A guest blog by Aideen Blackborough with image by Eddy Phillips
A collaboration with IVAR: Inclusive Practices Training development
Just Ideas has recently been approached by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research with an exciting opportunity to develop some training on inclusive practices with a particular focus on working with disabled people. The organisation take a lead on cross sector partnership working, with a focus on tackling health inequalities and are always keen to ensure that people with lived experience are involved at all stages of their work.
Lived experience at the forefront
With this in mind, we reached out to three of our associates who have lived experience of disability and invited them to design an informative and interactive disability training session for IVAR. Aideen Blackborough has had Cerebral Palsy since birth and uses an electric wheelchair. Ali Carroll has knowledge, experience and a passion for working with those who have learning disabilities. Eddy Phillips has personal lived experience of neurodiversity and has been involved in research about participatory practices. Our Director – Helen Garforth – will also use her passion for access and inclusion to support the training. Eddy is really excited about the opportunity, saying:
‘I’m really excited to be part of this project. It’s so important that the voices of disabled people are central in research, enabling those perspectives to be considered in both the content of the research and how it is communicated.
It’s important that power dynamics (between disabled and nondisabled people, and people with other intersections of experience and identity) are acknowledged and acted upon throughout the research process. This may include – but should not be limited to – recognising disabled people’s input through a participation fee or other mutually agreed form of recognition, and having a meaningful voice in shaping research at every stage.
It’s great to be able to work with IVAR on this.”
Eddy Phillips, Just Ideas’ associate
With such a wealth of experience to share, the training is promised to be lively and engaging! The team met to discuss the structure of the training session and worked to include as many of IVAR’s priorities as possible. The session will begin by exploring what is meant by the term “disability” and giving delegates some background by exploring the Medical and Social Models of Disability.
Storytelling: Highlighting the barriers
We’ll then move on with some story telling to highlight some of the barriers that disabled people face in their every day lives. Ali has plans to create a video with some of the people that she works with, as the team is really keen to ensure that we bring in as many voices as possible. Delegates will be encouraged to consider positive language for disability and the importance of allowing disabled people to lead these conversations. The team also plan to address the issues arising from involving carers and involving them as a resource, whilst not bypassing disabled people.
The training promises to be dramatic as the team bring Forum Theatre into the mix! IVAR have provided the team with some scenarios they would like to explore to help their team develop confidence when interacting with disabled people. The plan is for a couple of the scenarios to be acted out, with the audience able to guide and advise each of the characters towards a positive outcome. A brilliant opportunity to put learning into action with a fun and engaging activity!
Find out more
To find out more – or to discuss how Just Ideas’ approach can support your organisational approach to accessibility and inclusion – please contact us.
https://just-ideas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IVAR_website_graphic.png399709Maryhttps://just-ideas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/just-ideas-logo1.pngMary2025-03-07 14:08:042025-03-11 09:47:58Bringing Lived Experience to the Forefront: Inclusive Practices Training
In November 2024 Just Ideas were invited back to Magpie to facilitate this important meeting. As Jane Williams, CEO of Magpie describes it in a new blog:
“At the end of November we got together with mums, minis, staff, volunteers, trustees to talk through what is most important to us, how we want to our charity to run, and how we want to treat ourselves and each other…
… we slowly came to an agreement about our vision mission and values while celebrating our community and each other. All of this was expertly, lovingly, and innovatively facilitated by our amazing friends at Just Ideas who, honestly make the almost impossible (wrangling all of us) look effortless.”
Jane Williams, CEO and Founder – Magpie
Our work with Magpie in 2024
The Magpie Project supports mums and pre-school children suffering in temporary or insecure accommodation due to the hostile immigration environment. Just Ideas facilitated a number of listening events between professionals and mums of under-fives experiencing developmental and learning needs. We designed and held those sessions in a way that gave the mums a platform to articulate their experiences on an equal, expert footing with the health professionals.
Following a series of thorough and detailed reports on those sessions by our team, we were invited back to facilitate four co-design workshops with the mums and professionals, where we co-created work programmes around the themes that emerged in our listening events. Those work programmes focus on developing tools, materials, resources and practice to shape future services, interventions and advocacy.
Find out more
To discuss how Just Ideas’ facilitation flair can assist you in reaching your goals please contact us.
Coinciding with COP29 in Azerbaijan, Just Ideas’ delivered a further round of UN-style model climate conferences in partnership with InterClimate Network. Together we delivered nine conferences in two weeks, and we’re proud of our team of Just Ideas’ associates who travelled around the country on trains, passed resources to each other, and made the events such a success. The good relationships and reputation we’ve built over the years have enabled this project to gain momentum and achieve even greater reach year-on-year. This year we facilitated a first conference at Ipswich High School, supported by Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils.
