What do we mean by co-production Expand To tackle health inequalities we must share power more equally between those who provide services and people with a lived experience of the challenges facing us in the community. Co-production and community empowerment values technical expertise and cultural understanding, where everyone's skills and personal resources are respected and put to use. We go beyond asking for ideas, experience and opinions; co-production requires collective actions that are inclusive and reciprocal from start to finish. We work with experts by experience, and professionals to influence, participate, and lead services. From co-designing solutions that reflect the needs in the community, to supporting co-implementation and co-governance of activities, and sharing the responsibility of evaluating the impact of our work. We encourage the organisations and institutions we support and partner with to embed co-production values and practices in their work. Ref: SCIE, July 2022 Co-production: what it is and how to do it | SCIE 'Co-production is not just a word, it is not just a concept, it is a meeting of minds coming together to find shared solutions.’(SCIE, July 2022)
Capacity building in our Voluntary and Community Sector Expand We support the VCS with capacity building through training sessions and opportunities to strengthen skills and expertise for VCS organisations. We are developing a training programme for grassroots community groups (training options include: Mental Health First Aid, Safeguarding training, photography workshops and much more…). If you are a grassroots VCS group and you would like to learn more speak to Beth: [email protected] If you are a resident and would like to get involved speak to Debra Ayipeh: [email protected]
Healthy Neighbourhoods programme and co-production in action Expand Click here to read about our Haringey Women’s Healthy Neighbourhoods Soirée Our team chatted to Rudi Page about co-production in action. Watch again here to learn more:
Meet the grassroots community groups involved Expand Making Connections Work Ltd. Rudi Page, CEO, Making Connections Work, policy implementation specialists focused on 5 core areas: business support local economic development community services healthcare delivery systems diaspora affairs Rudi led and modelled the widely acclaimed NLTEC / BLLN Synergy Project (Haringey, Barnet, Endfield), which has been replicated at many local and national institutions.Over the past 40 years, he has worked in the private, public, and voluntary sectors within Haringey. Rudi champions co-production values and a ‘cluster’ model of community partnerships. HoPEC: House of Polish and European Community House of Polish & European community (HoPEC) provides a warm welcome to people from Poland and other European countries. HoPEC provide support in various languages, namely Polish, French & English. With advance booking, interpreters can be arranged for other languages. They offer a range of services, including: advice - 1:1 confidential advice on a range of issues including employment, education, family support, housing, finance and healthcare immigration - they are OISC registered which means they are qualified to give immigration advice and help with applications such as the ‘EU settlement scheme’ other general enquiries - such as help with reading a letter, form filling and registering with services sworn translation services – for Polish / English signposting – to local services, activities & classes - if they can’t help you, they will direct you to an organisation who can! Community Cook Up Community Cook Up is a Community Action Group, which meets weekly for the past 7 years, at the Centre of the Northumberland Park Estate, in North Tottenham. We bring local people together to find their collective voice, to cook up food and ideas, and support each other. Community Cook Up is by residents of Northumberland Park, for residents of Northumberland Park. We need co-design and co-production to ensure that what we provide is relevant and accessible. We want the Council and ICB to co-design and co-produce with us, in a meaningful and respectful partnership which is both trauma informed and aware of structural oppression, power dynamics and privilege, working with the community on its terms and in its spaces. You vs You CIC You vs You is a positive approach to support the development of all young people. We want to support people to have bright futures, enjoy fulfilling lives and realise their potential through positive relationships and exciting opportunities. By doing this we ensure that our future generation is equipped to create the economic and social changes needed for community development. We can create communities that enable young people to thrive and flourish to be hopeful, focused and successful. For You vs You, co-production means involving our beneficiaries in developing, shaping and helping to implement changes that are needed in our community and taking roles in delivering projects. Dalmar Heritage and Family Development I am a Somali woman who came to the UK during the long civil war in Somalia. I was still a teenager and doing work experience for a local newspaper (called Dalmar) in Mogadishu, dreaming of being a journalist. Without realising it I was absorbing the oral traditions of my country. My future vanished and I had to adjust to an uncertain world where I was a refugee. In 2008 I was a parent volunteer at a local primary school. I saw that children did not speak Somali and had no contact with their culture or heritage. I began to tell them stories and to network with other mothers. From this our organisation, Dalmar Heritage and Family Development was born. Dalmar means 'traveller' in Somali. We are travellers, we brought nothing with us except the knowledge and memories in our heads, and the networks that we still maintain with each other across the world. This I believe is of great value. Dalmar Heritage and Family Development activities: storytelling projects solutions to social problems practical training with themes of Somali culture Books and publications in English and Somali supplementary school for children and to work on the problems of Somali women living in London regular healthy activity programmes including mental health awareness to help mend the health inequalities in Black and minority ethnic communities. Sewn Together We are a voluntary, community composes of local organisations, groups and individuals working together to promote and facilitate the educational, employment, training civic and cultural needs of the target group through information, guidance, and timely advice with a focus on crafting, health & wellbeing, media, digital, creative arts, green & environmental sustainability. We support adults, mainly women living in low-income households, many from BAME communities who are long term unemployed, economically inactive and some have a diagnosed physical or mental health condition. We provide accessible pathways to skills transfer and training, which could lead into further education, employment, or start-up enterprises. Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) TCCA provides culturally, linguistically, and religiously sensitive services to Turkish Cypriot and Turkish people residing in the UK. As an organisation it bridges gaps in inequality and poverty, via the development of needs led projects. Some of TCCAs project include: health screening events, building healthy workplaces, and support for people with long term health conditions.
Toolkit and Quick Guide: How to empower local people and support co-production Expand Together with our grassroots community groups, we have developed a Toolkit and Quick Guide: 'How to empower local people and support co-production'. This guide aims to improve and increase involvement of Voluntary and Community Sector grassroots groups and residents in health and wellbeing activities. Click here to read digitally or request a hard copy here