final report on manchester changemakers neighbourhood challenge

7/31/2019 Final report on Manchester ChangeMakers Neighbourhood Challenge

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CHANGEMAKERSGREATER

MANCHESTERBringing peopletogether to fundlocal projectsthroughparticipatorybudgetingand takeaction onlocal issuesthroughcommunityorganising

N e i g h b o u r h o o d C h a l l e n g e w a s a n

i n n o v a t i v e l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m m e

f r o m N E S T A a n d B i g Lo t t e r y F u n d .

I t s u p p o r t e d 1 7 d i f f e r e n t o r g a n i s a t i o n s a n d p a r t n e

r s h i p s t o

t e s t t h e i r a p p r o a c h t o e n a b l i n g

l o c a l l y - l e d c h a n g e . T h e p r o g r a m m e

a i m e d t o l e a r n a b o u t w h a t

a p p r o a c h e s w o r k e d w i t h i n e a c h a r e a ,

b u t a l s o t o f i n d o u t m o r e a b o u t w h a t

t h e r o l e o f f u n d e r s o f a l l k i n d s c o u l d

b e i n c r e a t i n g t h e r i g h t c o n d i t i o n s

f o r l o c a l l y l e d c h a n g e .

Ea c h lo ca l p r o je c t b e g a n w it h a b e lie f th a t the ir co m m un ity ha d t he c r e a t iv e p o te n t ia l, a nd a b ility to m o b ilise a r a ng e o f un t a p p e d r e so u r ce s , sk ills a nd a sse t s to m a k e a p o s it iv e d if f e r e nce o n lo c a l issue s . In m a ny ca se s, t h is r e q uir e d d if f e r e n t w ay s o f w o r k ing , u s ing m e t ho d s o r t e c hn iq ue s un f a m ilia r e ithe r to the o r g a n isa t io n o r to t he ir co m m un ity . T he p r o je c t s w e r e sup p o r te d to t r ia l t he ir lo c a lly t a ilo r e d a p p r o a c h f o r o ne y e a r , a nd we r e e nco u r a g e d to le a r n , t a k e r isk s , a nd r e f le c t o n the ir p r a c t ice , a d a p t ing a nd c ha ng ing t he ir a p p r o a c h in r e sp o nse to c ha lle ng e s f a ce d a lo ng the w ay .

Th is p a p e r is o n e o f a s e t o f 17 p ro d u c e d b y Ic a ru s , t h e Ne ig h b o u rh o o d Ch a lle n g e Le a rn in g P a rtn e r. It d e sc rib e s w h a t w e le a rn e d f ro m ju s t o n e p ro je c t . It d ra w s o n th e p e rsp e c t ive s o f t h e lo c a l t e a m a n d o t he rs invo lve d in le a d in g c o m m u n ity a c t io n t h ro u g h se m i-s t ru c tu re d in te rvie w s a n d a re vie w o f t h e p ro je c t s b lo g -p o s t s . W e h o p e yo u f in d it a u se f u l re so u rc e .

If yo u w o u ld like to re a d a b o u t t h e o t h e r

p ro je c t s , o r fin d o u t m o re a b o u t w h a t w e le a rn e d a c ro ss t h e w h o le p ro g ra m m e w e

h a ve p ro d u c e d a ra n g e o f o t h e r re s o u rc e s

in c lu d in g a fu ll le a rn in g p a p e r, a b rie fin g

fo r fu n d e rs s e e kin g to w o rk d iffe re n t ly,

a n d a sh o rt a n im a t io n p ro v id in g a n

o ve rv ie w :

www.nesta.org .uk / ne ig hb ourhood _ cha lle ng e

Fo r fu rt h e r in fo rm a t io n p le a s e c o n t ac t t h e

p ro g ra m m e le a d a lice .ca sey@ne sta .org .uk

w h o e d ite d t h is p a p e r.


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2Neighbourhood Challenge

Introducing the project

The Neighbourhood Challenge in Manchester provided people in threedistinct communities with a local budget to make their own choices about

where money should be spent in their neighbourhoods. It began a processo encouraging local people to come together and organise around issueso local importance. The project o ered a chance or people to lead andin uence each stage o the work, drawing new people into communityactivity, creating a momentum or change, and delivering practical projectsand action on wider issues, driven by local people.