The Impact Report
Over 500 students from 65 secondary schools participated in the conferences. Students worked with policymakers, businesses, and communities, enhancing awareness and critical thinking about global climate challenges, green skills and local climate action.
Towards the end of 2024 we shared the Just Ideas’ Review of 2024. You can read the full review here.
Here we highlight one of the projects we worked on in 2024 which showcases the use of graphics and the creation of a ‘project on a page’ image to communicate complex outputs.
Just Ideas was invited by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to be a delivery partner for Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy – an initiative from DEFRA and Natural England to shape the priorities for nature recovery and increasing biodiversity in local areas.
Through a series of workshops, we worked with residents and stakeholders from local communities to make sure their views and priorities for nature were represented in a meaningful way.
We organised and facilitated:
six place-based community workshops, attended by a total of 235 people
three workshops for farmers and landowners, attended by a total of 140 people
an online workshop with 35 participants
400 responses to an interactive survey.
Our associate, Natalie, produced some beautiful illustrations of Berkshire’s habitats and species for these workshops. They were very effective in bringing a wealth of complex information to people in a meaningful way and encouraging them to engage with it. Natalie also created a striking graphic summarising the priorities of the people we talked with.
Credit Natalie Ganpatsingh, Just Ideas’ Nature Engagement Associate
At a review of the pre-consultation draft of the strategy, with the supporting authorities and Natural England, there was positive feedback on the extent and depth of our public engagement work. The graphic was also highlighted as an example of best practice.
“We were really impressed by your description of how the stakeholder engagement was undertaken and how it contributed to the setting of priorities and measures.”
Representative, LNRS supporting authorities and Natural England
A public consultation on the strategy is planned for early 2025, and it’s good to see the results of our collective efforts progressing to the next stage.
Find out more
One of our big learnings from this work is the power of creating a ‘project on a page’ image. We’re continually exploring visual ways of working, including graphic reporting. For more information on how this communication tool can be used in your organisation please contact us.
https://just-ideas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BLNRS-Natalie-graphic.jpg8611213Maryhttps://just-ideas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/just-ideas-logo1.pngMary2025-01-14 13:58:142025-01-14 13:58:14Highlights from 2024 – ‘project on a page’ graphics: The Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy
And once again grateful for fantastic artwork from our associate and Nature Nurture Director, Natalie Ganpatsingh. Watch the making of the artwork here.
Many thanks also to Sophie de Albuquerque of Wise Copy for working with us through the year on our look back each quarter. We look forward to that opportunity to reflect and share our learning throughout 2025.
For us, the standout theme of the past three months is the energy, flexibility and creativity we’re seeing in our teams of Just Ideas’ associates. Working with challenging systems and sensitive subject matter, they’ve shown remarkable teamwork, initiative and resourcefulness. We’d like to say a huge thank you for their contributions.
Covid-19 Inquiry – Every Story Matters
Experiences of Test, Trace and Isolate (Module 7)
We continue to work with Ipsos, in partnership with WSA Community, on the UK Covid-19 inquiry Listening Exercise – Every Story Matters. We have just finished working on Module 7, focusing on people’s experiences of test, trace and isolate, from home testing and PCR tests to tracing efforts, guidelines around isolating, and the impact of those.
Once again, we travelled around the UK talking to a broad range of people. Our work has focused on a number of target groups including those who were digitally excluded (lacking the confidence or devices to access Covid-19 information online); people supporting family members to isolate; people with neurological conditions; people with learning disabilities; and nomadic people.
The nomadic group covers a huge spectrum, from people living on boats, to travelling show people, to people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. That posed challenges in how we contacted people and arranged meetings. Through our network of contacts, we’ve worked with organisations that support those communities, and been able to do most interviews by mobile phone.
Our research and preparation has been careful. We’ve listened to organisations that know these communities best, to help us build relationships and trust. There’s been a need for sensitivity and understanding, particularly about how people from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller backgrounds feel society views them generally and how Covid heightened feelings of mistrust. We’ve needed to be very flexible with our offer, in response to people’s needs and preferences.
