Connecting practice with community power

What we do

Place-based working can help unlock communities’ ideas, assets and power, and drive change to improve people’s quality of life.

We work alongside local communities and people with lived experience to understand their views and experiences, and build on their strengths, skills and resources.

Our work helps organisations and communities gain a clearer understanding of people’s strengths and needs, forge stronger local connections and foster a culture of collaboration.

sun rising at block of flats in Peckham, London

How we do it

Our team uses strengths-based approaches, including community research, participatory budgeting and 100-day challenges.

We base our work on appreciative inquiry. This is a way of asking questions and thinking about the future that fosters positive relationships and builds on the basic goodness in a person, a situation or an organisation. It acknowledges the contribution of all individuals and increases trust and collaboration.

Our approach is tailored to each community’s needs. This could mean meeting people in cafes, libraries, parks and community spaces, and training local people in active listening to hear stories from across the community.

We use a mix of informal conversations, focus groups, interactive workshops and structured events, working alongside people to make sense of their own findings and co-design solutions.

For an informal chat about working with us, get in touch.

Related Projects

Improving the wellbeing of families of children and young people with autism in Bromley

Helping staff, carers and parents to work together through a 100 day challenge.

Community breastfeeding research in Calderdale

Helping Calderdale Council give parents and babies better breastfeeding support by understanding people’s real life experiences.

Raising awareness of women's homelessness in West Sussex

Using participatory photography and storytelling to raise the profile of the challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness.

Latest News

Celebrating 7 years of growth, collaboration and learning written as white and yellow highlighted text on a pink background

Celebrating 7 Years: milestone moments and looking forward

2024 marks 7 years of Ideas Alliance. Over that time we’ve grown from a small story sharing platform to a social consultancy on a mission to make co-production and collaboration the norm across the country. Co-founder Helen Sharp starts our celebrations by looking back at how it all started and what’s coming next.

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