Together We Plan!

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‘Together We Plan!’ is a new resource that we worked on for Local Trust, bringing together the insights and experience of Big Local areas as they responded to community priorities during the COVID-19 crisis.

The handbook offers useful approaches for Big Local partnerships in developing and planning their work during these uncertain times. We’re really grateful for the experience and insight that was shared during the development of the handbook – and it has relevance for anyone working in a community group setting.

If you are in a Big Local or community group setting it will help you:

  • Focus outwards and look at what you have learned about your community and ways of
    working during COVID-19.
  • Focus inwards and think about the needs of your group, building your strengths and skills in the way you work.
  • Explore how you can use what you have learned to make plans for the future which meet new community needs.

We look forward to hearing how people have been taking up the ideas, activities and tools from the handbook.

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.

Mental health matters in our communities

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With COVID-19 continuing to take a toll on mental health in our communities, it has been inspiring to kick off new work with Local Trust to support mental health in Big Local areas.

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“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.

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Just Ideas’ and WSA named Practitioner of the Month by At My Best

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One of the tools used by the Just Ideas team regularly are At My Best cards and we are delighted to have been named as their Practitioner of the Month joint with WSA.

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