Friday 26 November 2010

Big Society: figleaf for cuts or opportunity for empowerment?

I found myself in a sunny, but chilly Bristol yesterday (Thursday 25 November) along with my colleagues from CDX (Community Development Exchange) Nick Beddow, Emma Lees & Tan Rauf, running the last of our regional events, called "Big Society: figleaf for cuts or opportunity for empowerment?".

Attendees at the CDX event in Bristol, 25 Nov 2010
The event took place at the Pavilion meeting rooms which, whilst a bit tricky to find, was a great venue and the location, right next to the river, was fabulous - especially on a sunny Autumnal day like yesterday. We welcomed delegates from a variety of backgrounds: from local groups, universities, local councils etc, so discussions promised to be interesting from the off.

Emma Lees, CDX’s Development Officer – Policy, kicked things off by giving an update on the current political landscape, explaining some of the thinking behind the Big Society and some of the policies already in place, followed by Nick Beddow, CDX CEO, giving his insight and hosting storytime: Gloomins style – which is a method he has used to raise concerns around Big Society & community organising using a lighthearted children’s-type story. This is where the day got really interesting, as next up on the agenda was Discussion time – firstly identifying threats, then the opportunities, offered by the Big Society.


Threats posed by the Big Society
This is sometimes the easiest area to discuss, particularly in the current climate when much of the sector is feeling vulnerable. These discussions should never be labelled as pure negativity however, and Bristol was a perfect example of constructive, critical analysis of the current threats - both perceived and already being experienced. Here are the feedback notes from each discussion group:
 A couple of the points made particularly stood out for me, firstly the concern that "those that can, will. Those that can't, will go to the wall". Concerns about how robust a Big Society is around the equalities agenda have been raised at each event (and, frankly, probably al of our wider discussions in the sector). Secondly, worries about 'cannibalism' within the voluntary and community sector were voiced. This is a threat that hasn't been highlighted in all locations, but has felt palpable nonetheless. As a relative newcomer to the voluntary and community sector I have found myself aghast at times at some of the competitiveness and territorialism between organisations. As competition heightens, as fears, vulnerabilities and instabilities increase, the fear that the sector will start to consume itself has become prevalent for me.

Opportunities offered by the Big Society
At many of our regional events people have struggled to discuss opportunities. It often feels that there is a 'but' lurking in every positive, but there are positives in there. Here are the notes again:
 A big positive that was picked up by one group is simply the opportunity for groups, organisations and the wider sector to take a step back and review the way that we have been doing things. The same group identified much of the Big Society policy landscape as a 'Blank Script', and therefore that now is a great time to step up and take matters into our own hands.

One attendee liked the increased focus on "social capital", as he had always viewed it as the same as "self-relience", therefore Big Society was definitely an opportunity to move back towards self, instead of state, relience.

An interesting idea, proposed by James Derounian of the University of Gloucestershire, was that students could undertake a 6 month 'Big Society Placement' in return for academic credit (particularly attractive if tuition fees were not applicable whilst undertaking your placement).

Big Society & Social Media
After a spot of lunch (and a bit of post-lunch motivation from Nick), it was my turn to present. In my role as Development Officer - Communications, I've been working hard to try and de-mystify social media for our members, as well as stepping up CDX's own social media presence, so have been taking this opportunity to talk about some of the current opportunities to influence, what groups and organisations (and individuals!) can gain from incorporating social media into their work practices, and pointing people towards resources and sources of support, such as the regional ICT Champions and, in particular, social media surgeries.

I am actively encouraging people to visit various websites, add their voices to the mix, and shout a bit about the great 'Big Society' work that we're already doing (and have been doing for years), including:
Also, you can keep up to date with CDX's work and support us by becoming a free e-member of CDX.

Community Organisers
Nick took centre stage again, exploring some of the theories and policies around Community Organising, and how this model could, or rather should, be developed for use in the UK. Organisations such as Citizens UK have received much attention for their successful use of Saul Alinsky's model of community organising. We denbating some of the pros and cons, and much discussion was had about the intriguing fact that it is a Conservative Prime Minister apparently leading the way for the adoption of a radically left-wing approach to communities.

Big Society in the South West?
John Skrine, cruelly robbed of half of his allotted presentation time, delivered an update on some of the Big Society activities in the South West, and mentioned some of the ways for attendees to keep in touch - primarily via this very website! To those who came along, please do take the opportunity to comment on this blog - think of it (for some of you) as your first step into a social media world... It's not scary, I promise ;-)

Sophie Ballinger, CDX Development Officer - Communications

A few links from the day:
Posted by sospot at 07:54

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