What does empowerment in green spaces look like?
Some of the possibilities and potential!
- Regular ‘Friends of’ meetings
- Regular coordination/co-management/partnership meetings.
- Management Plan, complemented with other smaller area Management Plans for various facilities/areas/activities/services at the site (and helping to, or writing, these)
- A range of user groups and good co-operation etc.
- Running the Noticeboards ourselves
- Walkabouts with maintenance staff
- Meetings with contractors when on site
- Full consultation at the earliest stage
- Running projects ourselves
- Running or part-running various parts of the site
- Free access to, or running of, key buildings etc
- Storage space
- Memorandum of Understanding / Service Level Agreements with owner
- Vision for the future (plus helping to create it)
- Ability to take initiatives, or get quick ‘sign off’ as needed
- Free use of site for Friends-related community events/activities
- Good communications with relevant workers and officers
- Good communications with relevant stakeholders
- Resisting/seeing off inappropriate proposals/threats
- … and add more examples yourself! ……
Some key success factors which help
- The presence of a small number of key individuals with the vision, commitment and stamina to contribute to long term development and improvement.
- A welcoming approach which can attract a very broad range of local residents to become involved in a variety of roles
- A sympathetic local authority / parks management that views the Friends and other user groups as critical partners and is prepared/able to invest time in partnership-working.
- building up a track record of securing funding and then delivering projects successfully
- Strong values-driven approach: inclusive, welcoming, non-judgemental, secure, encouraging of involvement and sending out a message that the site is a resource for everyone
- Strong and inclusive ‘leadership’ asserting the above values and showing by example
- Consistency of approach with people able to rely on the involvement of key individuals and regular meetings always taking place as scheduled
- Being open and transparent in the approach taken with written documents and news being made widely available
- Having a physical focal point on the site
- Focusing on the positive and building on successes
- Having a long-term vision for the site and its various facilities/areas which those involved can buy into and work towards
- The encouragement, development and support of a range of autonomous and semi-autonomous user groups taking up specific issues or interests, with regular good communications and coordination among these
- Do It Yourself culture
- … add your own! …..