If you like twitter, and graphs - check this out! http://archivist.visitmix.com/dosticen/1

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We asked participants at the event how they wanted to keep networking and supporting each other, bearing in mind that there is no longer funding or staff in place. The responses call for a blend of four things.

• Online networking - suggestions included twitter, facebook, and online forums
• Events/get togethers - from annual events, to meet ups in a cafe
• Email networking/share contact lists and a bit of information about people
• Through existing networks - link in and suport

We have asked changes to set up groups on their networking site for participants of our learning programmes to keep networking and sharing stories. We can circulate contact lists where individuals have provided organisational email addresses etc. We strongly encourage involvement in existing networks, and we will leave it up to people who want to meet to organise to meet. If it is posssible in the future to host events we will be sure to invite everyone!

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We asked: What has inspired you at today’s event? Here's what people said:

People – their stories, achievements and enthusiasm

Volunteers who have achieved so much
Other people….some really fantastic stories
People sharing their experiences.  I will feedback to my organisation
Nusrat - Washwood Heath Community College – really inspired me and gave me hope for the future
Some people are so inspiring
Meeting loads of fabulous and inspiring people
The enthusiasm of everyone, on and involved with Take Part
The best part of Take Part?  The people who took part
Interesting day and positive to hear the amazing stories and huge outcomes
The friendly people and experiences.  I have learnt loads from talking to participants

Our journeys, collective learning and collaborative working

I am so glad to have been involved in this movement.  I intend to keep this moving and nurture my knowledge to grow!
It’s all about partnerships…idea pooling…making changes
I was able to take and share the knowledge with other women in the community
Thank you a million for all who held my hand on the journey!
Feel’s like I have come to a family reunion today – but there are still lots of family members who are missing – only they don’t know yet!
A wonderful day to wrap up my empowering journey!  Ready for higher heights!
Great to meet so many enthusiastic people.  Great networking opportunity and learning good practice
Been able to be open and voice my opinion working with amazing people
Consolidating ‘friendships’ ideas, enthusiasm etc
Has been a wonderful networking opportunity

Active citizens and communities

Knowing there is a wealth of activity, groups and opportunities out there
Be more active and assertive in my civic roles
Neighbourhood – elderly getting involved as a group
I need to find out more and get more involved – can I do training/help to advocate for the programmes
I will be talking to my local council about Wolverhampton City
Raising awareness and flag the confidence of women I am working with in my community
Perhaps buddying has more legs than I thought

Other responses:

It’s been such a good day.  Full of optimism hope for the future
Very inspiring , joyful day
Not just about every child matters, everyone matters
Don’t be scared to approach the people at the back of the bus!
Taking part is FAB! Bottle the results and take a market stall to give away the results
Brilliant day.  Lovely venue, lovely people, lovely staff.  Let’s keep in touch
Wow – I’ve twittered for the first time in my life and I will remember where and when it happened. I took part!!

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A huge thank you to Julie Oakley, a Women Take Part participant, for these fantastic photos.

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Juli Oakley St Phillips by Podnosh Listen on Posterous

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See the full gallery on Posterous

Sam Axtell Wolverhampton Listen on Posterous

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Sam Axtell from Wolverhampton Council and Wolverhampton Partnership  explained how we have been developing our strategic approach in Wolverhampton Council around community involvement and community engagement and been heavily involved in the delivery of the Take Part Pathfinder.

Involved in developing cutting edge work around developing access to civic roles and we’ve worked with an organisation to look at how we can develop volunteer recruitment............school governors are going to pilot and run their own mentoring scheme.....using the buddying scheme that we’ve developed as part of the Take Part programme.......looking to how we can replicate this across other areas.

Also developed a buddying scheme........recognise that once people get out there and want to change things – they may hit the proverbial brick wall....so we set up the scheme to continue to support people.....we set up the scheme

She said things that made me realise I .....in public sector agenda – good to be reminded o experience of those in the voluntary and community sector.....I’ve been able to be challenged and think about how I do things.......so scheme was valuable for participants as well as buddies themselves.

................Sam’s photos illustrated..........things may not always be as they appear.......that’s where we are with the localism agenda right now.......no one would disagree with the idea of devolving to local level but, raised lots of questions – how will it work in practice, how can we support communities to take opportunities to asset manage without falling into the abyss – the crystal ball is a bit misty at present – we are realising the challenge of analysing the localism bill and making sure that we can help communities to take advantage – Wolverhampton new City Strategy has at its centre empowering people to take advantage......must avoid just usual groups but reach out into communities – at the heart is our empowering community engagement programme (CELP) .......starting work with elected members to help them make sense of what’s happening.......just starting.....real challenges ahead.....optimistic we can meet them and keep focussed people in communities.

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Next up

Sal Hampson –talking about the challenges that we face taking forward the legacy.....feeling a bit of a killjoy but asked to do a reality check.

