In the bustling heart of the Black Country, a transformative initiative is stirring waves of change, reshaping our interactions with healthcare systems. The partnership between People’s Voice Media and Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action has created the space for an inspiring endeavor: Community Reporting within the Black Country Integrated Care System.

In a world where countless stories often go unheard, Community Reporting emerges as a beacon of change. This visionary project bridges the gap between citizens and healthcare systems, capturing the everyday experiences of those accessing health services. It illuminates the intricate nuances that shape our interactions within the healthcare and care systems, enabling local people to have a voice.

On Day 1 of the workshop, seven local individuals embarked on a transformative journey. With fervent curiosity, they delved into the world of Community Reporting. Techniques such as snapshot storytelling took centre stage, showcasing diverse ways stories can be woven, captured, and shared. 

At the core of Community Reporting lies the belief that every voice holds value. This principle reverberates throughout the process, linking stories with individuals and organisations capable of driving positive change. It weaves a rich narrative tapestry, offering a real world view of lived experiences that might otherwise remain unheard.

Beyond traditional healthcare boundaries, this two-year project overflows with innovation. The Integrated Care System framework finds a potent ally in Community Reporting, identifying what works and unravelling transformational opportunities. The project promises to infuse the Black Country’s healthcare landscape with a vital wave of innovation.

As we navigate this inspiring narrative, the potential for profound change becomes evident. Community Reporting empowers individuals and communities, forging connections, and nurturing empathy. Together, as participants, storytellers, and advocates, we amplify voices. We are crafting a future where every lived experience contributes to a healthier, more inclusive society.

Do you want to work in better partnership with those who receive your services?

Do you think that Coproduction is a good concept but not sure how to make it real in your work?

Do you want to listen more to people’s stories of their lived experience but not sure where  to start?

Do you want to find others who have the same values as you and learn from their work? 

Ideas Alliance together with People’s Voice Media are running a three-year-project from 2021-2024 looking at how we develop, explore and exchange knowledge of co-production across England, with funding from the National Lottery’s Community Fund.

We are looking for people from 12 organisations/ groups from (or with connections in) North East London to be involved in the project for its third year from October 2023 – July 2024. We are keen to partner with groups and organisations that are community-focused to deliver this. 

The project will include access to a Community Reporting Training programme and the Institute for Community Reporters web platform as well as co-production learning workshops, 1 to 1 coaching and an end of project community learning festival which we will co-create together.

The offer across the project is not ‘fixed’ –  we want to work with people who can co-create what support they need in relation to co-production, and what support they can offer other people. This will be a journey of learning together and supporting each other to develop a deeper understanding, and greater knowledge of co-production and its impact.

View the up to date information sheet below and express you interest in being involved via this form. 

Join the team at People’s Voice Media and members of the Community Reporter network as we host our 2nd online catch up of 2023.

People’s Voice Media hosts 2 online catch-ups per year for the people, groups and organisations that make-up the Community Reporter network. These meetups are a great way for members to keep up-to-date with what is happening in the Community Reporter network, learn new stuff, share expertise, exchange knowledge, find out about opportunities they can get involved in, meet other members, network and much more and connect to other peers.

And if you’re not a member of the Community Reporter network… then don’t worry – you can still come along and find out more about us! Everyone is welcome and we are always looking for new members.

It’s only an hour, so grab a brew and a biscuit if you like, log on and find out what exciting stuff is happening across our network! This will be held on Zoom.

You can sign up to get involved through eventbrite (we’ve conveniently included a checkout link below) and best of all it’s free!

If you’d like a little more information about what we’ll be discussing – you can find that here.

Financially supported places

A quick heads up – we have 2 financially supported places available for this catch-up that will be allocated on a first-come, first-allocated basis. The financial support is up to a maximum of £25.00. This can be used to cover:

1. Expenses such as childcare costs etc. that you incur through attending the meet-up. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an expenses form and receipts.

2. Other support costs such as a PA to support you to attend. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an expenses form and receipt OR ask your support to invoice us directly.

