Put the date in your diary – 16th February 2011!

You may have finally cleared your cupboards of holiday food and committed to a month of health and well-being but when February comes round it’s time to start again at the Brighton & Hove Take Part Pathfinder Celebration Conference.

Over the last two years, Take Part has supported local residents and community groups to be more actively involved in their communities and with influencing local decision-making.

From city-wide accredited training programmes to community
development activities, short courses on e-democracy and
presentations and exhibitions on Democracy Day, Take Part has
engaged hundreds of people.

Hear and learn from the people and organisations involved including;

Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership (BMECP)

Brighton & Hove City Council

Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP)

Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF)

Federation of Disabled People

Hangleton & Knoll Project

Novas Scarman

Refugee Action

Serendipity

The Equalities Coalition

Trust for Developing Communities

University of Sussex

Workers Educational Association (WEA)

Working Together Project (WTP)

David Murray, Strategic Director of Communities, Brighton & Hove City Council will be giving the keynote presentation on the localism bill and its anticipated impact in the city.

Conference Programme

How?: email james@workingtogetherproject.org.uk
Where?:BMECP, 10A Fleet Street, Brighton
When?: 9.30 to 2.30. Lunch included!

A City-wide assembly – bringing local communities of interest groups and communities together with public sector engagement leads, city councillors and commissioners. The Assembly will consider the role of the Equality Coalition and the place it should occupy in the city’s priority area of Strengthening Communities and Involving People.

Taking place on Wednesday 2 February 2011, 9.30am – 2.00pm at Fabrica, 40 Duke Street, Brighton, BN1 1AG

To book a place contact Alex Black on 01273 810242 or email volunteer2@cvsectorforum.org.uk for more information, but be sure to book early as places are limited.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you wish to discuss any specific access and or dietary requirements.

The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) in partnership with the Urban Forum and Novas Scarman facilitated a number of activities in Brighton and Hove in September and October 2010, which were aimed at capturing the views of residents and the local community and voluntary sector on what the Big Society means for them. This included a public debate, consultation and a workshop all held as part of Democracy Day on 23rd September 2010.

Discussions have involved the input of over 200 residents, CVSF members and community/neighbourhood groups to date. You can view a summary of the feedback from these discussions on the CVSF website.

As part of the city’s Waste Strategy Brighton & Hove City Council have set up the Brighton & Hove Waste Advisory Group (WAG).

The group will bring residents, community representatives and Cityclean, the council’s waste management team, together. It will also include members of the council’s Sustainability team and Community team – the team who overview community activities across the city.

 The Waste Advisory Group (WAG) will meet every two months to:

• challenge and advise on sustainable waste management for the future
• assess services from a different perspective and advise on changes
• form a local network of people and groups interested in waste and recycling who will partner with the council

We are asking anyone interested in joining the group to contact us now. Ideally you will need to know a bit about waste or be willing to attend the group as a user of waste and recycling services. The main members of the group will need to attend meetings every two months.

All meetings will also be open to the public, so even if you’re not a member, please come along, listen and have your say. The final membership will be agreed in December 2010 and reviewed at the end of the first pilot phase in summer 2011.

If you, your group or community are interested in developing new ways to reduce waste, recycle or compost more we would like to hear from you. If you have ideas for your block of flats or want to set up a community composting scheme, the WAG is here to support you and help you work with Cityclean.

To get involved please email Elona Hoover at the Waste and Energy Research Group before Friday 17 December 2010, or call 01273 644707.

Do you want to know about…

• Negotiating on behalf of your group
• Communicating and networking
• Speaking on behalf of others
• How decisions are made in Brighton & Hove

Find out more at a taster session on Wed 19^th January 2011 at 5.30pm at BMECP Centre, 10A Fleet Street, Brighton BN1 4ZE

A FREE six-week course will run weekly from 5.30pm – 8pm on Wednesdays from 26^th January 2011 until 2^nd March 2011

Community groups and charities are represented on a number of boards by Community and Voluntary Sector Forum members. If you’re already thinking about being a CVSF elected representative then this training will give you the skills and confidence you need. CVSF elections start in January 2011, so this is a great chance to polish up your skills and knowledge.

