The Local by Social events were conjured up with councillors and officers in mind originally, but it was the citizen involvement that made the Coventry event so cool. It’s all very well to design more accessible ways of reaching the council or putting out information that’s meant to hold local government to account. But unless we work with citizens where they are already sharing information – i.e. local blogs and networks – or work with them to build these kind of spaces, the engagement might easily follow the same old broadcast model.
We had some fantastic citizens with us in Conventry, residents of Wood End, the neighbourhood which was the focus for our event. They worked alongside officers, councillors, police, techies and social innovators to design and deliver three projects.
One of them was a young guy called Kieran. He’s a volunteer with the Connexions service, helping other young people into work, training or developing skills through volunteering.. As I worked with him in a group looking at crime and policing, the topic inevitably strayed to the anti-social behaviour of some youth. He mentioned that he’d been involved in some petty crime in his past, but that by working and volunteering and getting involved in community projects, he’d turned his life around. He wanted whatever we did to celebrate and support people who wanted to change their lives for the better.
Kieran working on the Saturday for Local by Social projects
It made me reflect on my own ‘misspent’ youth. We didn’t have a lot of money when I was a teenager, but we certainly had connections in the small town where I grew up. A bit of youthful indiscretion would never really harm my life chances. But for kids without connections, from neighbourhoods with bad reputations – there aren’t many second chances. What impressed me so much about Kieran is that he was making his own chances, and doing so largely through service to others.
Part of the reason that Local by Social was in the neighbourhood of Wood End is that this an area which received significant investment through the New Deal for Communities programme. This funding is coming to an end – we were seeking to use social media as a way to extend the social capital they’d already built up. But it also means that kids like Kieran aren’t going to have the same funded opportunities they once had.
Kieran is still looking for opportunities to change his life for the better through service to others. He’s hooked up with Raleigh International to work in India. But he needs to raise money to cover some of the costs: In his own words:
My name is Kieran Armour. I am 19 years old and currently volunteering as a peer mentor at Connexions in Coventry.
I have been given the opportunity to go to Kerala in India for 10 weeks as part of a volunteering programme with Raleigh International. During the programme I will be teaching in the local schools and helping to re-build sections of the village.
I am required to raise £1,500 for my plane ticket and vaccinations as part of the contract I have made with Raleigh.
I am aware that times are tight at the the moment, but would really appreciate your support.
This is a chance in a life time for me so please dig deep and make a donation for my fund raising efforts.
Many thanks
Kieran
Visit Kieran’s Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/kieran-armour
Post by: Ingrid Koehler
