CEN Central Network Event 08/12/09
"Getting Engaged... Having your say about community empowerment in Doncaster"
We all know how important it is to consult with local people and organisations in order to deliver the best possible local services. That's why the CEN network event held in December 2009 involved discussion and consultation on a proposed Community Engagement Strategy for Doncaster. The development of a strategy had just started at the time of our meeting and the morning was therefore centred around a presentation and consultation exercise led by Mandy Wilson from COGS, the lead agency for the Yorkshire and Humber Empowerment Partnership, who has been working with the DtS Partnership.
Co-hosted by Wheatley Park Baptist Church, and kindly chaired by Andy West from the church, the meeting also involved a performance of Flooded River by local group Solo Entertainments Ltd. In addition, attendees were able to network with other local groups and organisations, and speak to exhibitors from local organisations.
Video from the event as well as a copy of Mandy's presentation and the results of the consultation exercise are all available to view on this page. If you'd like to come to the next CEN Network event, click here to find out more or alternatively please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
So, to kick off the meeting what better than an inspiring introduction from CEN's very own Andy West. Here are a few thoughts from Andy about what empowerment means to him and of the value of local third sector organisations.
In this short extract from her presentation, Mandy discusses what empowerment is and the context for empowerment set out by the government.
Here Mandy outlines some of the changes taking place in relation to the empowerment agenda, following the change in Secretary of State which took place during 2009.
The excellent presentation from Mandy is available to download here. Following Mandy's presentation, everyone took part in short table conversations to identify:
- What is needed to help people to feel empowered to have their say; and
- To determine what members of the network feel should be part of the Community Engagement Strategy
Following these discussions, a prioritisation exercise took place; the key issues which emerged were the need for effective communication and also the need for community engagement to be appropriately resourced. Click here to download the results of the exercise.
In addition, throughout the morning a 'Spider's Web' enabled people to write down their thoughts about community engagement. The comments from the spider's web are available to download here.
If you would like to find out more about COGS or the Yorkshire & Humber Empowerment Partnership please visit their websites.
At the beginning of the event we were also treated to a great performance of Flooded River by Solo Entertainments Ltd. To see an extract from their performance, have a look at the video posted below.
If you would like to contact Solo Entertainment, please email soloentertainments@live.co.uk.