The project combined two approaches to community led change:Participatory Budgeting, a process which o ers decision making over a localbudget to those living in a community; and Community Organising, whichpromotes the power o people acting together to understand and challengeissues a ecting their communities.

Three communities were involved in the project. Old Tra ord and Moss Sideare neighbouring areas south o Manchester city centre; both are denselypopulated and culturally diverse. Moss Side has experienced a number o regeneration initiatives in recent times. Collyhurst lies to the north o thecity. It is an area o social housing which has seen no investment or manydecades. The area has very limited physical resources and little history o community involvement.

The project was led by Changemakers, a partner body o Church Action onPoverty. Changemakers is a coalition o Manchester people and organisationscommitted to collective action on issues raised by residents. Changemakers

worked with committed partners in each o the three neighbourhoods,including social landlords (one o which doubled the Participatory Budgetin Old Tra ord by match unding the original sum), schools, churches andcommunity organisations. The partners played important roles in eachcommunity, contributing to local Steering Groups, providing local knowledge,promoting the Participatory Budget events and providing access to local

venues.

Some headline messages from the project

Giving people the chance to allocate local unds (ParticipatoryBudgeting) created a high level o energy and involvement in eachcommunity. Many people became involved in community action or thefrst time. This was particularly signifcant in Collyhurst, where levels o engagement in community li e were extremely low.

Being chosen by neighbours and peers to deliver a local projectmotivated people to succeed. There has been a sharing o knowledgeand support among those delivering the community projects, and a reluctance to let down other local people.

The work has created potentially in uential groups o people. A ground-up process, driven by ideas and concerns o local residents, has

T h e e n e r g y c r ea ted b y th e ( p a r ti ci p a to r y b u d geti n g ) e ve n t s h a s bee n p h e n o m e n a l , a n d h a s

p r o v i d ed th e o p p o r t u n i ti e s

to e n ga ge p eo p le a r o u n d so m eth i n g w h i ch f eel s v e r y p o s i ti v e to th e m . I t h a s b r o u gh t th e m i n to u ch w i th oth e r s co m m i tted to th e co m m u n i t y a n d g i v e n e v e r y o n e a s e n s e o f w h a t i s p o s s i ble w h e n co m m u n i ti e s get o r ga n i s ed . ( Blo g p o s t , N o v e m be r 2 011 )

I w a s d el i gh t ed t o h e a r

a b o u t th e o th e r p r o j e c t s

a n d m e e t s o m a n y g r e a t

p e o p l e. I m a d e l o a d s o f

g o od c o n t a c t s. I t f el t l i k e

a m a s s i v e s t e p f o r w a r d ,

a n d I v e l e a r n t s o m e

v a l u a bl e l e s s o n s f r o m th e

p r e s e n t a t i o n e x p e r i e n c e.

( M o s s S i d e r e s i d e n

t )


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given those residents choice in how change can be delivered in theircommunity, and a shared voice which is beginning to address issuesand concerns.

About their approach

There were three main steps within the Manchester NeighbourhoodChallenge approach. Firstly, local steering groups were ormed, madeup o known community leaders and organisations, in each o the threeneighbourhoods. Secondly, the steering groups worked to design, promoteand host a local event that was open to residents in each community. At thisevent residents were given a budget and asked to vote on project proposalsdrawn up by local people, groups or organisations. The Participatory

Budget event, (which was given the name Our Cash, Our Call) was

promoted widely in each area to encourage both participation at the eventand proposals or projects. Thirdly, the process o creating and deliveringthe events was also used to listen to and understand issues and concernsbeing raised by local people. Following each event, Changemakers broughtthose running the local projects back together to create mutual support andbuild connections, and to o er training in taking action around the issuesidentifed by the process. This Community Organising approach was thenused to begin a process o collective local action.

The combination o these approaches enabled the project to do three crucialthings in each neighbourhood: 1) gather people and ideas together , 2)connect people and ideas and 3) turn ideas into action .

1. Gathering people and ideas together

Involving people was critical to the success o the project, and the localSteering Groups were seen as an excellent way o ensuring that themessage reached as many residents as possible in each community. EachSteering Group drew together those known to be active and involved inthe li e o the community, as their knowledge would be crucial in reachingthose who were less active. Each steering group worked hard to promotethree things: the Participatory Budgeting event itsel , the invitation tolocal people to propose a project or idea or consideration and, critically,that local people would choose which projects or ideas were unded.