Insights in to Digital Exclusion
Talking to people who fall into the category of ‘digitally excluded’, we’re understanding more and more of the nuances involved. We’re learning that, while certain platforms are digitally inclusive of some people with learning disabilities, or some people who are neurodivergent, other platforms don’t work for them at all. We’re realising it’s not just a case of access to devices, or money for data, or skills that enable people to use digital technology – it’s more nuanced than that, and in some cases people are opting out of digital communication by choice.
“It’s been a real privilege to get to speak to such a broad range of people about their experiences of the pandemic as part of Every Story Matters, and being part of a really supportive and flexible team as a Just Ideas associate has made this feel especially safe and rewarding.” Just Ideas Associate
Impact on Children and Young People (Module 8)
We’ve just started work on Module 8, focusing on the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, particularly relating to changes in education, access to health and other services, and digital communication. We’ve welcomed some new team members who bring the relevant expertise, including a new associate from a teaching background.
Publication of Healthcare Systems record (Module 3)
When we talk to people about their experiences of the pandemic, they often tell us that they appreciate the opportunity to talk, but have doubts about what will change. It’s been really good to see some quotes from our Module 3 fieldwork published in the first Every Story Matters record, so we can assure people that their experiences do matter and are being shared. Ipsos’ Managing Director of Public Affairs, Trinh Tu, recently celebrated the publication of the record on LinkedIn. Trust for London – London Housing Panel
Having facilitated successful hybrid (in person and online) reflective workshops in support of the London Housing Panel in 2022 and 2023, we were delighted to work with the Panel again in June 2024.
We used a variety of methods and activities to stimulate debate, working together on themes and issues arising from a previous survey and themes that surfaced on the day. We introduced the Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry method to generate and capture dialogue, showcasing a methodology that the panel wanted to learn more about for future work.
“We were immensely grateful for your thoughtful help and support beyond the brief. From responding to… such enormous hurt being felt right now in the Gypsy Roma Traveller communities, to being mindful of those joining online. Aware of the number of technical and relational tasks your team was juggling… and with such an air of calm and warmth!”
Secretariat, London Housing Panel
The London Housing Panel shared a draft report of the workshop with participants and told us that the outcomes are already showing up in meetings with the GLA.
Following the Magpie Pathways Pilot project we were involved in this spring, facilitating listening workshops with vulnerable mums and their minis, we put together a report of the insights we had gathered.
We’re delighted that the team at The Magpie Project really appreciated our work. They have asked us to partner with them again to take the learning from the listening workshops, and build on it with four co-design workshops with the mums and the professionals.
Each workshop will be on a different theme that emerged in the listening workshop: Better Play in the Universal Setting; Clearer Pathways; Prepared Professionals; and Big Picture Policy. The purpose of each workshop is to design the work programme for that theme.
Each work programme, delivered by a Task and Finish group involving mums and professionals, will be responsible for developing tools, materials, resources and practice to shape future services, interventions and advocacy, improving access and opportunities for mums and minis.
“The report was brilliant. Out of seeming chaos, chat, and emotions, you managed to distil themes and directions in a way that makes sense, but without losing the feel, tone and heart of what was discussed with professionals, mums and minis. The report looks so great, we can be proud to send it to people to read. We have already had feedback from professionals that they enjoyed reading it.” Jane Williams, CEO Founder, The Magpie Project
Local Trust and Big Local
As part of Local Trust’s ‘measuring change support’, we’re working with Villages Together on their brilliant idea for piloting a community hub on a local estate, bringing together local agencies, community groups and associations and creating a space for new activities and events to happen. The idea is for people to be able to access support and advice all in one place, without travelling out of their area.
Richard Usher, Director of Just Ideas, co-facilitated a session, bringing together all of these groups, to think about what they want to see, what they want to get out of it as organisations and the difference it would make to people on the estate. We made the most of the local contacts we had established as part of our work on the Covid Inquiry listening exercise, and had really good attendance, with 20 different organisations present.
We returned in October to run a session with people living on this estate, to talk through what they want to see and be part of in the community hub, and how the process of developing it will work.
Just Ideas Collaborative
It’s been really inspiring to see the way our teams of associates are working together, creating opportunities, building relationships and supporting each other.
With the Covid Inquiry bringing some challenging targets, and involving research work that’s not so conventional, our team has really risen to the challenge. We’ve seen people seizing opportunities, making contacts, getting through to people and setting up interviews in really short timeframes. It’s taking creativity and flexibility, and we’re really heartened by the good communication and mutual support going on in the team.
COP 29: Model Climate Conferences for schools
Another team of associates is coming together to plan and facilitate nine model climate conferences for schools across England this November. Timed to coincide with COP29 in Azerbaijan the conferences will take place in Council Chambers from Cheltenham to Ipswich and Reading to Birmingham. In partnership with youth climate charity InterClimate Network, a group of eight of us are looking forward to traveling around the country and delivering those conferences together.
