Author: Steph Clarke

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Social Media in Communities

This session was led by me, Steph – so this isn’t really a live report but more post session write up.

Social Media in community focused on the the work I have been doing in my community with our community website (or for the geeky hyperlocal blog) in Wednesfield Wv11.co.uk and the way other people can build online networks to make things happen in their areas.

I blogged previously about WHY Wv11 came about so I wont write about that again and today’s session was less about the why but more about the What – what things can happen if you build a wider online community. The most common resource we have at our fingertips to make things happen is the people and existing groups in our neighbourhoods – so why not use digital tools and online technologies to bring those people and groups together to back BIGGER things happen.

Wv11 is a community that has evolved around a website and facebook page that allows the community to have it’s own voice online. It has been running for 4 years and now has just under 6000 facebook fans – but that doesn’t really represent our entire reach – each of those fans has the capacity to share out information and increasing our reach exponentially – and it has!.

Together we have been able to make some great things happen from helping to spread the news of missing children (who happily returned home), helping  a family after a house fire, Fundraising for community and charity and making amazing things happen like Fun Days.

Social Media Stories – Free Support for people that want to set themselves up…

The cost the of the tools to begin to set up an online group such as WV11 is negligible – the tools are free. The problems come in when people think they need to be a tech whizz to the use them – BUT the Wolverhampton Social Media Surgery is run by volunteers once a month on a drop in basis where anyone who is interested in setting up a simple website or online tools  for their Neighbourhood, Community Association, Neighbourhood Watch, Knitting group etc. can come along for free plain English support. 

The next years dates can all be seen on the SMS website. If you are interested in exploring setting up a hyperlocal site for your area we’d love you to come along.

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Wolverhampton International Links Association

This session is being led by Liz Millman. These are notes from the session has it’s happening.

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Liz would like to develop a group similar to the One World Cafe where international residents and visitors in Wolverhampton can come to socialise and partake in activities like open mic, and storytelling nights. This is because there is a feeling that the council doesn’t recognise all the possible international links the city has and she would like to capitalize on this.

What’s already going on in the city?

There is a shrinking of capacity in the city – the one world cafe doesn’t exist any more and other groups are closing due to lack of facilities – or engagement – so how to we bring people together locally – not just around business but around community.

There are groups in the city working to engage with international visitors – the University for example – but they are quite inward looking, not many people outside of the University community are aware of what they are doing…. 

Wolverhampton International Links Association 

Wolverhampton International Links Association  are trying to redress some of this – they are working to build a group that fills the gaps that some of the groups that have now dispersed have left – and also to bring together the remaining partners in the city do develop a more cohesive approach to building International Links.

Their tag line is: “Celebrating the range and diversity of our links around the world” and they will be focusing on Education ans School Links; Developing Link; Business Links; Family Links and Community Links. They want to put on regular events and social evening to bring people together – but understanding the needs of the different communities – respecting the language and other barriers to inclusion.

The group would also like to explore links to people from Wolverhampton who are doing some great things internationally along the same theme groups as they will be looking at here in Wolves.

Is this something you would be interested in getting involved in check out their website.  www.wilaonline.com

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Custom home build – Self build housing.

This is an overview of the presentation and discussion from the Custom Home Build session.

Rob at Make Shift

Rob is hosting this session.. He works with Axis Design Architects – but is developing an interest in Self build and custom home build projects.

We aspire to “Grand Designs” in the UK but what we usually get it a clone a house, developments that all look the same.

47% people don’t have enough space for storage or/and entertaining. There is a lack of natural light etc – and this leaves people dissatisfied and unhappy. There is a study you can read more about this here. Custom build  can combat this but what can this look like?

  • Self Build
  • Co-Housing
  • Custom Build
  • Collective Build
  • All of the above?

You can find more about this at: http://www.collectivecustombuild.org

There are different ways of funding custom build housing they include:

  • Community Right to Build
  • Custom Build Homes Fund

Rob is looking for other ways he can help support custom build projects.

What is the view of space in for homes in the UK?

Space is at a premium – there is not a enough space for modern life – home workers struggle. Future life will be a struggle as our families get grow older and they don’t have homes of their own to go to as their is no houses for our children to move out into.

Layout and use in an issue. poor layout doesn’t allow for flexible use of the spaces.

Houses should be built to LIVE in – to have quality of life not for investment!

As houses are built they are costed by square metre, when they are sold it’s by the number of bedrooms – is this a problem for design?  The box room for instance  – as one person put it “Do away with the box room altogether – it’s neither a room or a cupboard”

When we custom build all these issues are addressed as we build to OUR individual/group needs.

Group builds can also help with economy of these projects. pooling finances, resources etc and they could help build community – planning a build to bring people together, shared parking etc etc.

 

 

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Pitches – An overview of the ideas pitched for today.

Agenda

  1. Book exchange – an book crossing style event to promote reading &  libraries.
  2. Self build  – ideas for self building economically vialble houses
  3. Social Media in Communities – hyperlocal websites and building community  to make things happen.
  4. Look up Wolverhampton – a collaborative photography project to promote the uniqueness of the cities buildings
  5. Wolves in Wolves – Life size sculptures of wolves to create a trail across the city, similar to Bristol’s Gromits.
  6. Restoration of a church – Bringing a disused building back into use in Finchfield.
  7. Artists and Makers network to support the route to self employment
  8. Wolves Friends of the Earth – Living off the grid. Setting up a space in Wolverhampton to demonstrate sustainable, off the grid living.
  9. Up-cycled Furniture. Making use of scrap furniture, wood and other materials to re-purpose them into usable affordable furniture – moving into custom made furniture.
  10. SCARF – Schools and Community Arts Resources Facility – Black Country We Paint. Collecting high quality arts, crafts and recycled industry scrap, paints etc… to re-purpose for community use.
  11. Social Care and support in communities
  12. Creative conversations, networking for older people. Providing safe friendly places for older people to connect across the city.
  13. Art trail around the city. Commissioned pieces to across the city alos linking to Arts on the Move – art on all major transport hubs and on trains, buses and local taxis.
  14. What should be free? – What resources should be free and why? Food? Water?  – how do we make that happen.
  15. SWEDA – creating new social enterprises and community projects.
  16. Celebrating international links. Building understanding through international links.
  17. Crowd-sourcing activities for local community centre.
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What’s happened since 2012

Organic Garden Produce
Since last years make shift a few of the pitched ideas were taken forward. The biggest is probably the Organic Garden developed in Wednesfield by Our Own Future and with fantastic support from the council and the wider community.

There are more photos of the opening on the WV11 website and Facebook page

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Schedule for today

We’re all here and getting ready for today – people are registering and are raring to go. If you’re thinking of dropping by  at any point here’s the running order for today:

10-10:30. Registration
10:30-10:40. Official Opening
10:40-11:35. Introduction to the day, idea pitching and agenda setting.
11:35-12:35. Session 1

 

12:35-13:25. Lunch

13:35-14:35. Session 2
14:40- 15:40. Session 3
15:40 – 16:00. Tea and Plenary Session

We’ll post a photo of the agenda once it’s decided.