Sal pointed out that there are many challenges ahead......from her personal perspective.........via twitter heard the following.....Big Society is a vision, localism is a mechanism to achieve that vision and devolution is the outcome – may not be absolutely true but helped me to see the links.....we’ve got individuals, critical citizens, community groups and networks.......realised over last couple of days how vulnerable those small groups are – equalities based groups, small local action groups – not sure how they will be able to link in.......lots of change happening – almost daily and I can’t see how it recognised work gone on before......how we build on the Take Part programme funded by government, built on previous active citizenship programme. How can we build on that work locally – national OCS funding has gone solely to voluntary sector........won’t necessarily anywhere near local groups. Proposed community organisers......cover....build community spirit, empower communities......instinctive approach to focus on organised groups.....danger that we continue to go to the already organised – what about those that are not.......community rights to build, challenge and maybe even review. Communities have those rights......what do we mean by ‘community’ – who are these communities that will demand these rights - - what about the smaller groups, hidden communities – need to ask those questions. Don’t really know what the localism bill will involve.......elected members – recognition that role will be changing but don’t really know quite how that will happen – how can we prepare ourselves, how can we respond ......don’t know yet.

How can we make the most of the investment that we have made  already......of the people who have become more active, of the voice and echo facilitators that we have already trained up......to work with officers in public agencies......how can we put all this into practice in these difficult times – how do we make the best view of what we’ve got.....

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At the Molineux football stadium overlooking the pitch!! Lorna opening the Take Part Celebration event, introducing the ideas behind the Take Part Pathfinder to our initial audience, some of whom have been participants and some not! In a while other participants are going to turn up! In the meantime we are doing our very best to get messages out via social reporting.........

It’s all about critical citizenship, empowered and empowering communities and empowered and empowering agencies working for change!

Jill Bedford introduces a particular model for change

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Used a whole area approach from 2010

• Voice
• Echo
• Women Take Part learning programme 

The work also aligned itself to work from TSEPI and Every Voice Counts

Birmingham has a grand vision in its 2026 document to make Birmingham an "empowered city".  

All the training open to staff and active citizens

Participatory Appraisal and Structured Dialogue Sessions 

Uses two stories - one is told then feedback - the next is told then feedback. Through the feedback you can come up with a theory of how to move things forward - especially with potential conflict.  

See also Community Asset Transfer. 

Legacy 

• Community empowerment enablement now in the 2026 document
• 85 faciliators now trained for voice echo and training the trainer in the city - created in 1 year.  We need to capture and maintain that drive 
• Networks built which bring third sector, government people and active citizens.  
• Helping authorities learn to trust people
• Joint learning really important - broke down many barriers.

Legacy need to be "stop the them and us, how can we do things better together."

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Lorna makes some points of what she has learnt from Take Part

Learning Programme

Penny finally dropped for me in terms of gender inequality, which led to quite a lot of personal change.  You don't stop learning.

24 people who live work and volunteer in Dudley have gone through take Part - 22 women which includes the beginnings of a network - with a common understanding of what we're doing. 

The learning programme has given me a change to learn how to help others learn.

Voice:

Developed in Dudley.  Some research funding for the first 18 months.  Working with active citizens on influence, how you have it, recognise it, know what to do with it. In 2007 

We're astounded that this thing is now being used around the country and even internationally.  The way you use it is down to the facilitator - so now we have trained more 80 voice facilitators - people in the West Midlands who know how to use it.

• One network member had his understanding of leadership challenged which led to a heated discussion. they realised that they didn't have a shared understand of what their networks goal was.
• One residents/business/faith network found voice sessions helped them value their capacity and surprised them to realise how much they had achieved.  Voice helps people celebrate what they achieve.

Engaging together 

Since 2007 in dudley we've developed an empowering approach to communities and engagement. There are a whole range of people in agencies who find working with communities challenging and a little panicky! Not good so we wanted to give them support to feel confident and skileld at doing this.

In Dudley we have a whole range of training for anyone working with communities.  The training typically involves 50 at any one time - which is a network in and of itself. It includes tools and practice.

Our Society in Dudley

• Our society is a movement which reclaims Big Society and is being "adopted" in Dudley. 
• Celebrate but don't take credit for what's happening
• Encourage next practice - more likely to come from thoughtful experienced self confident practitioners.  take part is hopefully helping to create those people.

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Jull Bedord of changesuk.net/ talks about take part - intended to encourage and foster community activism and community change.

Jill said she had been working with women for about 8 ears and linked this with Dosti and their work within communities.

Reasoning is that people in communities and  people in public agencies are empoering and empoered we are more likley to see authentic community engagement

worked with

• Individual citizens  - critical citizens, people who think they have an opinion, willing to speak, express a point of view. 
• Communities - used a framework called voice a framework developed in Dudley over the last 5 year to help groups become more influential
• Agencies - empowered and empowering agencies - difficult, hard to do, less developed than the work on citizens and communities.  Officers, elected members feeling more empowered within and outside their agencies.  used a framework called Echo.

It is important to work in all three areas -  focussing on citizens is only part of what needs to happen to allow all our lives to people more equitable/liveable 

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