Di erent approaches were used to engage with residents in each area; inOld Tra ord, a local community newspaper and social media groupput the word out into the community, and simple, colour ul cartoon basedyers and lea ets were used; in Collyhurst, where community involvement

was very sparse, time was spent speaking with people on the streets or where they gathered. To match the simple visual message, technical

terms were dropped and a brand o Our Cash, Our Call was used toget the message o community choice across.

To support those who had an idea to pitch at the Our Cash, Our Callevents, drop-in sessions were held in local venues or visits made topeoples homes prior to the events, giving all who were proposing

I t ( P a r t i ci p a t o r y B u d get i n g ) i s ea s y t o u n d e r s t a n d a n d get i n volved i n i t s n ot p i t ch ed t oo h i gh t o be i n a cce s s i ble o r t oo low t o ove r s i m p li f y o r t r i vi a li s e i s s u e s . ( T r a f f o r d H o u s i n g T r u s t )

I w a s a m a z ed a t h o w

m a n y p e o p l e a t t e n d ed

a n d th e d e g r e e t o w h i ch e v e r y o n e l i s t e n ed t o ea ch o th e r a n d r e s p e c t ed

th e i d ea s b e i n g p u t f o r w a r d . I w a s

o v e r w h el m ed a t h o w

g o od i t w a s. ( Old T r a f f o r d r e s i d e

n t )


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a project the chance to talk it through with members o the SteeringGroups and with Changemakers sta . These sessions and visits werealso important in beginning to gather knowledge about the issueso importance in each community, around which people might ocuscollective action.

Encouraging ownership was an important part o the project and eachOur Cash, Our Call event was led by a local person, with support romChangemakers. Each project was presented by the person, group ororganisation proposing it, and all those attending the event that wereresident in that community, including children, voted or the projects o their choice. A voting system was used which meant that residents neededto think beyond the particular project they had come to support; eachresident had a number o votes which all had to be used, and could notsupport simply one project. I someone used all their votes on one project,or only used some o their allocation, their voting paper was judged to bespoilt and was discarded. This encouraged a wide base o support or allthe projects selected.

2. Connecting people and ideas together

A ter the Our Cash, Our Call events, Changemakers hosted eventsthat brought together the project holders rom each community. Theevents provided chances or networking and or mutual support .Many connections were made between project holders, including threesmall groups in Moss Side who lived within streets o each other but

who had never linked up. Project holders were also o ered training inCommunity Organising , delivered by Changemakers. This gave peoplethe opportunity to build on their experience and connect with otherscommitted to wider change within their community.

3. Turning ideas into action

Listening and conversations took place be ore and during the Our Cash,Our Call events and as the training was delivered, helping to draw outissues. Links began to orm and connections clicked into place, enablingpeople to come together around issues o common concern . InOld Tra ord, an alliance o parent groups ormed out o concerns abouttra fc problems near local schools and in Moss Side people chose to cometogether to address the issue o the disproportionate numbers o black

boys being excluded by local schools. In Collyhurst, levels o confdenceand involvement were low a ter many years o isolation and neglect. Thelocal churches used the impetus rom the Our Cash, Our Call event tobegin conversations with local people about their neighbourhood bytaking a cake to every resident to break the ice and to listen to theirconcerns.

Th e r e h a s b e e n a

d e g r e e o f i n f o r m a l p e e r

m o n i t o r i n g d e v el o p i n g

p e o p l e a r e m o r e

m o t i v a t ed t o d el i v e r

k n o w i n g th a t th e i r

f r i e n d s a n d n e i ghb o u r s

v o t ed f o r th e i r i d e a . Th i s

i s m o r e p o w e r f ul th a n a

f u n d e r s e e k i n g a r e p o r t

o r a s k i n g f o r f e edb a c k.

