A day for 150 community activists, public servants and others to get the know each other better started with the cacophony of 75 simultaneous chats. The speed dating started the morning by filling the main hall at the baths with a cacophony of conversation. What a racket….
Later the morning switched to feedback from a range of projects which had support from the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership Small Grants fund.
- Emma Woolf on the Junior Rangers from Friends of Cotteridge Park
- Sheila Hall on Allen’s Cross Active Kids
- Ian Barber on the Freedom Programme from All Saints Youth Project.
- Jayne Cresswell of SWEET Project’s work on Dementia plus Dale Legacy and DV Perpertrators
- Eat, Art, Talk from Northfield Arts Forum.
- Phil Beardmore of the Northfield Eco Centre and Cycle South Brum‘s work on Cycling with Autism, Dyspraxia and Hypermobility
- Barry Toon on the Help Desk from Selly Oak Caretaker Society.
- Hannah Brooman of InUnity on their Plan, Help, Do programme.
- Suzanne Carter talked about the Fun Palace run here at Stirchley Baths.
- Birgit Kehrer on the 5 a day work done by Change Kitchen.
- Helen Sephton of the The Food Project.
- Children and Young Person’s Recovery Toolkit Jacky Mulveen/Donna O’sullivan and Dr Asha Patel of Freedom Project and Innovating Minds.
- Family Film nights Rev Robert Nock of the California Christian centre.
- The Fields Millenium Green – Maggie Sweet
- Who’s My Neighbour – Gordon Lee/Malachi.
A number of people there talked about what they do and where they do it… simply to help people recognise what’s going on….
What does Springfield Project do? Listen to Sarah Robbins on youtube.
Birmingham Community Matters runs surgeries to help small community groups and active citizens in the city – as Rhidi Kaleria explains…
Patricia Watson and Angela Field talk about the Brandwood Centre.
Birgit from Change Kitchen CIC Birmingham.
Ann Harkin and Dr Asha Patel of Innovating Minds CIC talk about their work supporting women and children who have experienced or witnessed. This clip ends with a quite a wide range of how people can get involved – including volunteers.
Subah Rasab is chair of Balsall Heath Forum and talks here about their work.
Rebecca Debenham of the Northfield Community Partnership in South Birmingham on how starting with employment skills give them scope to provide a much wider range of help.
Sheila Hall of Allen’s Cross Community Association Birmingham on why they are their and what they do.
Oli Armstrong from Northfield Arts Forum.
Helga Edstrom works for the Office for Civil Society – here she talks about finding better ways for funders, public servants and local people to work together.
John Grace recently set up Youth Work Europe in Birmingham, although he is starting in Bartley Green.