Social Media CIC (UK)

Community organisations pledge to help revive political engagement

May 30, 2008 at 7:11 am · Filed under Uncategorized

MEDIA RELEASE

A social enterprise and community group in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent have endorsed the findings of the Governance Commission and pledged to play their part in reviving local democracy.

Social Media CIC, publisher of social enterprise newspaper Local Edition, and HAVOC, a community group based in Burslem, will submit their own responses to the City Council on what they can offer to help bridge the divisions identified by the Commission, who collected evidence from local people and groups and identified serious failings in local governance.

HAVOC spokesman Hugh Irvine said: “So-called “leaders” decry apathy, but they are currently so far removed from their electorate that they do not realise that the people are far from apathetic, even after the Schools débacle, the Dimensions fiasco, and the “Hole-in-the-Wall” U-turn. All of these sagas were preventable. However, the Council leadership carried on in their “we are right and everybody else is wrong” mode, and made bad decisions. All they had to do was talk, and listen, to the common man before announcing their decisions.”

Editor of Local Edition Clare-Marie White said: “The findings of the Commission echoed with what we hear working within the communities of Northern Stoke-on-Trent. While all of us will have our own views on
the proposals and will be involved in the discussions over the summer, I think the most important thing is to help create the new structures to enable everyone to get involved at whatever level they want to, so they’re no longer left out by political leaders and not stuck in this negative cycle. The City Council have a very clear message now and must take whatever steps are necessary to improve community engagement.”

Any groups, individuals etc are welcome if they wish to add their names to the statement or adapt it for their own use. Social Media CIC has also launched a social networking website (www.socialmedia.org.uk) which gives community groups and individuals free space to communicate and connect with each other online.

We endorse the findings of the Governance Commission presented to John
Healy, Local Government Minister in May 2008.

We will do what we can to help engage people in our networks in the debate that must now follow. We will take our place as a partner organisation to help revive political involvement and reconnect people with decision-makers, whether elected or otherwise.

We demand that the City Council act immediately to do everything necessary to re-engage all of Stoke-on-Trent’s communities in its work at every single level, but most especially between political leaders and communities, in order to rebuild the trust that has been lost.

We pledge to support the closing statement of the Governance Commission:
“The full potential of Stoke-on-Trent’s future will
only be realised by the shared commitment of
every citizen supporting visionary leadership
by the elected Council”

Supported by the following organisations:
Social Media CIC. Recommendations
Hamil Area Voice of the Community (HAVOC). Response.

Background:
Social Media CIC is a social enterprise operating in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. It publishes Local Edition, a free newspaper that seeks to improve information and communication in Northern Stoke-on-Trent. Social Media’s recommendations:
http://socialmediauk.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/recommendations-for-the-council-to-rebuild-engagement-from-social-media-cic/
HAVOC is a community group working to give a voice to communities in the Haywood area of Stoke-on-Trent. It has run two successful campaigns to prevent the closure of Haywood High School and Dimensions and has recently been invited to join the council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee. HAVOC’s response: http://www.havocinstoke.org.uk/governancecommission.html

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Recommendations for the Council to rebuild engagement from Social Media CIC

May 29, 2008 at 3:09 pm · Filed under Social Media CIC, Uncategorized

Further to the Governance Commission’s report last week, Social Media CIC is endorsing its recommendations and pledging to play its part in reviving local democracy. It should be made clear that this is not an attempt to be political but rather to contribute to a stronger civil society in order that the problems of our area can be improved.

Every different group and individual has something to offer this process. What we can offer follows:
- Local Edition provides a forum to inform debate in the Northern Stoke area. This can be used more effectively by all organisations working in the area. We will find different ways to present the findings of the report and feed back responses.
- Our website, www.socialmedia.org.uk, provides free space for community groups across the city to create a presence online and where residents, politicians and anybody else can connect with each other and post news and information about their activities
- Social Media CIC has developed a range of relationships with networks and groups across the city and can support constructive community engagement through these networks
- Through our different projects, we are able to provide connections to different groups of people in Northern Stoke and a two-way flow of viewpoints to contribute to dialogue. We hope to develop our capacity over the coming months to do more.
- We can provide expertise on structure-building from community to global level, drawing on experience of contributing to, and working with, successful volunteer-based groups in the City and further afield.

