Description:
As local authorities face economic retrenchment and austerity it has become more vital to build resilient communities where the local authority works in partnerships with local communities and other agencies to build social capital where local people can build from their own strength and assets.
Elected members and officers have an important role in helping communities collaborate so they learn from each other and develop partnerships with other agencies to enable community building at a local level.
This workshop will look at how we can build social capital, the importance of collaborative working and will examine some of the tools for community building in a digital age.
Those attending this workshop will gain:
- an understanding of the nature of community resilience
- some case studies of resilient communities in operation
- an understanding of building from bottom up through asset based community development
- some examples of collaborative working
- discussion around local authorities acting as enablers and facilitators of community building
- some insight into the value of measuring success in order to effectively deliver more for less and
- the importance of social networking and the new media in engaging communities and communicating across boundaries.
Programme*
The morning will focus on what community resilience is and look at some case studies and give time for attendees to share their own experience.
The afternoon will look at how both local authorities and communities can build resilient communities, what tools can help and how the local authority can act as facilitator in a collaborative and partnership environment.
09.45. Coffee and Registration
10.15 introduction to Day (Francis Sealey GlobalNet21)
10.25 introduction to Community resilience (Matthew Scott Lecturer in Community Development at London Metropolitan University and Founder of the Community Sector Coalition.)
10.40 Case studies of Good Practice
11.40 Involvement of group and their experience
12.15 Lunch
1.00 Building an asset based approach (Cormac Russell from Nurture Development and part founder of the Asset Based Community Development Network.) This may be a remote participation
1.30 How local authority can facilitate building community resilience(Sheila Collett, Head Of Service, Education & Enterprise, Wolverhampton City Council)
1.50 questions and discussion
2.15 How to Measure Impacts to save money, add value and improve services – (Vicky Fitzgerald, Founder of Gateway Family Services and now Founder of the Inside Outcomes Project.))
2.45 Discussion
3.15 Making use of social networks and the new media. (Francis Sealey GlobalNet21)
3.35 Questions
3.50 Feedback
4.10 Closure