( Ch a n g e m a k e r s t e a m )

W e vi s i t ed eve r y o n e la s t w ee k . W e f o u n d i t i n va l u a ble i n t e r m s o f g et t i n g t o k n ow p eo p le , u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h e r e t h ei r i d ea s h a ve co m e f r o m a n d g et t i n g a s e n s e o f so m e o f t h e w i d e r i s s u e s t h a t peo p le a r e co n ce r n ed a bo u t i n t h e co m m u n i t y. ( B lo g p o s t , Oct obe r 2 0 11 )

I t h a s g i ven t h e g r ou p a n i n s i g h t i n t o t h e com m u n i t y t h e y a r e a p a r t o f , bu t r a r el y com e i n t o con t a ct w i t h . I t h a s m a d e a bi g d i f f er en ce t o ou r g r ou p . T h e y h a ve becom e ver y i n volved i n w h a t i s r ea ll y a ver y s m a ll p r o j ect . ( P r o j ect H old er , M o s s S i d e )


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Whats been challenging?

Changemakers ound that the practicalities o delivering three overlappingprocesses in three communities posed challenges in maintaining momentumand providing all the input and support they would have wished to o er. There

was a risk o being too thinly spread at times.

There was a need to overcome a degree o cynicism or apathy within thecommunities, particularly in Collyhurst, which was addressed by spendingtime on the streets talking with local people, at places where people gathered,such as local schools. The project also encountered resistance rom some

ward councillors, who were not in avour o o ering local people the power tochoose where unds were spent.

Some challenges emerged in delivering the integrated model o ParticipatoryBudgeting and Community Organising. In reviewing the process,Changemakers noted the need to be tighter and clearer around how theparticipatory budgets could be used (or not used) to encourage the maximumbeneft or the widest number o people in each community, and to promote thecommunity organising benefts more strongly within the overall package at theoutset o the process.

As the project evolves, maintaining the impetus o the process whilerecognising that people move on at di erent paces will be a challenge; whatone local leader noted as the need to keep anning the ames o interest. Thedegree o ownership generated by working on issues o high importance tolocal people will help with this.

Whats changed?

Local assets have been unlocked

Large numbers o people have become involved: 550 people attendedthe Participatory Budget events (130 in Collyhurst, which was seen asremarkable given the history o low attendance at community events inthe area); 37 community projects have been delivered by local people;50 people have been trained as Community Organisers.

Local leaders are emerging rom the process.

Creation o new networks, connections and collaborations Connections have been made between local people and groups. People

have discovered others in their neighbourhood who are committed tochange.

New alliances and collaborations are beginning to emerge to addresslocal issues.

New opportunities to infuence have been created

Local people have made in ormed choices over investments in theircommunities.


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A social landlord invested matched unding to the Participatory Budgetin Old Tra ord, and has now adopted the method within its ownCommunity Budgets. This will mean that tenants will get a direct say inhow substantial sums o money are spent within their community.

Conditions and ambitions or change have been created

New collective action is beginning to take place in Old Tra ord andMoss Side.

What next?

The Manchester Neighbourhood Challenge was about trying a new way o working by combining two established change processes. The project started with local peoples knowledge and commitment, and drew many people intonew community activity. The connections between the two approaches haveenabled a deeper level o engagement with local people that would not havebeen likely i either approach had been exclusively used.

Changemakers plan to build on the experience o delivering theNeighbourhood Challenge. New unds secured by the organisation will enableongoing support or the work in Manchester and the introduction o this wayo working to Sal ord. The partnership with Tra ord Housing Trust has led tonew opportunities or tenants in Tra ord to choose how unds are spent andmay lead to a sta secondment to Changemakers rom the Trust.

At a local level, the networks and projects created through theNeighbourhood Challenge will continue to be supported, and the collectiveaction initiated in Moss Side and Old Tra ord will be taken orward withthose involved. In Collyhurst, Changemakers have learnt that a long termapproach will be needed to create a base on which community organising canbe in an area o long standing neglect. Working through the local churchesand visits to every household (with cakes!) will be the next step in thisprocess.

T o m o v e p e o p l e o n f r o m

p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n a g r a s s

r o o t s p r o c e s s t o c o n s i d e r i n g

b e i n g m o r e d i r e c tl y a c t i v e

a r o u n d w i d e r i s s u e s i n th e i r

n e i ghb o u r h o od i s q u i t e a

j u m p f o r s o m e. W e ha v e ha d

t o b e s e n s i t i v e t o wh e r e p e o p l e

a r e a t. I t i s v e r y ea s y t o ta k e

th e p r o c e s s t o o f a s t a n d f o r

p e o p l e t o f e el th e y a r e b e i n g

r a i l r oa d ed . ( Bl o g p o s t , D e c e m b e r 2

011 )

final report on manchester changemakers neighbourhood challenge

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