Ideas Hub

Great ideas and inspiring stories about communities, collaboration and co-production.

Highlights on the Hub

Read about the people who are getting on and making things happen.

by Immy Robinson

Understanding the 9 million active neighbours of lockdown

The coronavirus crisis saw a huge movement of community activity and support. Immy Robinson, co-lead of the Relationships Project, shares their research about what made people come together. How we can support the different types of active neighbour with an ecology that enables community activity to thrive?

Citizen-led Action, Community Based, Community Development, Community Engagement, Coronavirus Crisis, Covid Considerations, Guest Blog, Research, Social Action, Social Movement
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by Rachel Berry

Making Scotland “the best place in the world to grow up” through cross-sector collaboration

We look at Soil Association’s Food for Life Scotland programme and Scottish Book Trust’s BookBug programme, two examples of how Scottish Government, local government and the third sector are working together to deliver positive outcomes for children in Scotland.

Charity, Children and Young People, Collaboration, Education, Family, Food, Health
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by Ben Andrews

Beyond Empower: supporting healthy, active lives for disabled people by transforming mainstream spaces and services

In this guest blog, Beyond Empower founder Ben Andrews tells us about their work to transform mainstream spaces, communities and leisure services so that they're accessible to people with disabilities. By thinking differently about the barriers, Beyond Empower help providers, councils and businesses create services that everyone in the community can access and enjoy.

Asset Based, Co-design, Commissioning, Community Based, Community Development, Disability, Guest Blog, Health, Inequalities, Integrated Services, Social Enterprise, Systems Change, Wellbeing
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by Lauren Wallace-Thompson

I’m With Sam: Tackling learning disability hate crime with Dimensions

Learning disability hate crime is a problem that is under-reported but can have a huge impact on victims. Dimensions' #ImWithSam campaign is led by an expert with lived experience and takes a multi-pronged approach to the problem. They support victims, raise awareness, train police forces, work with the CPS and influence policy to improve reporting, convictions and ensure victims are taken seriously.

Autism, Charity, Co-design, Co-production, Disability, Health, Inequalities, Learning Disabilities, Lived Experience, Social Action, Systems Change
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by Lauren Wallace-Thompson

Clarissa: Virtual film tour and Q&A sessions to improve the health of people affected by homelessness

Come and join the virtual tour of Clarissa: a film created to improve the health of people affected by homelessness, through better understanding of their experiences. Clarissa is a fiction film, but the storyline has been woven together from real experiences of people trying to access the healthcare system while facing homelessness in the UK.

Arts, Health, Homelessness, Lived Experience, Storytelling, Video
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by Lauren Wallace-Thompson

‘Bringing local leaders together to make a difference’: Applications open now for Regional Leadership for Personalised Care Programmes

We're sharing this call on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement for this fantastic Leadership for Personalised Care programme. It's an inspiring and engaging development opportunity open to teams and individuals from the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector.

Health, Leadership
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by Lauren Wallace-Thompson

Doing digital arts differently: St. Helens Libraries and Ideas Alliance’s action research

Find out more about this "learning by doing" project, where the team worked collaboratively with artists, makers, library staff, residents and more to innovate and test ways to help digital arts thrive in St. Helens.

Arts, Children and Young People, Co-design, Community Based, Community Development, Community Engagement, Digital, Education, Research, Technology
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by Rachel Berry

Community building with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK

Read about how the idea of a handwritten "letter fae a local" has sparked a huge community endeavour to welcome and embrace asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow. In the face of attacks on the rights of asylum seekers, these community-led organisations are trying to support new arrivals and connect them with their neighbours.

Charity, Citizen-led Action, Community Based, Community Development
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by Eleanor September

Unusual experiences?: Tackling the issue of closed cultures through storytelling

Mother and carer Eleanor September shares the experiences that led her to participate in Ideas Alliance's recent project on Closed Cultures. Read about the uphill struggle she has faced to access person-centred care since her daughter was born at 24 weeks almost 28 years ago.

Disability, Guest Blog, Health, Lived Experience, Uncategorised
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by Lourdes Colclough

A year on: Are everyday people our new invisible trauma and loss workers?

Trainer Lourdes Colclough highlights an extraordinary new role being carried out by members of the community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: informal trauma and grief counselling. She tells us about the training being offered to those stepping up to fill gaps in formal mental health support.

Community Based, Coronavirus Crisis, Covid Considerations, Guest Blog, Mental Health
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by Lauren Wallace-Thompson

Hidden & Hunted: Ending Women’s Homelessness Exhibition at the Brighton Fringe

As part of the Ending Women's Homelessness campaign, women experiencing homelessness were given disposable cameras and worked with a local photographer to document their experiences. The result is an emotional and eye-opening photography exhibition currently hosted at the Brighton Fringe Festival.

Arts, Homelessness, Women
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by Kath Smythe

Secret Musings of a Change Agent

Experienced change consultant and coach Kath Smythe tells us all about her new blog series where she talks to "some fabulous ordinary people who are really great at making change happen” to try and discover what it is that underpins their skill. It's a must read!

Asset Based, Community Based, Guest Blog, Systems Change
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by Anna Eaton

Breathe Arts Health Research: NHS Staff Wellbeing Programme: Collective Power Award

This week we're learning about and celebrating a co-designed and co-produced programme that uses creativity, underpinned by science, to improve the health and wellbeing of 18,000 health and care staff in London.

Arts, Collaboration, Collective Power, Health, Music, Wellbeing
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“The Hub acts as a glue bringing together people and organisations who are doing so much to positively disrupt their local systems.”

Burcu Borysik, Mayday Trust