Empowering Communities

Autumn Empowerment Events

Community Empowerment is one of the three strands of the Big Society, alongside public sector reform and philanthropic action, so keep up to speed at these upcoming events from Empowering Communities and others.

Published Aug 27, 2010 - 03:52 PM
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The Big Society Conference in Taunton

Do you want to know how best to encourage citizen led participation?
 
The BIG SOCIETY free conference will take place in Taunton on 4 November, organised by Take Part Champions Exeter CVS and the Regional Empowerment Partnership, Empowering Communities.

 

Published Aug 23, 2010 - 11:28 AM
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Take part in the Big Lunch 2010 and get to know your neighbours

The Big Lunch is calling on all neighbourhoods and communities across the UK to come together on Sunday 18th July. Events around the nation are taking shape from simple tea parties in back gardens to large street parties for the whole neighbourhood.

Published Jun 23, 2010 - 04:55 PM
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Taking Stock

Taking Stock

Since the project started in 2007, Empowering Communities has commissioned research on a wide range of topics, both to inform its own activities and to explore empowerment in the South West more widely. 

We are now considering what more general lessons can be drawn from our work, and have produced a summary of our research to date.

Published Apr 09, 2010 - 05:22 PM
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Empowering Communities Newsletter - Spring edition

The Spring edition of our newsletter is now available.

It features news of participatory budgeting initiatives in the region, community researcher training, the training support we offer to local authorities, and much else besides. 

Published Mar 31, 2010 - 05:40 PM
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Take Part online resource directory launched

Take Part helps people gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to become empowered, enabling them to make an active contribution to their communities and influence public policies and services.

The Take Part directory is an online resource providing information on Take Part learning.

Published Dec 21, 2009 - 11:45 AM
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Participatory Budgeting – South West Newsletter

Participatory Budgeting is a means of supporting local communities to make their own decisions on how a percentage of their local budget is spent.  A number of Local Authorities in the South West are exploring this and pots of money from £15,000 to £300,000 have already been committed in the region in this way by both rural and urban authorities.

Published Dec 16, 2009 - 03:04 PM
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HCA Academy Reports on Empowerment Skills

The HCA Academy's Report "Empowerment skills for all: Analysing gaps and constructing a learning framework" finds that there is a widespread need for a broader approach to empowerment skills in front-line place-making occupations.

The HCA Academy is the skills arm of the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration body.

Published Nov 27, 2009 - 04:33 PM
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National Online Community for Engagement and Empowerment

This online community of practice supported by IDeA is a place to share experiences, seek advice from others and to keep up to date with current thinking, practice and policy in community engagement and empowerment.

It already has more than 700 like-minded members (including officers in local authorities, police, health, elected members and people working in the private and voluntary sectors). 

Published Nov 20, 2009 - 12:27 PM
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Empowerment Leadership Programme - recruiting now

RADAR is recruiting for its empowerment leadership programme: Equipping and inspiring leaders, aimed at those who like taking initiative and long to change the world around them. 

RADAR is interested in equipping people living with Ill health, Injury or Disability (IID) to be leaders and influencers in public life, and to take up leadership positions in the public, private and third (voluntary) sectors.

Published Oct 23, 2009 - 11:22 AM
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Community Engagement - 2 Local Authorities Sought to Exemplify Good Practice

The Stronger Community work stream within the overall Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership is seeking 2 Local Authorities who can demonstrate effective partnership in community engagement to other Local Authorities and regional partners, and help deliver the first work strand of the RIEP stronger communities programme.   Funding is available.

Published Aug 26, 2009 - 01:24 PM
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Valuing Empowerment

Bidding for resources to support people and communities to influence public services is not easy in difficult economic times.  Three publications funded by Empowering Communities and now available on our website help build the case.

Published Jul 01, 2009 - 11:57 AM
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Guides to the new duty to involve and engagement strategies

From 1 April 2009 a wide range of organisations are covered by the new duty to involve - the obligation to involve local people in decision-making.  But help is at hand with this, and with developing the more comprehensive approach to engagement called for in the recent White Paper, in two new publications.

Published Apr 08, 2009 - 04:33 PM
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South West Foundation Reports on Older People's Empowerment

The South West Foundation with sponsorship from Help the Aged has just published its Research into the work of Older People's Forums.

Published Nov 24, 2008 - 11:48 AM
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Report benchmarks efforts to enable people to influence local decisions

Increasing the number of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality is a priority for many Local Authorities in the region, and the Empowering Communities Partnership, led by Creating Excellence, has just published a report benchmarking the activities of twelve Authorities on this work.  The report also explores Authorities' potential help and support needs in improving their performance.

 

Published Oct 01, 2008 - 02:45 PM
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Important Engagement and Empowerment Research Published

The South West Regional ‘Empowering Communities' Consortium of the National Empowerment Partnership has just published eight reports which reflect research and other activities undertaken through the South West Empowerment Development Project (October 2007 - March 2008).

Published Apr 30, 2008 - 12:49 PM
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New Empowerment Research

The value of informal learning for engagement and empowerment,  and the likely effects of cuts in funding to Community Empowerment Networks across the country (there are three in the South West), are discussed in two research reports that will be of interest to the community of engagement and empowerment professionals.

Published Apr 24, 2008 - 05:20 PM
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Empowering Communities Launched

Following the announcement of the National Empowerment Partnership on 17 September by Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Empowering Communities, the South West consortium supporting this initiative led by Creating Excellence, was launched in Taunton on 5 October.

Published Oct 09, 2007 - 11:55 AM
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