ChangeMakers

Information

ChangeMakers will map and mobilise individuals who can help address the social, economic and environmental challenges facing Peterborough, including public sector officials, elected representatives and community activists.

Website: https://www.thersa.org/projects/citizen-power/changemakers
Members: 14
Latest Activity: Apr 10

Getting started with the ChangeMakers project

Updates from February 2012...

Thanks to all of those ChangeMakers who made it to the first meet-up earlier this week.

Among other things, we used the ‘open space’ discussion to talk about:

The CSR Forum developing in the city and how this could link in with the existing efforts of businesses and volunteer groups, for instance the Rotary Club and Churches Together.

Peterborough in Transition, a new project being spearheaded by The Green Backyard and something that is part of the wider ‘Transition Towns’ movement helping towns find community-led responses to climate change. The conversation focused on how we might learn from past environmental campaigns that have now entered the mainstream, for example recycling efforts. It was also mentioned that we should try and ask ourselves the same questions that everyday Peterborough residents might ask about the project, for instance why is it being put into place now, why are we passionate about this, and why are those who are running the project involved in it? This might enable us to better articulate the work and get the message out more effectively.

Speak Up, the website supporting young people that is going to be developed by Kamal, Niamh and others. The conversation in this group centred on how the website might tie in with what local groups and neighbourhood associations are already doing with young people in Peterborough. This includes the work of MANERP, the project that Brian Gascoyne chairs, and also the efforts of Dominic’s neighbourhood policing teams. Speak Up was also offered some venue space, should they need it for a launch or other similar events.

The issue of how to encourage Peterborough’s ‘hard-to-reach’ groups to participate in and shape cultural activities in the city. The group identified two ways to do this: word-of-mouth (which works well but is prohibitively time-consuming) and marketing (which is difficult as there is no publication with a wide enough reach). Several organisations were suggested as models of how to approach engaging people who otherwise aren’t interested in the arts: the fire service, who do a great deal of outreach and education work; the Millfield Health centre; and Peterborough United Football Club. The most challenging constituency for arts provision are those who claim that ‘nothing ever happens in Peterborough’: in order to reach them there is a need for a way a publicise events that are taking place in the city. (See attached image for the full mindmap).

Following the open space discussion, we heard from John Turner, who talked about the work of Railworld; Richard Astle, who spoke about the Single Delivery Plan and its strategy and key priorities; and from Rod Allerton, who told us a bit more about how the Corporate Social Responsibility Forum is taking shape in the city.

If anybody has any thoughts on the topics discussed, please feel free to use this forum to air your opinions.

* * * * * * * * *

A new report, ChangeMakers, details the findings from our research and argues that local areas could benefit strongly from better channelling the energy of these key individuals.

Download a copy of the report by clicking here, or read further below.

Here are the slides that were presented at the first workshop in November 2011. These provide some more detail on the research findings:

To find out more, please get in touch with the ChangeMakers project lead, Ben (benedict.dellot@rsa.org.uk).

Discussion Forum

Invitations to 'Change Makers Network' 5 Replies

How did you fail to invite Gerry Warren of Eco Art Projects to your recent event? Is his award-winning work no longer considered acceptable by the RSA?Furthermore, how did the RSA decide on who it…Continue

Started by Wayne Laconic. Last reply by Wayne Laconic Feb 14.

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Comment by Christine Cunningham on October 22, 2011 at 5:20: Having just read some of the personal comments on here, I can't begin to understand how attacking individuals will ever make this city a better place to live and work! A better attitude to involvement would be to persuade rather than to attack. I do hope this isn't a flavour of things to come for the city however disgruntled one may be with lack of funds.

Comment by Wayne Laconic on October 21, 2011 at 14:18: Oh, so you've noticed I'm feeling a little peeved with the whole 'process' then, Carol?

We're wasting £250k to allow the suits to pretend they're being helpful. I approached this whole thing with an open mind and was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. But when you've been part of a supposedly 'winning' team in the 'green scheme' competition held a year ago and still no money has appeared it is very easy to become cynical.

I bet PECT spent our winnings on providing a nice meal for Clive Anderson when he graced our city with his presence last November to launch '(No) Forest For Peterborough'.