Our recommendations to the Council are also around the recommendation to rebuild engagement. This is not supposed to detract from the very hard work that many councillors and officers put in, but address the way that people feel because of structural failures and in some cases a lack of basic communication and consultation.

- Resource residents and other community groups at local levels, continuing the good work over the past year, and encouraging residents to fill gaps that currently exist. Ensure that the most appropriate sectors of the council maintain regular dialogue with all groups operating in their area or work.

- ensure you have meaningful dialogue with community groups on all decisions affecting the area, not only on those that suit you. Don’t avoid discussion on decisions that you think will be controversial. Get people involved in new strategies right from the beginning and don’t shut them out at critical points – not everybody will want to be involved in policy discussions but some people will and they can help convey questions and information both ways. We have had large voids of silence while some of the biggest decisions are being made and this gives rise to suspicion.

- Accept responsibility for the fact that people are disengaged and angry, therefore the problem is not necessarily the decisions being made, but the way in which they are made. A culture of trust is the only effective way that everybody can contribute to society.

- send out regular information on all decisions and actions made by councillors and officers through online newsfeeds that can also be printed out as posters in libraries. An interesting model is the Twitter feed started by Gordon Brown’s office that anybody can subscribe to.

- Be experimental and imaginative. Release council officers from the culture of fear and control that contributes to an environment of secrecy, lack of trust and the external perception of inneffectiveness. Create simple systems of accountability through councillors and balance this with practices that support officers to carry out their difficult work for the city.

- Introduce participatory budgeting elements immediately for ward budgets so that the whole community can work alongside councillors in spending it. Extend participatory methods to all local service delivery, piloting models of participation to find what works in our communities. Over the years, residents in the area have built a degree of expertise in consultation practices and there are many community leaders ready and willing to be participate positively – more will follow once the atmosphere of conflict and mistrust begins to clear and people see that their input leads to results (there are residents who have been involved in consultations about the regeneration of their area since the early 1970s).

- Immediately develop clear illustrations of decision-making so that anybody who wants to get involved at any level can easily find out the best route to participation (including online and other means) and have their views taken forward

- Accept that there is a distinct difference between promoting Stoke-on-Trent and facilitating effective debate and accountability. Local media can be a constructive partner in both.

- Abandon the PR strategy outlined in last year’s recruitment process of rebuttal and ‘good news’ stories. Help journalists to communicate political processes effectively to the public by answering questions and providing information pro-actively and on request. Good press for the city will follow as the health of the city in every sphere improves.

- Publish all Freedom of Information requests in order to avoid duplication and, if practical, archive released material in the most relevant public library (ie requests about Tunstall in Tunstall).

- Ensure that every councillor builds engagement at local ward level and create strategies for ensuring that there are efficient systems for all residents to communicate meaningfully with their councillor and have their concerns and ideas passed on. Find out what local people think makes a ‘good councillor’ and share examples of good practice, whichever party they come from.
STATEMENT
We welcome the findings of the Governance Commission presented to John Healy, Local Government Minister in May 2008.

- Social Media CIC.

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Social Media CIC

May 13, 2008 at 8:35 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

It was all getting so sprawling, we needed to make a map. Explore the world of Social Media CIC here.

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Publications

April 13, 2008 at 8:39 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

View our current publication brochure

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Illuminate project

March 14, 2008 at 9:26 am · Filed under Local Edition, New projects, Social Media CIC

Social Media CIC has been awarded a grant under the Illuminate programme of Social Enterprise West Midlands for a project to promote social enterprise in the area.

