Unlocking Fellowship Potential in Different Ways

Comment by Noel Hatch on February 2, 2011 at 21:24

Excellent suggestion Tessy. And this can work really well - I've used a similar process called a Waffle Bank (see photos) where we work with a local group and visit them for one of their activities. We bring a portable waffle cooker and sit down with the participants and have a conversation about what skills they want to share. For each skill they want to share with someone, they get one credit which they can exchange or a waffle. The idea is to build people's confidence in sharing what skills they have and encouraging them to want to share a skill with someone else. At future workshops, they will then share that skill themselves with others. Anyway, I think connecting up RSA Skills Bank with community groups on the ground would be incredibly valuable! Maybe its worth a session at the RSA to co-design this?

Comment by Tessy Britton on February 2, 2011 at 23:25

Thanks Noel - How interesting about the Waffle Bank... I like you suggestion of the co-design session.  We should talk to someone!

 

 

Comment by Ted Fowler on February 3, 2011 at 9:25

Thanks Tessy,

It is a great idea for Fellows to exploit our individual capacity for the improvement of our communities.  The challenge is also perhaps to achieve this on a sustained level: impossible I think unless a stratetgic and respectful approach is taken. We will be discussing this in our Bristol network so maybe we'll link further in to this group.

There are already institutions set up by committed volunteers with expertise in supporting different sectors of community activity, right now they need our help more than ever: CABs, out of school projects, nationality advice, existing schools, disability arts groups, community transport, volunteer agencies that work all the above and many more.  It is more helpful often to adapt what we have than to completely undermine the efforts of others by creating new initiatives per se....especially if they are not core and therefore will not attract long term commitment form within. The last thing that is needed is another initiative that appears to tell people in hard pressed communities that 'professionals can do better' or some similar self regarding message. 

 

The value of the Business in the Community brokering of support for community organisations that I used as a community entrepreneur was in the detail: they really helped us assess our needs and made sure the volunteering was a positive developmental experience for both parties.  This was a relief after being helped by people who really needed more help for themselves that we were able to offer (from moral uplift to basic respect) and appeared to have not have been prepared to see 'marketing' or business planning from the perspective of their 'clients'.

 

Volunteer centres, Councils for Voluntary Service, community development/cohesion teams in local authorities etc. are good places to start understanding what is already happening and where such interventions may get best leverage/results - as well as getting l

Comment by Tessy Britton on February 3, 2011 at 9:42

Thanks so much Ted for sharing so much detail.  I agree completely with your points - the idea of partnering with organisations who already understand communities and individuals, creates the potential for really sensitive support only if and when needed.  There are many instances that see an expression of the 'self-regarding' messages you describe which are not only annoying but can have very negative effects.

Comment by Wiard Sterk on February 3, 2011 at 11:09

Thanks for the blog, Tessy. Milton Keynes is not a place I associate with deprivation, but I am sure there is. The Skills Bank offers many as yet untapped potentials and we need to encourage more Fellows to sign up and offer their expertise to help enable projects at local level. The Travelling Pantry in Cardiff gave us some great insights and helped develop further connections, which I am taking forward in the Catalyst funded "New Endings" project (jointly with two other Fellows) as well as a local group focussing on initiating community focussed projects and activities. The partnering approach is essential and we are working with Voluntary Action Cardiff to link into a wider network of groups and initiatives. It's early days yet but ideas around a community bakery, a cook book and a Big Lunch (preparing and sharing food is a great social tool) are forming fast. We should continue debate around these issues on these pages as well and share ideas and experiences.

Comment by Tessy Britton on February 3, 2011 at 11:28

Thanks Wiard - great to hear of your plans... and partnering seems such a vital of Fellows to contribute as you demonstrate. I like the idea of your community bakery!

Comment by Joan Foster on February 3, 2011 at 11:35

Thank you Tessy - very interesting thoughts and the further comments. My comment is that I have found that often there are initiatives after initiatives and a lack of co-ordination and information as to what currently exists - with a real danger of re-inventing wheels. My area of interest is in mental health, well-being etc and when I explored what was currently in place in terms of statutory and voluntary organisations and schemes in Southampton - there was great overlap and lack of knowledge of what was already in place. An initiative to map current provision and bring people together could result in more effective working. The problem is always that as soon as some sort of information directory or whatever is put in place, it is out of date. Perhaps there is a role for constantly updating technology here as well.

Comment by Tessy Britton on February 3, 2011 at 11:46

That is such an important point Joan.  I wonder if this isn't a good example of where we need to know each face-to-face to really understand each other skills so that we can take a deeper and more nuanced approach.  I think with this in mind the value of the local networks that are springing up really comes to the fore - these being organised by both Network Managers and staff.

Comment by Ted Fowler on February 3, 2011 at 11:49

Quite right Joan,

I hope that we can do thet here - it could be like a mind map which we put potential alliances and ('competitive ideas' onto so we don't wind ourselves and eachother up to do things that are unclear on value added.

are there any participative mind-mapping wedbased tools?

 

Ted

 

Comment by Ted Fowler on February 3, 2011 at 11:50

bother! I didn't spell check that, back to my day job.....

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