Did you know PECT spent at least £4k of our money to hire that man? Erm....so how is that sustainable? It's not the activists the RSA should be working on- it's those who treat our cash as their own to waste as they see fit.

Comment by Carol Parker on October 19, 2011 at 1:08: hi, you might be interested in https://www.facebook.com/groups/149856308430721/ great source of information...seems like someone's feeling a wee bit disgruntled?!

Comment by Benedict Dellot on October 5, 2011 at 13:36: Hello all,

As some of you may be aware, we've recently been asking people in Peterborough to name those who they would consider to be 'ChangeMakers' (key people in the city who can help to address the social, economic and environmental challenges facing Peterborough). We used what we call a 'snowball sampling method' whereby we contacted all of those of were named as ChangeMakers and asked them for their own suggestions of ChangeMakers, and so on for a number of survey waves.

This is just a quick update to let you know that over 300 people were identified through this surveying. Our plan is to now send a more detailed follow-up survey to many of these ChangeMakers, asking them about their background, skills and knowledge as a ChangeMaker, and to ask them about their connections to all of the other people who were identified as being a ChangeMaker.

The idea is that once we have this information we can then form a 'ChangeMakers Network' which can work together and with the council and public services to improve outcomes in the City.

The surveying should finally be complete by the end of October. After that I can provide you with some initial results and let you know what the next steps are for the Network.

In the meantime, if you'd like to know a bit more about the research, feel free to email me on benedict.dellot@rsa.org.uk

Ben.

Comment by Wayne Laconic on August 5, 2011 at 22:17: Never mind 'change makers'. Let's establish a 'change blockers'project.

We should identify the 'suits' that are full of sh*te, who don't listen and who think meaningless platitudes equal proper work towards our city's stated aims.

I nominate Trevor Gibson. Anyone else wish to make a nomination?

Comment by Wayne Laconic on August 4, 2011 at 13:56: Btw, if we had a knowledge bank, this exercise would not be needed!

So where is it, please?

Comment by Wayne Laconic on August 4, 2011 at 13:51: Ben, you will now know I have had plenty of opportunity to 'feed into' the faux consultations arranged by the suits over the years. This is also true of my EAP colleague Gerry Warren. The difficulty is not in obtaining opportunities to 'feed in'. The difficulty is making the suits listen and take on board what is said in a genuine, honest and helpful manner.

You should know that Peterborough has held many of these events in recent years. We do not need more. Instead, we should bck and review what ideas were generated in previous consultations (eg The Big Debate, Perception Peterborough). That would be the best place to start, rather than launching another consultation that will be dominated by officials rather than citizens, as the Big Debate was.

Comment by Wayne Laconic on August 4, 2011 at 13:43: Benedict, I've supported many plans, schemes and 'visions' instigated by overpaid, under-educated and distinctly patronising local government 'suits' over the years. For my efforts, contributions and endeavours I have gained sweet fa- apart from a lot of stress and a really bad attitude. What makes you think this will be any different?

Comment by Benedict Dellot on August 4, 2011 at 10:31: Hi Wayne,

Thanks for getting back in touch. I can't comment on the below other than to say that I think the Single Delivery Plan is in its early stages and that we should try and support it where best we can.

The aim of this piece of work is to make sure that it can be as successful as possible and start to involve the people of Peterborough who are doing great things but who don't often get the chance to feed their experience and insights into decision-making and strategic planning.

Thanks

Ben.

Comment by Wayne Laconic on August 4, 2011 at 9:54: The 'single delivery plan'- well, whoopee doo! Let's devise yet another plan than will be dumped in a draw and forgotten once the RSA has moved on. Later still, yet another consultation will be held during which the suits will ask 'why can't we get more people involved?'

Bnedict, I apologise for my cynicism but I've heard it all before. Everytime it is said things will be different but they never are. Because the suits never change their attitudes and behaviour nothing is ever improved.

I'm sick and tired of all these dead ends. Sack the executive directors, abolish the cabinet and replace both groups with a cheaper and more democratic 'mayor and team' model. The money saved from their inflated salaries and pensions can then be spent on establishing the city-wide timebanking scheme they all claim they support. The trouble is that no cash means no real support. Show me the money!!!

Rant over!