Book now as places are limited. (Help with childcare and travel costs is available if you need it).

For more information or to book a place contact Emily Ballantyne on 01273 810248 or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk

John Bercow, MP

Members of Mr Bercow’s team met local residents at Hangleton library in the morning before visiting Jubilee Library to meet members of the public and hold a workshop on the role of Parliament. 

Rachel Newton hosts the Big Society debate

The Table of Ideas gave members of the public the chance to debate hot topics over a feast, which created a centre piece in the library, while local councillors were on hand to answer questions.    

Over 100 passers by gave their personal thoughts on the Big Society in Brighton and Hove on a large wall display hosted by Novas Scarman and the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum, providing interesting food for thought for how the Big Society might look and be supported in the city. 

Throughout the day there were inspirational stories, including a talk from Juliet Lyons of the Women’s National Commission who talked passionately about the rights of women in prison. 

Entertainment was provided by musicians, information stalls and a food demonstration table organised by the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership.  A Speakers Corner style soap box slot gave members of the public the chance to air their views, entertain or simply talk on a subject they felt passionate about. 

A full report on the day will be produced, including some of the key questions and discussion points raised.

At Democracy Day this Thursday we’ll be opening up our Councillors Café to social media users. From 2pm – 3pm councillors will be answering questions online.

Post your questions to Twitter from 1pm tomorrow and we’ll put them to councillors attending the event. Questions should be sent to us using @BrightonHoveCC or the hashtag #DemocracyDay.

Longer answers will be posted on this page and linked to from Twitter. Follow our Twitter stream at http://twitter.com/BrightonHoveCC

BEEcycle asked:@BrightonHoveCC How do you currently dispose of any glass waste in and around Brighton?

Cllr Ann Norman: Glass waste is collected on a fortnightly basis from residential properties. It has to be kept separate from other recyclable materials. In addition there are recycling points situated in various locations in the city where glass waste can be left.

After glass is collected it is taken to the Cityclean recycling depot in Hollingdean where it is sorted and subsequently sent on for reuse or to be recycled. Find out more about recycling on our recycling  webpages.

andrewhancox asked: @BrightonHoveCC What would you say to anyone considering becoming a councillor?

Cllr Ann Norman: If you are interested in your local community and have some time to spend I recommend you find out a little bit more about the democratic process by looking on the Brighton & Hove website’s become a councillor pages. If you have any political allegiance, do try and find someone politically active that you know holds similar views to talk about your choice.  Again you can find information for the main political parties on the council website or by contacting the local political office for the party you support.

Funding has been allocated for those who participate in Democracy Day activities to claim their travel expenses and carers costs.  Funding is available to those who participate in an activity.  To find out more about activities Democracy Day click here.

Talk about anything you want for up to two minutes – you might have something to say about the price of food, global politics or something you love about living in the city.   We will be running Speakers Corner slots throughout the event and everyone is welcome.  We hope topics will spark discussion, challenge preconceptions or just entertain and make people laugh.

For full information about the event, including opportunities to have your say on the Big Society in Brighton and Hove or share ideas over a feast click here

Speaker of the House of Commons,  the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, will help launch the city’s first ever Democracy Dayon 23 September.  He will be speaking at Coldean and Jubilee libraries and answering questions about being Speaker – one of the most powerful roles in the day-to-day business of Parliament.  Democracy Day will also include a range of workshops, activities and information stalls in Jubilee Square and the Parliamentary Outreach Team will be visiting Hangleton and Jubilee libraries.

The programme of events  is available below.  For more details about the day, contact please contact Democratic Services on 01273 291066 or e-mail democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk.  Please note that some workshop timings have changed from earlier postings.

