Local Trust newsletter November 2017

Local Trust newsletter November 2017
Young people involved in Big Local

Below you'll find some great stories of Big Local areas working alongside young people. Share your own examples on Twitter using #BigLocalYP.

Support for young people at risk: Art Against Knives

As part of our Empowered Communities in the 2020s project, resident Julia Hines from Grange Big Local describes how her community is becoming empowered by tackling issues around children and young people at risk of knife crime and gang violence. Read the blog.

Recent events for young people: Reports, videos, blogs

Many Big Local areas have been thinking about how they already involve young people, and what they can do better. Learning from other Big Local areas is a great place to start. Here's what was shared at recent learning and networking events:

Nicely summarised in one place are the video, blog, dancing and interviews that capture the Young People at the Heart of Big Local event run by Allenton Big Local.
There's also the official final report (PDF) from the Making a Difference event in Essex and 15-year-old Serena Lola has shared her take on the day in a blog too.
In Hartlepool, Big Locals for the next generation swapped information on what works - and doesn't - when engaging young people. They report that 'cool' is not a word young people use these days. Some peng notes from the day are available via email from sick rep Simon Underwood. Or should that be sick notes from a peng rep?

Research: Big Local is good for you (mostly)

How's your sense of control, health and wellbeing these days? If you're participating in Big Local these parts of your life could be benefitting, say the early findings from the Communities in Control study by the School for Public Health Research. Read more.

Films of the month: St Matthews and Stoke North

'Our Endz' is a new film made by young people living in St Matthews estate in Leicester. In it they talk about how their area is changing and how they feel about living there. Watch it here.

Another great video shows how providing young people in Stoke North with an opportunity to take part in professional music performance and production can boost their self-esteem and help them to engage more with education. Watch it here.

If you want to suggest the next Big Local Film of the Month contact us.

#BigLocalYP: New hashtag for young peoples' stories

On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook many Big Local areas are starting to use #BigLocalYP to share stories, videos and photos of young people who are getting involved. Here's an example on Twitter, collated by Allenton Big Local.

Resident blogger: From ages 7 to 70, our community comes together for intergenerational cooking

"Great things happened before, but this was something truly remarkable."

Resident and young mother Rachel Smith describes how a healthy cooking class in Heston West Big Local grew into an important community event and allowed new relationships to grow that fed local confidence as well as stomachs. Read the blog.

Do you know someone in your Big Local area who wants to write about their experiences of Big Local? We are inviting residents who want to share stories online to contact us.

Not another toolkit: Is there a better way to organise community guides?

"Maintaining resources can be a challenge as funding dries up (or when the website they are on gets reorganised or switched off) and some are more successful than others in showing up when searching the web."

Local Trust's innovation lead David King voices his frustration with accessing the multitude of resources available, and invites Big Local areas to share and share alike. Read the blog.

Event diary: Learning and networking for Big Local areas

Get on the inside track of neighbourhood planning: With housing developers and local authorities on your side, anything is possible. This event on 5 December is an opportunity for Big Local areas to explore how they can shape local planning policy, in particular, through neighbourhood planning and neighbourhood development orders. Event details.

Owning and managing land: If your Big Local area is interested in owning or managing land, you can get up to speed by joining Local Trust partner Shared Assets on 29 November for their 'Unlocking the potential of land' event in London.

Are you our new trustee? Two weeks left to apply

Local Trust is recruiting new trustees to support the delivery phase of the Big Local programme. If you share our ambition, and have the skills and experience to help us deliver Big Local in 150 communities across the country, we'd be delighted to receive your application. More details are available in our recruitment pack.