The main partners are Social Enterprise North Staffordshire (SENS) (the social enterprise network for the area), VAST (support for social enterprises) and Bizfizz (local business support). Any social enterprise or community organisation who would like to be involved is invited to come to the first planning meeting on March 26 – please leave your email address for more details.

The project will take the form of a 12-part campaign in Local Edition, with all the material being made freely available for dissemination online and in other publications. This meeting will be to discuss the content of the campaign and a workshop to be arranged while it is in progress which will bring together people interested in social enterprise. Collaboration on the campaign will then be via an email list, small meetings/interviews and other network meetings, with a final networking meeting to be arranged to round off the campaign and discuss possible avenues for further projects and collaboration.

The objectives of the project are to:
- inspire new social enterprise start-ups and encourage the development of existing social enterprise in the area
- increase interest in the social enterprise business model amongst communities of the area and ensure that this sector plays an important role in new business and job creation in the area
- increase awareness and membership of the Social Enterprise North Staffordshire network so that it can better achieve its aims in the area and work with policy makers and decision makers
- support the aims of the city council to support social enterprise in the area by raising awareness of the types of work the council need to procure in order that this work can be sourced locally and the work done by local people.
- raise the profile of social enterprise amongst readers and supporters of Local Edition, so that they can better appreciate the newspaper’s – and other social enterprise’s – purposes and its status as a not-for-profit newspaper seeking to make a difference in the community.

The project is in a very open stage at the moment so please bring along or send any ideas for themes that should be included in the campaign as well as any contacts you know for social enterprises in the area.

If you can’t get to the meeting but would like to be involved in the project in any way, please also let me know and I will add you to the email list for the project.

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Get connected!

February 25, 2008 at 9:49 pm · Filed under Events, Social Media CIC, Training and tagged: socialmedia, workshops

A workshop by Social Media Community Interest Company

Suitable for: freelancers or small business-owners.
Can also be delivered for: businesses whose staff want to build awareness of the internet; political representatives and officers; community groups.

The internet: A vast array of pointless information, populated by people wasting time. Or, a global revolution that will transform the way we live?

This is an introductory workshop for anybody who wants to widen the possibilities for their business or group. You will come away with a toolkit and the confidence to help you to build your own website with no ongoing cost, as well as identifying which is the most effective type of web presence for your needs, whatever they are.

For example, many people running small businesses or community organisations can’t afford to have a website built for them so they assume that means they can’t have one. Some have a website built, but then can’t update it themselves. This workshop will equip you with the confidence to use free tools to build a professional website in a matter of minutes and to build your profile online in the most time-efficient way for your needs.

The 2-3 hour workshop is designed for people at all levels of technological ability, but particularly for anybody fearful of technology – there will be limited contact with live computers so don’t worry about your technical ability. All the tools we will look at can be accessed anywhere, so you don’t need a computer of your own to build and maintain your own website.

Your trainer is an online communications and networking practitioner with eight years experience of using the web to build popular websites, global networks and tools used for collaboration by diverse groups of people with varying degrees of access to technology and experience. As well as developing a number of projects in Stoke-on-Trent, she has run workshops and developed collaborative projects for a peacebuilding community whose members are scattered across Central Africa, America, Canada, China and the UK. Although she is evangelical about the possibilities of the social web, she is also sensitive to the barriers and limitations that people experience with computer technology.

You’ll learn:

- how to build a professional and useful website that you can maintain for free

- how to ensure yourself and your business can be found online

- how to network online and raise your profile locally and globally

- which tools and services will be of most benefit to your specific needs

- what you should be aware of about your information and privacy online

You’ll get

- a resource pack with all the information and guidelines you’ll need to use several key free tools and service providers local to Stoke-on-Trent.

- membership of an email list to stay updated with new developments

£12 per person or £150 + expenses to commission for a group of around 10. Half-day workshop.
To register your interest in taking part next time a workshop is held, email editor @ localedition.org.uk.

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Stoke Sounds

February 24, 2008 at 7:05 pm · Filed under Stoke Sounds

www.stokesounds.co.uk

Local Edition, the successful social enterprise newspaper for the Northern communities of Stoke-on-Trent, has launched a new city-wide music website, Stoke Sounds.