Democracy Day Morning Events

9.30 – 11am, Coldean Library

Meet Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons

• Find out about life in parliament and the role of the Speaker
• Ask questions about parliament
• Meet elected local politicians

To book your place, call 01273 810248 or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk

9.30–11am, Hangleton Library

Meet the Parliamentary Outreach Team

• Ask questions and discover how parliament works
• Meet elected local politicians

To book your place, call 01273 810248 or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk

Afternoon Programme of Activities

11.45 am – 7.30pm, Jubilee Square and Jubilee Library

• Come and find out about life in Parliament, take part in debates, browse the information stall and lots, lots more throughout the day

The following afternoon activities have limited spaces, so book early to guarantee your place, call 01273 291066 or e-mail Democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk

12 noon – 1.00pm, Jubilee Library Ground Floor

Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons

• Rt Hon John Bercow MP will be speaking and answering questions in Jubilee Library at noon to kick off an afternoon of stalls, activities and workshops.

1.45 – 2.45 pm. Jubilee Library Ground Floor

Big Society

• The government has set out an ambitious agenda to build a Big Society based around social responsibility and community action.
• Come along, find out more and join our informal debate.  The session will be run by Urban Forum and offer you the opportunity to explore what is meant by Big Society and how you can get involved.

1.30-2.30pm and 3.oo-4.00pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room One

Get involved with Parliament

• It can sometimes seem that decisions affecting our lives are made by others and are beyond our control. However, there are many ways you can get your voice heard, whether that is locally in the town hall or nationally at the Palace of Westminster. The secret is knowing how.

• The Parliamentary Outreach workshop will explore the various ways you can begin to get involved with Parliament’s processes.

1.30-2.30pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room Two

E-democracy

• Are you following your MP on Facebook? Do you remember how young Iranians used Twitter to tell the world what was happening during last year’s presidential elections? Online tools are becoming more and more important in supporting people’s participation in public life, strengthening communities and building democracy
• Come to this workshop and get a taster of blogs, podcasts and e-petitions.  We will discuss how you can use these tools to influence and get your voice heard.

3.00-4.00pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room Two

Are volunteering and democracy the same thing?

• Volunteering and community activity allow people to engage in and with their local communities – building their own democracy. They also provide a direct means by which people may influence and have their voice heard through democratic processes.  
• Are volunteering and democracy one and the same thing?
• Do we make our city a more democratic place in which to live by making our neighbours and community our business?

Come and explore these and other questions and find out how you can get involved.

To book your place, please call 01273 291066 or e-mail Democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk

And lots more! Watch this space for information about social media workshops, information stalls, activities and debates.

Do you want your voice to be heard in shaping the Big Society in Brighton and Hove?

Throughout democracy day the Brighton & Hove Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) and Novas Scarman will be running an activity which will give you the opportunity to say what you feel the Big Society should look like in Brighton & Hove. The ideas and views put forward by you will be used to help influence decisions made across the city which affect us all. So come along and share your views and help us to influence the things that matter to you in your city!

Come and have your say at Speakers Corner on Democracy Day!

Talk about anything you want for up to two minutes – you might have something to say about the price of food, global politics or something you love about living in the city.   We will be running Speakers Corner slots throughout the event and everyone is welcome.  We hope topics will spark discussion, challenge preconceptions or just entertain and make people laugh.

Brighton & Hove Community Reporters

Brighton & Hove Community Reporters is an exciting project that helps people across the city to get their voice heard. Whether they use video, a blog, radio, a community newsletter or Twitter, it gives people the skills and support to tell stories about their communities. Run by SCIP, Working Together Project and the Friends Centre it is supported by The Argus and the BBC. Come and hear SCIP’s Mark Walker explain how it all works and how community reporting can be a powerful tool for change, social justice, and activism!

The Table of Ideas 12.30-3.30 pm

A curated conversation that stimulates the circulation and sharing of ideas between participants, in the context of a public feast. The outcome is uncertain, the process of meeting and sharing ideas being its primary purpose. It is a magical and transformatory system designed to engage both strangers and colleagues alike, framed and contextualised as an art event.

