What was Mr Motivators' key to success?

Another fantastic week draws to a close, and when I take a moment to look back at what I have been involved in, in some way or another, I do wonder quite how it all fits in! Monday I find myself in St Margarets. I organised an open, public meeting, where the invitation was extended to anyone that had an interest in the area. Nothing contentious to discuss, which is often a strong driver for people to come to public events. I was really pleased to welcome a group of people who turned up simply because they love the area they live in, and would like to contribute in some way, if they can. Oh..well, there might have been

some cynicism that the council was ‘up to something’, but that was laid to rest pretty quickly!

Tuesday I joined the discussion about how the boroughs plans to commemorate World War 1 are going. There is a great opportunity for local people who have family lineage connections with the Great War, as well as sharing stories, education and simply reflecting on the sacrifices that were made.

Mr Motivator was
unavailable for comment

Later in the week I attended the launch of Energy Smart Richmond, the borough initiative which should help residents save energy (and money), and help the borough reduce its carbon footprint. It’s not easy though, and as has been a bit of a recurring theme this week, I ask myself… what will motivate people to do something like this?

When you look at the theories of motivation, of which there are many, there are often two basic questions to address. What will doing X cost me? What will I get out of doing X?

To invite a stranger in to your house, spend time with them, process the paper work, then endure the period when work will be carried out on your house is a fairly big personal cost. But it is only a short term cost. The long term benefits...saving money on energy bills, reducing the carbon footprint, perhaps making a better world for our children’s children ... are supremely worthwhile long term gains. 

However, when it comes to motivation, humans are notoriously bad at giving in to the short term costs/wins. Anyone that has tried giving up smoking, or started a new gym regime will attest to this, I'm sure. If you start to throw in easy reasons for people to not opt-in (Will the installer do a good job? How can I trust them? Etc) then encouraging take up will be tough.

Energy Smart Richmond will be a great scheme though, and the Council’s partners, ClimateEnergy are very aware of some of these challenges. Residents can be involved as beneficiaries, street champions, or installers. This is what excites me about this initiative – it can be very ‘Richmond’ orientated. Local trades people are encouraged to do the work, and can receive training to do the best job, local people are to be recruited as street champions to spread the word to their neighbours. This approach has already been demonstrated with exceptional results in Ham, by the Low Carbon Zone Street Champions. Altogether a more people centred approach, I felt.

As an end note, the Community Links Coordinator is NOT about to update his wardrobe with multi-colour spandex. Just for the record.

14 amazing youth organisations on your doorstep that you should know about

Through my job I often hear about what people love about the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, and also what people feel is missing, or not so good.

One of the themes that seems to crop up is provision for young people, and we often hear there's nothing for young people to do. That's not strictly true.. 

In the spirit of Buzzfeed, the Community Links Team have pulled together a list of 14 awesome charities (in no particular order) that are based in the borough, who have children and young people's interests at their core.

 

The Basement Door 

A monthly music venue that encourages and supports local talent as well as established bands from far and wide.  Open to all people who love live music from age 14 upwards, this gives young people an opportunity to explore their interests in music in various ways, either on the technical side, or performance related.

Tree House Learning

Based in Ham and run by a local mum that wanted to give her children the chance to experience the joys of play centred, outdoor learning. From building dens, to finding bugs - it's the kind of fun people think of when they start by saying "when I were a lad.." 

Fans include Kaitlyn (3), Cameron (5) and Zac Goldsmith (39).

  

Otakar Krauss Music Trust 

From a home-made studio at the bottom of her garden, Margaret Lobo has been providing music and voice therapy for children and young people with physical, psychological, learning, behavioural and emotional difficulties since 1991.

 

Challenge Network

A national charity with a team based in Richmond Borough. They offer 15-17 year olds a life changing experience that includes weeks away from home, and the opportunity to make a difference where they live.

