“Power is not something you have. It’s an influence that’s created through inter-dependence. We live in an interdependent world.” (Marshall Ganz at the UK launch of his book ‘People, Power, Change’ earlier this year).
In our final article on Grapevine’s three decades of deep social change, we touch on our theme of collaborating with public service systems to make change in people’s lives and communities. Specifically, the collaboration part of that sentence and what that takes now.
Collaboration between communities and institutions is what we need to develop through the rollout of the government’s flagship communities programme ‘Pride in Place’—specifically for us locally in Willenhall in Coventry and Bedworth, North Warwickshire.
Willenhall and Bedworth are two of almost 250 ‘doubly disadvantaged’ neighbourhoods in England identified by the Pride in Place programme—an expansion of the ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ announced in March that will see each of these ‘most in-need communities’ receiving up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade.
Working in Willenhall* for the last decade has taught us that strong, sustainable collaborations are built on inter-dependence between communities and institutions. Each has resources the other needs.
The story of Willenhall’s neglected Brookstray Park, for example, illustrates how community campaigners have identified what must change, developed the belief they can make a difference, stepped up to lead with institutions like the Council and are seeing that difference play out—shifting the sense of what’s possible when power shifts. Read more here.
We are determined to improve our places by taking a systematic approach to community power, organising people with energy and ideas for change and building their collective ability to realise that change. But they can’t go it alone. Working systemically means actively drawing everyone into the community of place. From corporate to cultural, public to voluntary, to local people who can campaign and challenge on issues, Grapevine is building collaborative capacity so people can drive change as equals—a strategic aim cut from the same cloth as Pride in Place.
“If we’re more or less balanced in our needs of each other—in our resources for each other—we can be collaborative,” concludes Marshall Ganz.
Further reading
In the final month of our 30th anniversary year, we have shared our thoughts about strengthening democracy and building solidarity across divides.
Read:
- How we fought local budget cuts to voluntary sector support… and won
- Growing power, confidence and possibility in our communities
- Building solidarity across divides.
Explore our story of 30 years of Grapevine in Coventry and Warwickshire here.
Revisit our 30th anniversary blog series—and check you haven’t missed any!
*Firstly on the Ignite early help programme with Central England Law Centre, and in the last four years through Healthy Communities Together—a partnership programme working between local people, the voluntary and community sector, NHS and local authority to improve population health and wellbeing.