Last November I started to work with a group of community champions on a digital inclusion project called ‘Creative Connections’ at the CatStrand Arts Centre in New Galloway, Dumfries and Galloway. The CatStrand Arts Centre is based in a semi-remote rural area in Southwest Scotland, and it is an essential resource where local people can get together to participate in arts, crafts and well-being activities.

The project was initiated because of the impact of lockdown on the CatStrand in reaching out and staying in touch with its local audience. During this difficult time the CatStrand streamed arts events throughout lockdown and although this was a successful way to reach an audience many of their local audience were not accessing their content.

The community champions were trained as Community Reporters and explored ways to use Community Reporting in a creative way. The aim of the project is to encourage residents to embrace the use of digital technology and to discover how it can be used in a creative and interesting way.

Despite the project being held up due to lockdown the community champions have developed technical and creative skills as well as embracing the ethos of Community Reporting and have been using the methodology in their work.

Kath Peters – PVM project manager 

Co-Engage (an Erasmus+ project) was a cross sectoral project addressing the intersection of the key competence of Lifelong Learning through its methodology and partnership. By exploring the diversity of approaches of co-creation such as entrepreneurship-building, active citizenship, environmental quality, social inclusion, digital literacy, local policies, formal and non-formal education etc.

One of our key deliverables for the project was an e-book of co-creation best practices from across Europe but, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided as a consortium to produce two e-books, with one focussing on co-creation practices that emerged from lockdowns across the continent.

The e-book’s are now available to download using the below links.

Citizens as Co-Designer: Practices on how to engage citizens in community building

COVID Responses: Citizens as actors in a global crisis

At the end of August the Co-Engage project will come to an end and last week saw out its final meeting, hosted by our Polish partners in Warsaw. It was a somewhat sad end to the project for PVM as we were unable to travel for one last in-person meet-up and, instead, had to settle for dialling in on Zoom.

As we move towards the final reporting stage, we also look forward to the publication of the project’s e-book, which we will link to on this blog as soon as it’s available.

PVM have been working alongside Camden Disability Action training participants in Community Reporting. Collecting lived experiences of employment and the workplace with people who have Disabilities and/or long-term health conditions. 

This wealth of lived experience will be the starting point of a co-production process with Camden council. 

To kick start this off PVM and Camden Disability Action is facilitating a ‘Conversation of Change’ workshop on Sept 9^th from 1pm – 4pm where Camden residents and service providers will get together to make positive changes for the future. 

This workshop will explore the lived experience stories relating to employment of Disabled residents and people with long-term health conditions in Camden. Using the themes and topics from these stories, together we will come-up with initial ideas for a new employment service for Disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

Specifically, in this participatory workshop we will:

• Listen to Disabled peoples and people with long term health conditions experiences of employment and employment support
• Reflect on these stories and explore our own experiences
• Identify ideas about how employment provision and support into employment can be practically improved for Disabled people and people with long term health conditions in Camden.

British Sign Language interpretation and live (auto-generated) captioning will be used throughout the event.

This will be an online event held on Zoom. The links and details about how to join will be sent upon registration. Registration will be open until 5pm on the 7^th September.

If you are interested in attending, please register here.

If you would like further information about the event or assistance with registering contact Tom on 07908746927 or tom@camdendisabilityaction.org.uk

People’s Voice Media has been supporting MESS to produce their videos by coaching them in video production, editing and distribution techniques. One of the MESS members is a Community Reporter and wanted to use her storytelling skills to share her own story and other MESS members’ stories about why they were involved in environment work.

Marple, Mellor & amp; Marple Bridge Energy Saving Strategy (MESS) is a community project in Greater Manchester, UK. It began 10 years ago with the aims: to promote carbon reduction, raise awareness of climate change issues and find local solutions to some of the resulting problems.

MESS, like the rest of the world, is concerned about the impact of Climate change on our planet and is trying hard to raise these issues with world leaders and those in positions of power.

There is a big Climate Change Summit taking place in Glasgow, Scotland this autumn called COP26. (Conference of Parties). This is to bring world leaders and interested parties together to discuss how to address the environmental issues that are devastating our planet.

MESS has made a series of videos to go to our government to inform them what we, at a local level, are doing what we can and are asking COP26 to listen and act now, to save our planet from destruction.

If you would like to see the videos and the work of MESS please see their website here.

You may also think about writing to your own MP with your concerns or perhaps consider joining an environmental group or start your own – If we all do a bit, it will add up to a lot!