Keep in contact
Join our mailing list to hear our news and get links to helpful information and resources.
Opportunities to work together
We’re really grateful for the long-standing relationships we have with our clients, meaning we get to work with them on an ongoing basis, often on long-term projects.
We’re always interested in developing new partnerships, so if you have a project you’d like to discuss with us for 2025, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Looking forward to updating you on our progress again, and sharing our highlights from 2024, at the end of the year!
Richard, Helen, Mary and the Just Ideas Collaborative
Eddy Phillips
Bringing Lived Experience to the Forefront: Inclusive Practices Training
/in Company information, Frontpage Article, inclusive practice, Learning events, News, Partnership development/by MaryA guest blog by Aideen Blackborough with image by Eddy Phillips
A collaboration with IVAR: Inclusive Practices Training development
Just Ideas has recently been approached by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research with an exciting opportunity to develop some training on inclusive practices with a particular focus on working with disabled people. The organisation take a lead on cross sector partnership working, with a focus on tackling health inequalities and are always keen to ensure that people with lived experience are involved at all stages of their work.
Lived experience at the forefront
With this in mind, we reached out to three of our associates who have lived experience of disability and invited them to design an informative and interactive disability training session for IVAR. Aideen Blackborough has had Cerebral Palsy since birth and uses an electric wheelchair. Ali Carroll has knowledge, experience and a passion for working with those who have learning disabilities. Eddy Phillips has personal lived experience of neurodiversity and has been involved in research about participatory practices. Our Director – Helen Garforth – will also use her passion for access and inclusion to support the training. Eddy is really excited about the opportunity, saying:
With such a wealth of experience to share, the training is promised to be lively and engaging! The team met to discuss the structure of the training session and worked to include as many of IVAR’s priorities as possible. The session will begin by exploring what is meant by the term “disability” and giving delegates some background by exploring the Medical and Social Models of Disability.
Storytelling: Highlighting the barriers
We’ll then move on with some story telling to highlight some of the barriers that disabled people face in their every day lives. Ali has plans to create a video with some of the people that she works with, as the team is really keen to ensure that we bring in as many voices as possible. Delegates will be encouraged to consider positive language for disability and the importance of allowing disabled people to lead these conversations. The team also plan to address the issues arising from involving carers and involving them as a resource, whilst not bypassing disabled people.
The training promises to be dramatic as the team bring Forum Theatre into the mix! IVAR have provided the team with some scenarios they would like to explore to help their team develop confidence when interacting with disabled people. The plan is for a couple of the scenarios to be acted out, with the audience able to guide and advise each of the characters towards a positive outcome. A brilliant opportunity to put learning into action with a fun and engaging activity!
Find out more
To find out more – or to discuss how Just Ideas’ approach can support your organisational approach to accessibility and inclusion – please contact us.
Highlights from 2024 – Magpie – Vision, Mission, Values workshop
/in Frontpage Article, News/by MaryHere we highlight another one of the projects featured in the 2024 Just Ideas’ Annual Review and in a new blog by Magpie’s CEO, Jane Williams.
Defining Magpie’s Vision, Mission, Values
In November 2024 Just Ideas were invited back to Magpie to facilitate this important meeting. As Jane Williams, CEO of Magpie describes it in a new blog:
Our work with Magpie in 2024
The Magpie Project supports mums and pre-school children suffering in temporary or insecure accommodation due to the hostile immigration environment. Just Ideas facilitated a number of listening events between professionals and mums of under-fives experiencing developmental and learning needs. We designed and held those sessions in a way that gave the mums a platform to articulate their experiences on an equal, expert footing with the health professionals.
Following a series of thorough and detailed reports on those sessions by our team, we were invited back to facilitate four co-design workshops with the mums and professionals, where we co-created work programmes around the themes that emerged in our listening events. Those work programmes focus on developing tools, materials, resources and practice to shape future services, interventions and advocacy.
Find out more
To discuss how Just Ideas’ facilitation flair can assist you in reaching your goals please contact us.
Highlights from 2024 – InterClimate Network Impact Report
/in Frontpage Article, News/by MaryHere we highlight another one of the projects featured in the 2024 Just Ideas’ Annual Review and in a new impact report.
