On 28 November 2013, the country's first Youth Mutual held its first planing away day. The full report is attached. The youth people and support staff reviewed the incredible progress in recent months from becoming formally constituted in March to the launch in August. The committee and other young members looked at how well it done against its stated objectives and agreed priority actions for the coming months. A rigorous and robust process and Board would have been proud of!
DCLG have recently published 'You've got the power: quick and simple guide to community rights'
DCLG says:
'People around the country value and love the places they live in. They want great local public services, to protect the things that make their neighbourhood special and to help their community grow and develop in the right way. To help build the communities they aspire to, government has given legal powers and new opportunities to preserve what they like and change what they don't like about the city, town or village they live in. Whether they want to stop the local shop closing, get more homes built, or improve local public services, this quick and simple guide will point you in the right direction. It also gives just a few examples of the thousands of people, in hundreds of communities, who are already using their rights to make changes for the better where they live.
With over a thousand uses in their first year, it's clear that people value their new powers and are using the support available until March 2015. Your organisation and members can make use of and benefit from these new powers too - don't miss out, please share this message as widely as you can.'
More info here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youve-got-the-power-a-quick-and-simple-guide-to-community-rights
Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods was a successful national programme involving local communities in exploring local need and establishing long term solutions. In this summary, Kevin Ford outlines 6 points for action which arise from our learning:
· Community led partnerships
· A bedrock of community relationships
· Commissioning by communities
· Community investment over time
· A community premium
· One set of services
Over the 2 years of YPFN, the core team from FPM worked closely with the Groundwork areas to support local developments, build capacity and share expertise.
This summary of shared learning arises from monthly reports which reflected on progress and strengthened understanding of local circumstances, opportunities and difficulties in building community based long term youth provision.
This great report brings Housing Associations into the mainstream of seeking solutions to imploding public services and investing in community development for the long term.
http://www.respublica.org.uk/documents/rla_Acting%20on%20Localism%20.pdf
http://www.cles.org.uk/yourblogs/housing-associations-can-drive-the-localist-agenda/
This is a thorough and really useful overview and insight into how cooperative principles and organisational models are gaining ground and encouraging a rethink in how the public are true stakeholders in public services.
Perhaps a small part of the YPFN legacy has been to contribute to this movement and demonstrate practically how local communities can be supported honourably by the voluntary and community sector and by local authority staff to take ownership and leadership in shaping things to do and places to go for young people where they live.
The full press release and other exciting details are here: http://www.councils.coop/2013/01/16/co-operative-councils-set-out-policy-agenda/
At the heart of YPFN is how to build sustainable youth provision through community led partnerships. This review of YPFN sustainability draws on a review of Groundwork plans for seven neighbourhoods and communities which did not develop new organisational models but did seek to build on existing partnerships or create new consortia.
The documents detailed below represent the key outcomes and note-taking of the capacity building day held in Birmingham on 4th December 2012 with participants from the six Phase 1 trusts exploring further sustainable options for delivering services with and for young people.
This blog reflects on helping develop community organisations, especially Youth Mutuals in Lambeth in London and Delves Lane, Durham. It sets the wider commissioning, policy and economic backdrop and ends with some key learning points drawn out from John Thurlbeck about what has helped make things work in Durham. There is a link to the draft Youth Mutual constitution.
John highlights key success factors behind the Delves Lane community partnership in Durham,
developing a Youth Mutual called Circle Crew for Change. These included:
§ (se ncluded below at highlightsourhoods activity adn no standing still adn s Lane in Durham to reflect upon the reasons for theThe value of key internal leadership
§ The presence and involvement of young people from the very first
§ The engagement of committed partners, including the local authority
§ The engagement with the wider community
§ Business planning owned by a core partnership
§ Developing and then holding onto the vision
§ Maintaining perspective in turbulent internal and external environments.
This document outlines the agreed constitution for a new youth mutual known as Circle Crew for Change Limited. It is a community benefit society solely for young people aged 13 - 25 years, based in Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham.The mutual has a majority membership on the Management Committee of young people and young adults. It was developed through support from local young people, staff of Groundwork North East and FPM, and local key stakeholders, as part of the DfE's Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods national pilot.