Community organisations pioneered new ways of reaching people and connecting communities during the pandemic, according to the findings of the Space to Connect Project.
The Space to Connect programme – a partnership funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Co-op Foundation – was a £1.6million project aimed at helping community organisations develop physical spaces such as buildings, allotments, and playgrounds to reduce social isolation. It ran between 2019 and 2021 and funded 57 community organisations, ranging from community trusts, youth clubs, arts centres, and city farms.
The findings, shared by Leeds Beckett University (LBU) and Locality, provide an insight into how organisations adapted to the pandemic, demonstrating how they focused more on creating virtual spaces, reaching out to vulnerable and isolated people, and co-ordinating support to communities.
Community organisations were the frontline in tackling community needs and social isolation during the pandemic, providing an urgent response to basic needs and also supporting people to access and use digital equipment to help them to connect safely online. However, their rapid response to the pandemic has left many in a financially weakened position because revenue streams, such as community cafes and room hire had reduced or disappeared completely.
The report calls for the value that community organisations bring to be recognised and for them to be provided with the power and resources required to fulfil their potential. This includes reviewing the funding of organisations working with marginalised communities, and ensuring community organisations are fully included in conversations around health and care strategy and provision.
Professor Mark Gamsu from LBU’s School of Health said:
“VCSEs were quick to adapt, and the majority looked at how they could still support emerging local needs either through totally new activity or moving their previous work to other channels e.g., online or telephone.
“The response of these groups challenged and extended the understandings of what community spaces are and how they operate.”
Tony Armstrong, CEO of Locality added:
“One of the biggest lessons that needs to be taken from this moment are the failings of centralisation and the potential for building a better future on the foundations of community power. We cannot control everything from the centre, Instead, we must support and trust local delivery and networks which have shown their value many times over during the crisis. We need to channel this surge of community spirit into a lasting framework of community power.”
from UK Fundraising https://ift.tt/3IQoK8m
0 comments:
Post a Comment