Gathering Regional Intelligence on Community Engagement & Empowerment
Phase 1 of the Community Engagement & Empowerment Programme concentrated on gaining intelligence on regional needs through engagement with communities, authorities, their partners, and regional groups. This phase is now complete and all research has been posted onto the CEE web pages . See CEE Projects for a list of the CEE research areas in Phase 1 (Autumn 2008 to March 2009).
Sounding Board events, December 2008 - January 2009
During the winter of 2008-9, the RIEP and the North East Empowerment Partnership held 6 themed 'Sounding Boards' where we asked a series of structured questions to each group in order to find out their views on the community engagement and empowerment agenda. We invited frontline staff and unpaid volunteers/community representatives in each theme area to come along and share their views on what is and isn't working in the region. The findings from each Sounding Board can be viewed below.
| Theme | Date & Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 1st December 2008, Newcastle Assembly Rooms (followed on from regional LINks meeting). | Health Sounding Board Report |
| Older People | 18th December 2008, Newcastle Centre for Life | Older People Sounding Board Report |
| Young People | 13th January 2009, Newcastle Centre for Life | Young People Sounding Board Report |
| Crime | 20th January 2009 Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue HQ, Washington | Crime Sounding Board Report |
| Ordinary Citizen | 27th January 2009 Newcastle Centre for Life | Ordinary Citizen Sounding Board Report |
| Third Sector | 29th January 2009 Big Lottery Fund Offices, Newcastle | Third Sector Sounding Board Report |
'Listening to Local Voices' - Forum events to enrich the findings
We held a Forum event for around 60 people on 27th February at the Centre for Life, Newcastle. The findings from all 6 Sounding Boards were discussed, enriched and validated by the audience consisting of community development volunteers and paid staff from across the region. View the Report here.
Then, we presented the research at a Forum event for local authority officers on 12th March at Ramside Hall, Durham where paid professionals had the chance to hear the views of the 'frontline' community sector. View the Report here.
Next Steps
The research has now been considered by the CEE Programme Board. It will also inform the work programme for the North East Empowerment Partnership during 2009 -11.
Our Innovation Fund (launched 1st May 2009) offers local Community Groups to bid for a share of £300,000 for innovative projects that support the priorities identified by the research.
Click here to find out more about the Fund.