Coinciding with COP29 in Azerbaijan, Just Ideas’ delivered a further round of UN-style model climate conferences in partnership with InterClimate Network. Together we delivered nine conferences in two weeks, and we’re proud of our team of Just Ideas’ associates who travelled around the country on trains, passed resources to each other, and made the events such a success. The good relationships and reputation we’ve built over the years have enabled this project to gain momentum and achieve even greater reach year-on-year. This year we facilitated a first conference at Ipswich High School, supported by Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils.
The Impact Report
Over 500 students from 65 secondary schools participated in the conferences. Students worked with policymakers, businesses, and communities, enhancing awareness and critical thinking about global climate challenges, green skills and local climate action.
Read the full impact report from InterClimate Network here
Find out more
If you are a school or local authority seeking to run a Mock COP in-house please contact us.
Highlights from 2024 – ‘project on a page’ graphics: The Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy
/in Frontpage Article, News/by MarySharing highlights from our story of 2024
Towards the end of 2024 we shared the Just Ideas’ Review of 2024. You can read the full review here.
Here we highlight one of the projects we worked on in 2024 which showcases the use of graphics and the creation of a ‘project on a page’ image to communicate complex outputs.
Just Ideas was invited by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to be a delivery partner for Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy – an initiative from DEFRA and Natural England to shape the priorities for nature recovery and increasing biodiversity in local areas.
Through a series of workshops, we worked with residents and stakeholders from local communities to make sure their views and priorities for nature were represented in a meaningful way.
We organised and facilitated:
Our associate, Natalie, produced some beautiful illustrations of Berkshire’s habitats and species for these workshops. They were very effective in bringing a wealth of complex information to people in a meaningful way and encouraging them to engage with it. Natalie also created a striking graphic summarising the priorities of the people we talked with.
Credit Natalie Ganpatsingh, Just Ideas’ Nature Engagement Associate
At a review of the pre-consultation draft of the strategy, with the supporting authorities and Natural England, there was positive feedback on the extent and depth of our public engagement work. The graphic was also highlighted as an example of best practice.
A public consultation on the strategy is planned for early 2025, and it’s good to see the results of our collective efforts progressing to the next stage.
Find out more
One of our big learnings from this work is the power of creating a ‘project on a page’ image. We’re continually exploring visual ways of working, including graphic reporting. For more information on how this communication tool can be used in your organisation please contact us.
Ripple Effect – Our Annual Review 2024
/in Frontpage Article, News/by Richard UsherWe’re delighted to share our story of 2024
And once again grateful for fantastic artwork from our associate and Nature Nurture Director, Natalie Ganpatsingh. Watch the making of the artwork here.
Many thanks also to Sophie de Albuquerque of Wise Copy for working with us through the year on our look back each quarter. We look forward to that opportunity to reflect and share our learning throughout 2025.
Read the full review here.
Wishing you well for the festive season and 2025.
Richard, Helen, Mary, Mike and the JI Collaborative.
Just Ideas’ Autumn Review 2024
/in Community development, Company information, Facilitation, Frontpage Article, Learning events, News/by MaryFlexible, resourceful teams…
…thinking creatively and building relationships
For us, the standout theme of the past three months is the energy, flexibility and creativity we’re seeing in our teams of Just Ideas’ associates. Working with challenging systems and sensitive subject matter, they’ve shown remarkable teamwork, initiative and resourcefulness. We’d like to say a huge thank you for their contributions.
Covid-19 Inquiry – Every Story Matters
Experiences of Test, Trace and Isolate (Module 7)
We continue to work with Ipsos, in partnership with WSA Community, on the UK Covid-19 inquiry Listening Exercise – Every Story Matters. We have just finished working on Module 7, focusing on people’s experiences of test, trace and isolate, from home testing and PCR tests to tracing efforts, guidelines around isolating, and the impact of those.
Once again, we travelled around the UK talking to a broad range of people. Our work has focused on a number of target groups including those who were digitally excluded (lacking the confidence or devices to access Covid-19 information online); people supporting family members to isolate; people with neurological conditions; people with learning disabilities; and nomadic people.
The nomadic group covers a huge spectrum, from people living on boats, to travelling show people, to people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. That posed challenges in how we contacted people and arranged meetings. Through our network of contacts, we’ve worked with organisations that support those communities, and been able to do most interviews by mobile phone.
Our research and preparation has been careful. We’ve listened to organisations that know these communities best, to help us build relationships and trust. There’s been a need for sensitivity and understanding, particularly about how people from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller backgrounds feel society views them generally and how Covid heightened feelings of mistrust. We’ve needed to be very flexible with our offer, in response to people’s needs and preferences.