Groove Academy

Since 2004, Groove Academy has run a community-music school for musicians aged 11 to 16 years. Students come from various musical backgrounds and abilities but the leaders do expect to see good pitch, rhythm and musicality. Students work within a broad spectrum of musical genres and explore cultural, ethnic and historical backgrounds to songs, including the rationales of artists. Pretty neat!

StreetInvest

Ok - so StreetInvest aren't directly working with young people locally. But, from a small office in Twickenham, StreetInvest works across the world with locally based organisations. They train professional and committed workers, who serve as trustworthy adults in the lives of street children and by contributing to the investments the workers and the children need to secure a future.

  

Castelnau Youth Centre 

Tucked away in the heart of the Castelnau estate in North Barnes, the Youth Centre is a vibrant local hub for young people from the estate and beyond. Offering something nearly every day of the week, youngsters aged 11 to 19 have access to youth clubs, sports, games, homework support, art and crafts as well as leadership skills and personal development. Infants and Juniors also have a mixed programme including cooking, arts and crafts, toys, sports, computer and board games. Keen to promote healthy eating and encourage tasting of new foods, at each session the whole club sits down and eats a meal together which has been cooked by members of the group.

Girls Art and Nature Club

Run by local resident Pam, the Girls Art and Nature Club is a free club for girl’s age 7 - 14yrs, on Saturdays from 11:00 – 12:00 in Kew. As the name suggests, the girls get a chance to learn about the environment and plants, insects and bees and all the animals that use the field as their home. Any budding artists can also enter local art competitions and exhibitions.

Teddington Baptist Church

A dedicated Youth Leader leads young people’s groups (Live Wires (school years 2 to 5), Rock Solid (school years 6 to 8) and Youth Club (school years 9+)) which meet bimonthly in term time. This also includes their Sunday Group for children of school age and above, and their Youth Home Group which meets in a home on Wednesday Evenings.

MTV Youth 

MTV is a youth club for children in Hampton aged between 8 and 14. The club is temporarily meeting in Linden Hall. The club is run by volunteers from St Mary's Church in Hampton together with the Metropolitan Police and other local volunteers. It aims to create a positive environment for young people to hang out together, have fun and develop their skill through sport.

Twickenham Brunswick

Tucked away on the western edges of Twickenham, and a bit of a hidden gem. Renovated and partially rebuilt in 2013, this long standing club is a regional focal point for amateur boxing and table tennis. It also offers other sports and activities for young people of all ages.

Woodcraft Folk With groups in Kew and Twickenham, the Woodcraft Folk are active in the borough but  often unheard of. They're a bit similar to the Scouts, led by their members and completely run by volunteers. They run weekly sessions for ‘Woodchips’, ‘Elfins’ ‘Pioneers’ and ‘Venturers’.

Scouts, Sea Scouts and Guides

We couldn’t  complete this list without mentioning the long running Scouts and Guide groups that speckle a map of Richmond borough. Whitton alone has three Scout groups, Twickenham has eight. There are too many to list here, click on the title links above to find your nearest group.

So who've we not mentioned...? Feel free to drop us a line to tell us about any groups not listed above!

A flood of community support

Across the country we have seen some incredible images of the devastating effects that the persistent rain has caused to villages, towns and parts of the city.

As I write, from an office in Twickenham, there are nervous mutterings relating to the Thames and bank-side settlements. Shepperton has already suffered a flood, with many people affected.

My father, a Somerset man who normally lives in a community that has dominated the news all week, has found himself homeless - as the water on the Somerset Levels has crept upon and consumed the village I grew up in. It really has been a tough time, but I have been absolutely blown away by the community response to the situation.

On-line, via a facebook group, there has been a mobilisation of community support, resources and activity unlike anything I have witnessed before. It has reached the stage where the group has received more food donations than it can actually distribute. Locals are pouring seemingly endless support to those affected. Even when there has been some blame throwing, finger pointing, or other expression of frustration and anger, the community response has generally been one of re-uniting and focussing on helping those in need, rather than looking for someone responsible.