Like Local Edition, it was launched to help a particular audience communicate and connect. While quite a few sites are springing up in this field, Stoke Sounds plans to find its niche in high quality writing and photography about the widest range of musical talent in the area.

A team of all ages and tastes is being led by the highly experienced local music journalists Simon Bamford and Steve Dean and anyone is invited to get involved. We aim to build sustainability for the project through advertising, which is available at £40 for a 5.5cm x 2cm box in glorious colour.

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Enterprising Edition

February 24, 2008 at 4:59 pm · Filed under Local Edition and tagged: burslem, enterprising britain, port vale

Local Edition featured as one of the new businesses emerging in Burslem at the opening of Port Vale’s new Enterprise Centre.

The opening of the units coincided with the launch of Enterprising Britain 2008, which was won last year by North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone for their work supporting new enterprise in the region.

Click here (4mb PDF) if you would like to read a PDF version of the presentation. It’s not as snazzy as the Keynote version but it gives a taster of the journey so far, for me and for Local Edition.

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Local Edition: six months on

January 1, 2008 at 4:49 pm · Filed under Local Edition

Local Edition has published its first six month report.

The report, ‘Can a newspaper make a difference’ demonstrates the impact that this new social enterprise has had on the northern communities of Stoke-on-Trent as well as outlining where the project will go from here.

Summary of points

Local Edition was launched in response to a lack of basic information and communication opportunities in an area of high intervention in Stoke-on-Trent.

Local Edition seeks to counter a culture of limited information, segregation and voicelessness and to build bridges between different communities, organisations and businesses.

Its important difference from all other newspapers in the area, and the vast majority in the country, is its not-fot-profit status. It is one of only five Community Interest Companies registered in Stoke-on-Trent.

While the paper seeks to put forward a positive view of our area, it is no PR machine: it channels local anger in constructive ways, encouraging individual empowerment and helping to hold organisations to account. Our first priority has been to establish a place for Local Edition in the community, finding our readership everywhere that people have a few minutes to read.

Now that it has strong positive feedback and a regular place in the reading habits of the community, it needs to build its sustainability and increase participation amongst more target groups.

“In a nutshell, Local Edition is keeping people’s spirits up!”

A few of our outcomes to date:
• improve information about this area that is acccessible to everybody
• provide a communication opportunity for individuals, organisations and businesses
• raise the self-esteem of the area through a positive, constructive medium that feels positive about its environment
• raise the profile of community activities, encouraging people to get involved and improving people’s views of what is happening in the local area
• develop and encourage citizen journalism skills including photography, public questioning and use of free online tools including blogs and wikis.
• provide valuable work experience for youth and those looking at new career options
• provide a forum for self-expression and the sharing of expertise within our communities
• provide the area and its people – plus visitors and outsides – with a colourful, scrapbook-type ‘mirror’ that shows it to be a vibrant, positive place
• development of a wide audience, including those with low literacy or English-language skills who may not otherwise access information from local agencies
• showcase different towns to people who may have stopped visiting them
• develop direct relationships with readers and potential contributors
• build insights into the communities and gather news and material that could not be done from a newsroom

Short term areas of development and improvement
• appoint a management committee to steer strategy and provide accountability for the social objectives of the newspaper
• start the newspaper’s workshop programme and other projects to widen participation and increase citizen journalism skills, self-expression and transferable skills across our communities
• expand sponsorship by local organisations and businesses with a target of financial sustainability within three months
• develop contributor network to ensure we are covering more news from across the area and all its community groups, businesses and agencies
• develop special regular sections including more business news, regeneration updates and sections of interest to advertisers and consumers. Continue responding to community feedback to build on the paper’s initial loyal following.
• increase people-power with a greater freelance budget and structured volunteer programmes in order to increase the uality of editorial, particularly in the areas of news and and investigation.
• explore options for widening access to the newspaper for those with disabilities and language barriers