Insights in to Digital Exclusion
Talking to people who fall into the category of ‘digitally excluded’, we’re understanding more and more of the nuances involved. We’re learning that, while certain platforms are digitally inclusive of some people with learning disabilities, or some people who are neurodivergent, other platforms don’t work for them at all. We’re realising it’s not just a case of access to devices, or money for data, or skills that enable people to use digital technology – it’s more nuanced than that, and in some cases people are opting out of digital communication by choice.
Impact on Children and Young People (Module 8)
We’ve just started work on Module 8, focusing on the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, particularly relating to changes in education, access to health and other services, and digital communication. We’ve welcomed some new team members who bring the relevant expertise, including a new associate from a teaching background.
Publication of Healthcare Systems record (Module 3)
When we talk to people about their experiences of the pandemic, they often tell us that they appreciate the opportunity to talk, but have doubts about what will change. It’s been really good to see some quotes from our Module 3 fieldwork published in the first Every Story Matters record, so we can assure people that their experiences do matter and are being shared. Ipsos’ Managing Director of Public Affairs, Trinh Tu, recently celebrated the publication of the record on LinkedIn.
Trust for London – London Housing Panel
Having facilitated successful hybrid (in person and online) reflective workshops in support of the London Housing Panel in 2022 and 2023, we were delighted to work with the Panel again in June 2024.
We used a variety of methods and activities to stimulate debate, working together on themes and issues arising from a previous survey and themes that surfaced on the day. We introduced the Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry method to generate and capture dialogue, showcasing a methodology that the panel wanted to learn more about for future work.
The London Housing Panel shared a draft report of the workshop with participants and told us that the outcomes are already showing up in meetings with the GLA.
We’ve drawn on our experience of facilitating excellent hybrid sessions to create this guide to running successful and inclusive hybrid meetings.
The Magpie Project
We’re delighted that the team at The Magpie Project really appreciated our work. They have asked us to partner with them again to take the learning from the listening workshops, and build on it with four co-design workshops with the mums and the professionals.
Each workshop will be on a different theme that emerged in the listening workshop: Better Play in the Universal Setting; Clearer Pathways; Prepared Professionals; and Big Picture Policy. The purpose of each workshop is to design the work programme for that theme.
Each work programme, delivered by a Task and Finish group involving mums and professionals, will be responsible for developing tools, materials, resources and practice to shape future services, interventions and advocacy, improving access and opportunities for mums and minis.
Local Trust and Big Local
As part of Local Trust’s ‘measuring change support’, we’re working with Villages Together on their brilliant idea for piloting a community hub on a local estate, bringing together local agencies, community groups and associations and creating a space for new activities and events to happen. The idea is for people to be able to access support and advice all in one place, without travelling out of their area.
Richard Usher, Director of Just Ideas, co-facilitated a session, bringing together all of these groups, to think about what they want to see, what they want to get out of it as organisations and the difference it would make to people on the estate. We made the most of the local contacts we had established as part of our work on the Covid Inquiry listening exercise, and had really good attendance, with 20 different organisations present.
We returned in October to run a session with people living on this estate, to talk through what they want to see and be part of in the community hub, and how the process of developing it will work.
Just Ideas Collaborative
It’s been really inspiring to see the way our teams of associates are working together, creating opportunities, building relationships and supporting each other.
With the Covid Inquiry bringing some challenging targets, and involving research work that’s not so conventional, our team has really risen to the challenge. We’ve seen people seizing opportunities, making contacts, getting through to people and setting up interviews in really short timeframes. It’s taking creativity and flexibility, and we’re really heartened by the good communication and mutual support going on in the team.
COP 29: Model Climate Conferences for schools
Another team of associates is coming together to plan and facilitate nine model climate conferences for schools across England this November. Timed to coincide with COP29 in Azerbaijan the conferences will take place in Council Chambers from Cheltenham to Ipswich and Reading to Birmingham. In partnership with youth climate charity InterClimate Network, a group of eight of us are looking forward to traveling around the country and delivering those conferences together.
Keep in contact
Join our mailing list to hear our news and get links to helpful information and resources.
Opportunities to work together
We’re really grateful for the long-standing relationships we have with our clients, meaning we get to work with them on an ongoing basis, often on long-term projects.
We’re always interested in developing new partnerships, so if you have a project you’d like to discuss with us for 2025, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Looking forward to updating you on our progress again, and sharing our highlights from 2024, at the end of the year!
Richard, Helen, Mary and the Just Ideas Collaborative