I've heard locally about similar community responses to those in need - and should the worst happen in Richmond, I believe that neighbours will not let each other down. There is something about a disaster that seems to bring out the best in people - something of what people call the Dunkirk spirit. It has united people in a way I would not have imagined - aid has come from groups as diverse as Khalsa Aid, a Sikh charity based in Slough.

May you all remain safe, dry and warm this coming week.

(If you want to keep track of the latest flood news/updates - visit the Council's Flooding Webpage)

The wonder of a ponder!

This week, Lynette Lawson-Tyers is captain of the blog. She wanted to talk about a project she is involved in, working with Barnes Community Association and the Barnes Town Centre Manager.

"Just who is responsible for the creation and sustainability of thriving town or village centres?  Is it all down to the Local Authority?  

Barnes has grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and leapt into action, with Emma Robinson, Barnes Town Centre Manager at the helm!

Back in Oct’13 over 300 people participated in the Big Barnes Ponder. The Ponder was an opportunity for residents, councillors, community groups and businesses to come together and create a Shared Future Vision for Barnes.

Comments, ideas and aspirations were mulled over, resulting in a focused list of key issues such as the river wall, connecting the common to the river and supporting local shops and businesses. 

I felt really priviledged to be a part of this day, the atmosphere was buzzing and I was amazed at the range of inspirational ideas that residents came up with, such as replacing some of the concrete flood defence wall with glass so that you can see the river. (JA: Something like this..?)

Since then, Emma and her team have been busy harnessing all of the local enthusiasm to establish Action Groups to manage these emerging projects, enabling Barnes to retain its vitality and continue to make it a strong, stable and desirable place.

Town Centres are not only a focal point, but are central to an area's sense of identity. They belong to and should support everyone, and their management is central to the prosperity and well-being of the whole community.

So it would appear that in truth, everyone is responsible for their town centre becoming and remaining a thriving hub of community activity.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Barnes continue to develop, and the impact the Ponder and all these fabulous ideas will have.  If we can all keep up the momentum, then some of these projects will happen, and others will be a work in progress.  The challenge is, of course, to keep the momentum up!  Exciting times are ahead for Barnes."

From Halifax to healthy facts...

Another mega-mixed bag of Community Linking this week. Most prominent in my mind is the meeting I've just had with StreetInvest, a Twickenham based international charity. I heard how three brave and inspirational (read: lovely but slightly barmy) chaps intend to do a trans-Canadian bike ride in 13 days as a fundraiser. That’s nearly 300 miles a day. Many of us in the room were struggling to comprehend the feat, let alone consider the commitment to training to achieve it. Good luck to them (apparently everyone says this, sounding a little sceptical!). I'm sure this blog will feature news of their progress in the future, especially as the charity want to work locally with organisations in the borough.

We didn't meet Richard this week.

An eon before this (well, Monday) I met with a resident who I felt exemplified the kind of person we'd like to meet more often. She has a great idea, an overflowing caldera of passion, and I feel she has hit on something that will do well in the borough. Elsewhere she would be called a 'social entrepreneur' - a Richard Branson-esque figure where profit is community benefits, and everyone is a shareholder.

For the remainder of the post, I hand over to Mamta Khanna, for her account of some training she undertook this week:

We did meet Mamta though...

I was privileged to participate in Richmond’s LiveWell Community Health Champion training run by Richmond CVS and the Hounslow and Richmond Community Health Trust. I say privileged because I was struck by the commitment from my co-participants: all regular people who, out of an interest in reaching out to others within their community, were committed to building their knowledge and skills.  

We explored public health and came to what I consider the core of the training: understanding and addressing health inequities. Richmond, one of the richest boroughs in London, has children living in poverty. Life expectancy in certain village areas in the borough is less than in the more affluent areas. What has Community Links got to do with health, specifically health inequality?  This definition gave me clarity:

“The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organised efforts of society.” (Definition of Public Health, Sir Acheson, 1988)

Improving public health is about society organising its efforts to bring good to all within it. If that isn’t community linking, then what is? Responding to health inequities requires science empowered by the art of encouraging change within people. Community Links practices this art and can be part of the solution to address inequity: engaging people and groups, igniting their connections with where they live and with those around them, and encouraging them to reach out to opportunities to improve their health and overall well-being. I am excited about working with the Health Champion volunteers to link up residents to opportunities.

