Respected think tank running Haringey workshops to explore local responses to recession

The following text was posted by Joe Penny of the New Economics Foundation on the event listing for the first of these workshops.

The impact of the central and local government cuts are now making a real impact on people’s lives in Haringey. Local services have been reduced and cut, community organisations and centres are closing, and funding is harder to come by. All the while local demand for support is growing as the recession and the cuts hit people’s livelihoods.

So what can be done? How can we work differently in the current context to make sure that people are able to cope and even thrive in Haringey? What are the local assets that we can build on? What are the new policies that we can make the most of? And what are the examples of good practice that we can take inspiration from?

To find practical answers to all of these questions the new economics foundation and the Selby Centre will be hosting four capacity building workshops over the summer. These will focus on;

1. Identifying local assets, opportunities and resources to increase community capacity
2. Coproduction and Peer Support
3. Local enterprise training
4. Tools and approaches for measuing social value and impact

The first of these workshops will take place at the Selby Centre on the 16th of May between 10.00 - 14.00

sign up here: http://doingmoreonless.eventbrite.co.uk/ 

What can you expect from the day?

This session will be a very practical introduction to the ideas below, with interactive exercises to explore local priorities and opportunities. If you ever wanted to know what it meant to take an ‘‘assets based approach’’, understand what the ‘’Right to Control’’ really means, or have the chance to ask questions about what the current Government’s policy is, this is the chance. The specific areas we will be covering are;

• Asset Mapping: No, we don’t just mean buildings. Assets based working is all about thinking about and using local resources differently. This might be local groups, businesses, schools, community networks or public spaces. This mapping exercise will help think through what resources we have locally, and how we can improve the way we use them.
• Making the most of emerging policies: this session will put forward what the practical opportunities are in Localism agenda, and explore what this means for communities.
• What works: throughout the asset mapping and policy sessions, we will be including presentations from practitioners experienced with assets based approaches who can share their experience.

Who are these events for?

These events are for everyone who is concerned about the impact of the cuts and who wants to know how to respond in a positive way. Local residents, people that work in community groups and the third sector, local councillors and officers from Haringey Council will find this event particularly useful.

Lunch will be included in all of the event, so please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

if you have any questions about any of the events please email joe.penny@neweconomics.org