Councillors’ Cafe 2.00-3.00pm – Rare Books Room

Come and meet a Local Councillor  

• Find out what they do,
• how they can help,
• how can you become a councillor

Evening Event

5 – 7.30pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room One

 Big Society workshop

• The Urban Forum and the Brighton and Hove Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) are facilitating an evening discussion on the government’s Big Society agenda and what it means for Brighton &Hove’s communities. The discussion will aim to identify what community and voluntary groups want to achieve and some ways forward in the changing policy climate.
• Members of small community and voluntary groups are particularly welcome to come along to share their views about the Big Society and to bring any examples they may have of the Big Society in action.

To book your place on this event, please call 01273 810237or e-mail  libby@cvsectorforum.org.uk

Help with childcare is available on request when booking workshops

For more details about how to get involved in the day please contact Democratic Services please contact 01273 291066 or e-mail Democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Need to know your blogs from your tweets?  This free short course, run over 2 evenings in November, is for anyone who is or wants to be involved in using the internet for influencing, lobbying and campaigning. The course is being run by Take Part, which is a local campaign that aims to encourage and support people to be active citizens.

What is Take Part?

Active Citizens try to do things that have a positive effect on their communities. This can mean anything from responding to consultations and surveys to voting in local and national elections, from volunteering to becoming a local councillor, from setting up a community group to becoming a school governor.

This course will take place on:

• Thursday 18th & 25th November 6pm – 8.45pm
• Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG

Courses on this list are FREE. Help with childcare and travel costs is available if you need it.

To reserve your place please contact Working Together Project on 01273 810248, or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk. For more information ask for Rona or email rona@workingtogetherproject.org.uk

Why should you “take part”?

Because your ideas and opinions are important! They help to shape the decisions that are made about the area where you live. Take Part Pathfinder can help you by showing the routes others have taken into an active role.

How can you “take part”?

Attend one of our discussion groups or workshops; enrol on our free Leadership course starting in January 2010 and aimed at people who want to develop the skills needed to achieve the most out of being active citizens. If you already have lots of experience or skills to share, you can volunteer for our Mentoring course where you will learn how to support others with developing as active citizens.

Find out more by calling Rona or Dawn on 01273 234773 or emailing enquiries@workingtogetherproject.org.uk

Take Part Pathfinder is a national programme with funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government. In Brighton and Hove, the Take Part Pathfinder is being delivered by The Working Together Project in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council.

Mediation is quick and easy way of sorting out difficulties you might be having with your neighbours, like noise, children’s or young people’s behaviour, animals, or rubbish. Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Service wants to help as many people as possible to gain the skills and confidence to resolve conflict and difficulties in their lives for themselves.  It is currently looking for residents from Mouslecoomb, Bevendean, Queens Park and Cravendale, Tarner, Bristol Estate and Whitehawk to train as volunteer community mediators.

Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Service is confidential and free; mediation helps you and your neighbour to find practical solutions for the future, even if there has been a long history of difficulty. You can call us or ask your Housing Officer to contact us on your behalf.

Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Service wants to help as many people as possible to gain the skills and confidence to resolve conflict and difficulties in their lives for themselves.  It is currently looking for residents from Mouslecoomb, Bevendean, Queens Park and Cravendale, Tarner, Bristol Estate and Whitehawk to train as volunteer community mediators,

You do not need any special skills, or qualifications as we offer accredited training in resolution, communication, negotiation and mediation skills. If you would like to find out more about mediation, or our taster sessions or our autumn mediation skills training course, please call Alice on 01273 700812 or email communitydevelopment@bhims.org.uk

Want to make a real difference to local services?  Brighton and Hove Local Involvement Network (LINk) is looking for new Steering Group members. LINks are independent of the NHS and local authority and have a vital role in the decision making process on health and social care matters. LINks have legal powers to improve services. 

Steering Group members provide strategic direction and overall leadership to the LINk. Members are not paid but receive out-of-pocket expenses and training and the LINk is given full admin support. This is a real opportunity to be part of a group which has the power to make real change to health and social care in Brighton and Hove.

They can:

• visit services to see what they do
• write reports and make recommendations
• ask for information which must be provided within a set time
• report findings to the Council’s Scrutiny Board and get an answer

 If you would like to find out more about this exciting volunteer opportunity please contact Claire Stevens claire@cvsectorforum.org.uk

01273 810234