Thanks Mamta! Hearing about Mamta’s experience made me re-read an article from the Evening Standard, on the Government’s ‘nudge unit’, or Behavioural Insights Team. I love the idea of this, although I know some people find it uncomfortable as it can be seen as manipulative. I don’t think we’re talking the same league here for Community Links (or perhaps we are...? Comments below...), but through our brokerage and linkages, we can support small, positive adjustments and improvements to local activity, through positive methods. From this, I think we all have benefits to gain. 

By the way, is that ANOTHER biscuit you are reaching for....?

A vision of the future...?

“The future is not an inheritance, it is an opportunity and an obligation.” Bill Clinton

Perhaps it’s a little brave (and embarrassingly cliché) to use a politician’s quote to start this post, but I was really attracted by the opportunity and obligation that ‘Teflon Bill’ refers to here. It is particularly relevant to our activities this week. The team has been a part of some great examples of local people and groups making the most of opportunities to improve their areas for future generations.

Prince Charles approves...

I have been attending the Prince Charles endorsed Enquiry by Design Ham Close visioning events. There is a huge opportunity for Ham on the table through our Uplift programme, so it’s worth spending time on getting it right. I’d describe the process as being a little slow ,but very authentic. ‘Slow’ may sound critical, but (and I do love a terrible analogy) for me it was like instant vs. fresh brewed coffee - both are coffee, but one is simply better. 

What I mean is that, whilst slower, taking this participatory approach gets a better result for the community. Whatever the outcome from the process, it has been thorough and I've heard some really interesting things about Ham's history, present concerns and ideas for the future. The outcomes will be grounded (no coffee pun intended) in grassroots, local input.

Lynette has been involved in similar things in Barnes. She told me it was great to see so many local residents turn up to support the Barnes Ponder Community Meeting on Monday evening.  Lots of great ideas were formed on how to take the Ponder outcomes forward, including suggestions of having a sensory garden in one of the parks.  She’s really looking forward to working with Emma and the Barnes Town Team, the Barnes Community Association and local residents to turn their ideas in a reality.

I’ll finish with a suggestion for any people involved in community engagement to read a blog post from Kate Goodall. Quite amusing, and top tips to remember when we are asking people what they want. It can be a dangerous, and misleading question! 

http://kategoodall.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/cogitation-cogitation-cogitation/

(Thanks to Tom in our comms team for the link to this… I’ve always thought it was a cog.)

What exactly is volunteering...?!

This seemingly simple question often pops in to my mind, especially when the Community Links Team are out and about, talking to the myriad people doing good things around the borough. Once again I found myself pondering this after talking with ArtsRichmond this morning. There are many interpretations and definitions; Google nails it down quite well with "working for an organization without being paid."

However, it is this sense of 'work' that often gets the term in to trouble. The evocative image of gap year students building schools in Africa resonates with most people as volunteering, and certainly has 'work' at its core. 

However, what about those people that give up hours of their life to run groups, activities and events for others because it's something they just enjoy doing? This has a sense of work though, as there are duties, responsibilities, often timescales to meet etc..

The real dilemma comes when we think about the people that attend these groups and activities. As a Community Link Officer, I might invite residents to come along to a public session to discussion solutions for a community issue. Unpaid, yet they are giving up their time to provide their knowledge and understanding to help achieve a goal. Yet, how many people see that as a form of volunteering? Volunteering England have a broader, yet more detailed definition which starts to capture this:

any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone . . . other than . . . close relatives. Central to this definition is the fact that volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. This can include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organisations as well as informal community participation.

So, I guess we could start to include lobbying and campaigning as volunteering. No final answers today it seems!