospects of young people aged between 15 and 24.

The project will create a safe space for young people to access work placements and further education opportunities whilst using their local knowledge to plan and deliver activities for their communities.

Over two years, it will support 45 young people who will create, design and benefit from the programme.

Welcoming the news, Greg Fenton, Community Manager, Dundee FC In The Community Trust, said: “We are delighted with the news of our Young Start grant, which will help us achieve what we set out as a charity to Deliver Change and Transform Lives in our community.

“This project will give young people a fantastic chance in life and, working with our team and partners, this will increase their positive life chances and support them into further education and/or employment.

“The Trust have guaranteed to employ some of the young people on full time and part time contracts from the programme for a full year, so they can give back to their community whilst transforming their lives and the lives of other young people.”

Young Start awards dormant bank and building society cash to youth-led projects across Scotland and is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “At a time when young people are understandably concerned about their futures, it’s great to see that today’s Young Start funding will provide access to accredited courses, volunteering and training opportunities.

“This in turn will help to grow the confidence of many young people like Wiktoria who will lead from the front and realise their full potential.”

Groups wanting to know more about Young Start, and how it can support them during these unprecedented times should telephone 0141 846 0447 or visit  https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/youngstart