Local Level - resolving community issues

We’re currently finalising some written output from a few projects we’ve been working on, so here’s the heads up for three publications which should be available over the next 4 weeks or so. They’re listed here in the likely order of publication. They will all be announced here and on the Neighbourhoods blog - but if you can’t wait, send us a message!

Lost possessions – a playful essay with photographs exploring the phenomenon whereby people pick up dropped possessions (scarves, gloves, hats etc) and place them in a prominent position for rediscovery by the owner. These are gestures of consideration for people we are never likely to meet and whose gratitude we are never likely to receive. Lost possessions will be published by Local Level using Bookleteer.

‘A series of doors’ Young people talking about the experience of poverty – this paper derives from the work we carried out with Breslin Public Policy and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner earlier this year. The full report contributed to the OCC’s submission to government on the measurement of child poverty; but inevitably the breadth and sharpness of the young people’s contributions was diminished. This paper repackages much of what we heard, minimising the surrounding context, so that the dominant voices are those of the young people themselves. The paper will be published by Breslin Public Policy.

Social technologies, poverty and ethnicity – this is a spin-off paper by Kevin Harris as part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation project on poverty, ethnicity and social networks. The project is led by the Third Sector Resource Centre. It is based on workshop and interview comments and will be published by the TSRC.

A report into the viability of local online channels in low income areas, written by Kevin Harris and Hugh Flouch, has now been published by Networked Neighbourhoods.

It describes and reflects on four experimental projects we carried out during 2011-2012 in separate localities in England.

The basic rationale was to test whether resident-run online neighbourhood networks could be established in low income neighbourhoods and if they could be shown to bring social benefits.

The report adds weight to claims that local online channels can be established inexpensively in low income areas, that they can be made sustainable, and that they contribute to the quality of local social life.

The report is here. There is also a two page summary, and a post on the Networked Neighbourhoods blog.

We are about to start work on a research project as part of a major Joseph Rowntree Foundation programme focussing on the links between poverty and ethnicity across the UK.

The project, Making the links, aims to develop a better understanding of how networks support or hinder people’s capacity and opportunities to cope with and move away from poverty. In particular, the research will explore how different kinds of social relationships connect people from various ethnic communities beyond family, neighbours and friends who share similar backgrounds.

The overall aim of the research is to inform policy and practice so that agencies and communities can better understand and promote positive social networking as a means of enabling access to employment, resources and pathways out of poverty.

The fieldwork is being undertaken in Birmingham, Liverpool and Cumbria and will involve the active participation of those who have moved out of poverty, remain poor, or are at risk of poverty, in understanding the role of social networks and developing recommendations to policy makers in this field.

There will be a particular focus on Chinese, Polish, South East Asian and Somali groups - in long established communities as well as recent arrivals. The research will involve small to medium enterprises developed within these communities and will seek the views of employment/business advisors and other professionals working to address poverty within BME communities.

The project runs until June 2013 and is led by the Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham. The other partners are Alison Gilchrist, brap, and Praxis CIC.

In an exciting and potentially significant new project, we’re working with Breslin Public Policy and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to run a participative event with children and young people in poverty.

The purpose is to help the participants to articulate their experience of poverty in a way that government officials can use to develop specific measures of child poverty. Kevin Harris will be working with Tony Breslin to organise, design and facilitate the event, and to report to the Children’s Commissioner by early January.

Our report on public consultations about car parking in Dore village, Sheffield, has been published by Dore Village Society and is available here.

The report was based on a public meeting and survey data, and was written by Sarah Clow and Kevin Harris.

Following a study tour made by Kevin Harris to the Netherlands in 2011, which included a visit to a lively and inspiring self help network in Eindhoven, we have been asked to prepare a short summary review of self help in the UK.

The work will consider the range and vitality of self help groups, the degree of support they appear to receive, and the relation of self help to policy.

Today Kevin Harris was in conversation on drivetime with Radio London’s Eddie Nestor, following the news that Royal Mail plans to deliver mail to neighbours if the addressee is out.

What is striking is the proportion of people – 21 per cent – who told researchers that they don't want neighbours to handle their post.

You can read Kevin’s blog post when the idea originally emerged back in the autumn of 2011; and a more recent update on the neighbourliness question it raises.

As part of our work with East Sussex Children's Services, we have co- authored an evaluation of the county's recent Young Inspectors programme.

The project involved training and support by participation workers for eight young people with a mix of disabilities, to carry out inspections of public venues and services. The report describes the significant benefits both to the inspected agencies and to the young inspectors, especially in terms of self esteem, skills and employability.

Following this, Kevin Harris ran a workshop with Equality and Participation team members to help them refine their mission and common purpose. This was a lively and positive session which included some in-depth exploration of the relationship between equalities and participation.