3. Internet costs – These can be paid at a rate of £5.00 per hour, or if you are purchasing a online connection for this session (i.e., internet cafe etc.) then you can claim the full cost, up to £25.00 with a receipt via an expense form.

4. Contribution fee. To claim this, you’ll need to send us an invoice and be responsible for your own tax and insurance as a self-employed person.

To request a financially supported place, please indicate this on the registration form and our team will get in touch before the meet-up with further details.

Back in July, PVM hosted our 5th annual Community Reporter Network Conference at 54 St James Street in Liverpool.

The day included a series of workshops which explored community reporting and lived experience storytelling, with a focus on creating equitable futures.

We were joined by members of the community reporter network, project partners, and people from across the UK and Europe. It was great seeing so many faces, some familiar and some brand new to the movement.

The day kicked off with two workshops, one focusing on sharing the findings of the HOME? Project and the other providing an introduction to Community Reporting (the storytelling technique we use here at PVM).

After a short morning break we got stuck into exploring the finding of the EUARENAS Project , sharing the recently published city of the future map. The map lays out a vision of a future city where participatory democracy has been able to thrive – you can view the map and find out more by following the hyperlink above.

Disability Rights UK showcased the findings from a storytelling project looking at the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Deaf and Disabled People. They invited people in the space to think about our own role in restorative practice as society recovers from the pandemic. It was an important and thought provoking session and a huge thank you goes out to the staff and storytellers for their time, energy and commitment to the project.

After lunch we delved into the future of data collection and impact measurement – exploring how people’s voices can play an integral role in measuring change in communities. PVM and NOI Project project partners shared techniques from their recently published toolkit (the culmination of the 3 year project) demonstrating how storytelling can be used as a tool for measuring change.

Our friends at Groundswell captivated the room with an interactive workshop exploring the complexities of advocating for your rights while experiencing homelessness. Through providing real world scenarios, they created an environment in which you could place yourself in the position of someone experiencing homelessness trying to access support for your health. An eye opening session which highlighted the challenges and systems people are forced to navigate when placed in a vulnerable positions.

We’re now in the process of gathering feedback on the conference. The team are currently conducting reflective interviews with the people who attended. These experiences will feed into creating next years conference, along with the thoughts and suggestions collected during the ‘Future of Community Reporting’ workshop which ended the days activities.

We can’t wait to hear about how people found the day and feel excited about getting started with the planning of next year’s conference.

Keep your eyes peeled on our social media pages and the blog, as we’ll be announcing updates on the next CR catch up which is taking place later this year.

Until then, that’s a wrap from us!

For the past six week, people from across Greater Manchester have been taking part in the Changing Futures Community Reporter Training Programme.

PVM have partnered with Greater Manchester Combined Authority to deliver a series of eight workshops as part of the project. So far we have covered the core aspects of community reporting, and people have started to gather and upload stories to the Community Reporter Website. 

The end goal of the project is to gather stories of peoples lived experiences of multiple disadvantage, specifically from people whose voices are often not listened to. GMCA plans to use these voices to improve the range of support services available to communities across Greater Manchester. In the process, people will be upskilled in Community Reporting and by the end of the project will be experienced enough to conduct their own story gathering projects in their own communities.

Over the course of the first 4 sessions, participants developed a basic understanding of community reporting. They learned interview techniques, digital literacy skills and explored their understanding of ‘multiple disadvantage’ in the context of their own lives experiences. 

“Being around the team and learning – it’s good to open up“

A group member reflecting on what they’ve enjoyed in the sessions.

For the past two weeks the group have been out gathering stories in their own communities – take a look at the Community Reporter website to view some of them!

“There’s not just me going through what I am going through”

A group member reflecting on what they’ve learnt during the sessions.

For the remaining four sessions, the group will review the stories they have gathered, picking out the key themes and learning points. They will then learn how these findings can be shared more widely and used as tools for creating positive social change – hopefully putting these techniques into practice.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Changing Futures Community Reporting Project!