Registration is open: The Ideas Collaborative event – Friday 28th October – 9:30am to 12:30pm

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Following our workshop announcement last month, registration is now open for the next in our series of free online peer learning workshops. Join us on Friday October 28th for a morning of mixed workshops and peer support.

This is for you and your colleagues if you are …
• stepping into or changing jobs within the social justice sector
• working in a community-facing role within the public sector
• working creatively with communities for transformation.

Tap into the wisdom
We are again bringing together the wisdom and experience of people who have worked with communities and organisations in the sector in different capacities for many years with the curiosity, questions and ideas of those new to this world, providing mutual inspiration and support.
Please register here for the event and watch this space for more information. We look forward to seeing you then.

Download our free resource: Top Tips for running effective Hybrid meetings

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Over on our Resources page there is a pdf guide to running successful Hybrid meetings available to download.  In order to compile the guide we have drawn on our experience of running hybrid meetings and training events, where some participants meet face to face while other participants join the session via video conferencing (typically Zoom or Microsoft Teams). The guide provides advice in the form of a summary of key tips for running successful and inclusive hybrid meetings.

Please complete the form to download the guide.

Hold the date! Friday 28th October – 9:30am to 12:30pm: The Ideas Collaborative

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We are delighted to announce the next in our series of free online peer learning workshops – The Ideas Collaborative – on Friday 28th October.

Following on from the first session in June, we will be again offer a morning of mixed workshops and peer support – from 9:30am to 12:30pm – followed by the option of an afternoon co-working session.

This is for you and your colleagues if you are …

  • stepping into or changing jobs within the social justice sector
  • working in a community-facing role within the public sector
  • working creatively with communities for transformation.

Tap into the wisdom

We’re again bringing together the wisdom and experience of people who have worked with communities and organisations in the sector in different capacities for many years with the curiosity, questions and ideas of those new to this world, providing mutual inspiration and support.

Please save the date and watch this space for agenda and details of how to register.

Final report published: Community responses to Covid 19

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In our April blog. Director of Just Ideas – Richard Usher – reflected on how much was learnt and shared over two years working with the Third Sector Research Centre team and being alongside communities across England.

Local Trust have now published the final report in the series they commissioned, entitled “One pandemic, many responses: How community responses to COVID-19 developed and why they varied “.

The research followed 26 communities in England, observing their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis defines a ’model of resourcefulness’ through reflections on the factors that drove strong community responses; and on the interaction of multiple factors that shaped different responses. These include factors such as feelings of community cohesion and identity; past and present investments in communities; having a strong network of community leaders; and having strong relationships with local authorities

Richard reflected:

“It was a privilege to work alongside Brookside Big Local on this research project – their responsiveness to the rapidly changing need of their community during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that isolated people got the support they needed, be it help with food, prescriptions or just someone to talk to. This report explores findings from 26 communities across England and their varied responses to the COVID-19 crisis. It’s an inspiring read and it was great to be part of the wider research group with the Third Sector Research Centre, including our regular partners WSA Community Consultants.”

Calling all involved in social and environmental justice or community voice – you are invited!

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You are invited to “Connecting, Learning and Growing together” – a free half day workshop by Just Ideas – on Monday 20th June 2022 from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Zoom.

What’s on offer

This online peer learning initiative is designed to support individuals like yourself to:

  • share learning and build skills, networks and confidence
  • access personal and professional development
  • experience the creativity, energy and ideas that come from facilitated reflection and bouncing ideas around with a diverse group of peers

This is for you and your colleagues if you are …

  • stepping into or changing jobs within the social justice sector
  • working in a community-facing role within the public sector
  • working creatively with communities for transformation.

Tap into the wisdom

We’re bringing together the wisdom and experience of people who have worked with communities and organisations in the sector in different capacities for many years with the curiosity, questions and ideas of those new to this world, providing mutual inspiration and support.

For more information and to register,  please cut and paste the following registration link in to your browser –  https://forms.monday.com/forms/ab923d611cc9cdc3b45a05c8f1575e48?r=use1

New report published: Big Local relationships with public agencies

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We are delighted to announce the publishing of a new report – commissioned by Local Trust – which examines the  relationships between Big Local areas and the public agencies they connect with.

The report was written and researched by a team from Just Ideas – Directors Helen Garforth and Richard Usher with Leila Baker, Véronique Jochum, Graeme Fancourt, Amardeep Kainth, Lisa Meaney and Charlotte Pace. It sits within a wider context of growing policy emphasis on public involvement in local decision-making and draws on the experience and insights of Big Local community members. We thank them for their time and commitment to the research.

To access the report please visit the Local Trust website here.

Film: Community responses to Covid 19

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A reflection by Richard Usher, Director of Just Ideas. 

So much was learnt and shared over two years working with the Third Sector Research Centre team and being alongside communities across England in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This short film brings to life some of the issues and key responses that people in communities made from the first lockdown in 2020. It explores how different communities fared during the pandemic and provides an insight into the impact of crisis on communities, and the factors shaping their resilience, response and recovery. There are reflections on the resourcefulness and rapidity of the initial response, that was mirrored across the country, and examples of the toll this also took in the move from emergency action to enduring the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

On a personal note, it is great to hear and see Tony Littley, Chair of Brookside Big Local – who Just Ideas have also worked with – contributing to the film.

Commissioned by Local Trust, the findings of this research provide an insight into the impact of crisis on communities, and the factors shaping their resilience, response and recovery. Please do check out the learning that was shared by the team as we went here 

Community Conversations about health and care – come and join us!

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At Just Ideas we are delighted to be working with longstanding partners WSA Community Consultants to support 100 conversations about health and care across Britain between now and May. Our partnership is working for a new charity Engage Britain on their Health and Care project, which aims to get people talking about what matters most to them about health and care: sharing ideas, stories and solutions. Engage Britain will then ensure those voices are heard and ideas discussed by movers and shakers across health and care policy to put people’s voice and experience at the heart of decision-making. Find out more here.

Just Ideas and WSA Community Consultants will be hosting some conversations and would really welcome your input if you are interested in sharing you experience and views on health and care. Each conversation will last 90 minutes. There is no prep work needed – we are keen to hear your stories, experiences and views.

These sessions will be on Zoom, and small and friendly. Currently they are planned for:

Thursday 25th March, 1.30–3pm
Thursday 22nd April, 6-7.30 pm
Thursday 13th May, 10-11.30 am

If you would like to join us let us know by emailing helen@just-ideas.co.uk

Everything you say will feed into Engage Britain building their understanding of solutions that people and communities think will make a difference, to then use this in moving forward to influence policy makers. We hope to welcome you at a conversation!

Reflections on a turbulent year

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In December 2019 we looked ahead with relish to the projects we would be working on, and the clients, partners and associates we would be working with over the course of 2020. As it turned out COVID-19 defined 2020, bringing with it a huge human toll. It quickly compounded health, social and economic inequality in communities across the UK and globally. But we have been fortunate to be working with organisations and for clients that wanted to learn from and respond to the crisis as best they could.

The Just Ideas Collaborative has been a real strength to draw on over this turbulent year – our team of nine Associates who, quite apart from bringing an extraordinary range of skills to our work, have made 2020 rich in learning and creative thinking, and been a social rock too. Find out more about how we have worked together over the last year here.

Thank you to one of that Collaborative, Natalie from Nature Nurture, for so skillfully creating the artwork to represent our year here.

“Power in our Hands” – Looking back on eight years of Big Local

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At Just Ideas we are honoured that Local Trust have drawn on our work in production of a recent paper on resident-led decision making.

Read more