|
Feedback and evaluation findings from Take Part Exeter concluded that:
Over 500 local people from all backgrounds responded positively to Take Part Exeter and valued the support it gave to active citizens. This included many disadvantaged individuals, groups and communities.
It was important to recognise and value people’s existing involvement as active citizens and in their community. This encouraged them to stay involved and to look for other, sometimes more demanding, roles, such as influencing decisionmaking, improving service provision or becoming a councillor.
- Take Part Exeter piloted many new ways of engaging statutory services (e.g. local councils, Police, Health, schools) with local people and community groups, so they could understand each other better and work together more effectively.
- Take Part Exeter increased levels of community and civic participation, including democratic processes (voting), with more people keen to explore opportunities for involvement. Rather than read information to find out whether civic roles such as Magistrates would suit them, people preferred to attend an interactive workshop.
- As a result of taking part in learning programmes, participants reported that they had gained new skills and higher levels of confidence and motivation. This benefited not only themselves and their families, but also resulted in stronger groups and communities.
- Take Part Exeter increased levels of community and civic participation, including democratic processes (voting), with more people keen to explore opportunities for involvement. Rather than read information to find out whether civic roles such as Magistrates would suit them, people preferred to attend an interactive workshop.
- As a result of taking part in learning programmes, participants reported that they had gained new skills and higher levels of confidence and motivation. This benefited not only themselves and their families, but also resulted in stronger groups and communities.
- Take Part Exeter’s ‘active learning for active citizenship’ made a vital contribution to people’s understanding of the relationship between active citizenship and the Big Society agenda, and paved the way for Localism in Exeter.
|
|
Local people responded positively to the Take Part programme.
Partnerships were crucial to delivering Take Part Exeter’s achievements.
Take Part Exeter improved participants’ feeling that they can influence local decisions.
The Pathfinder was able to reach a wide range of hard-to-reach communities by engaging with existing groups and networks through outreach.
The success in reaching disadvantaged groups and communities was based on Exeter CVS’s established networks and relationships, and its ongoing support for groups before, during and after the Pathfinder.
Take Part learning needs to embrace a range of flexible programmes tailored to the target groups and audiences.
Take Part Exeter increased levels of civil and civic participation - including in democratic processes.
Confidence building is a stepping stone to further involvement and to ‘speaking up’ to decision-makers, and involves a better understanding of decision-making structures and processes.
Participants on Take Part Exeter experienced many additional and unintended outcomes.
People need support to enable them to Take Part.
People need accessible information to enable them to Take Part
High quality design and a marketing strategy are effective in drawing in a wide range of people from all walks of life.
Take Part Exeter piloted a range of viable mechanisms for statutory agencies to engage with local people and communities.
Take Part ‘active learning for active citizenship’ has a vital contribution to make to support the ‘Big Society’ and Localism.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
