Have you recently got involved in making a difference in your community?

Illustrations from our workshops

Online workshops, March & April 2021

We’ve been running workshops with local people to hear your stories and talk about how more people can come together to make local places better.

Lots of the people who have participated in our workshops so far have been doing all sorts of great things in their community for some time. Now, we’re particularly interested in hearing from more people who have only got involved quite recently, and who have a story about this to share.

Could you help us find someone, perhaps from the organisation or group you’re part of, who might also like to join in a pair of workshops? We’re looking for people who have only recently become involved in their community, who were perhaps not confident to begin with, or who didn’t know how much they had to offer until taking that first step.

These workshops for Kirklees citizens are an opportunity to meet with other local people to look to the future. It’s a bit of an experiment for us. But what we know for sure is that now, more than ever, we want to work with and alongside each other in our local places.

How to take part

Participants will take part in two workshop discussions. You can register now for the first session:

Monday 29th March, from 2pm to 4pm

The workshops will be online via Zoom video call. They will involve a mixture of activities and small group discussions. It’s a safe environment and everyone will have a chance to talk.

You’re welcome to join in if this sounds like the right thing for you, Or if you can think of anyone who might be interested, please share this link with them:

Register to take part

 

The workshops will be run by the Kirklees Democracy team. We’re working with an organisation called the New Citizenship Project, who are supporting this work.

 

How can more people come together to make local places better?

Illustrations from our workshops

Online workshops, February 2021

We know that mutual aid groups and community organisations have made a huge difference in our local places over the past year. So we hope you’ll want to be part of these workshops about how we can help more people feel confident in their ability to make our local places even better.

These workshops for Kirklees citizens are an opportunity to meet with other local people to look to the future. It’s a bit of an experiment for us. But what we know for sure is that now, more than ever, we want to work with and alongside each other in our local places.

Please come and share your experiences, listen to other people’s stories and make new connections. 

You will take part in two workshop discussions. You can register now for one of these first sessions:

  • Tuesday 16th February, from 2pm to 4pm
  • Thursday 18th February, from 10am to 12 noon
  • Saturday 20th February, from 10am to 12 noon
  • Wednesday 24th February, from 5pm to 7pm
  • Friday 26th February, from 10am to 12 noon

We’ll arrange the second session with you later, at a time that’s suitable for you.

The workshops will be online via Zoom video call. They will involve a mixture of activities and small group discussions. It’s a safe environment and everyone will have a chance to talk. We hope you’ll want to join in. 

Register to take part

The workshops will be run by the Kirklees Democracy team and an organisation called the New Citizenship Project, who are supporting this work.

If you’re part of mutual aid, you’re part of local democracy

Online event – Thursday 22nd October, 6pm to 7.30pm

Have you been involved in a mutual aid group or community organisation in your neighbourhood during covid-19? By being an active citizen in your local place you are part of your local democracy. You are making decisions about what happens in your neighbourhood and working with others to make it happen. This October we’re talking with active citizens about whether you feel part of local democracy now, and listening to your ideas about what would help you and others to stay involved in civic life.

You are every welcome to join in our online discussion workshop to share your experiences and ideas with other mutual aid participants and members of Kirklees Council’s Democracy Service.

Register to take part in our online discussion

 


Local Democracy Week 2020

This is part of a series of online events and covid-safe activities to celebrate Local Democracy Week 2020 in our local places. See our full programme to find out what else is on…

More local democracy events and activities in Kirklees

 

Growing Great Places – free workshops in July 2020

Growing Great Places montage

The community response in Kirklees to the Coronavirus has been incredible, with so many mutual aid and volunteer groups providing support to thousands of people across neighbourhoods and communities.

Through our Growing Great Places crowdfunding programme, Kirklees Council are offering support to local groups groups who have ideas for projects that can make our local places even better. If you and others in your neighbourhood have developed ideas over the past few months which you want to turn into a new project, this programme could well be the opportunity you’re looking for.

Pledges of up to £5,000 are available for successful crowdfunding campaigns.

Growing Great Places is run by Kirklees Council’s Democracy Service and our partners Spacehive. Spacehive are a crowdfunding platform working with local organisations on projects seeking to make neighbourhoods more sustainable, inclusive or accessible.

Take part in a free online workshop

If your volunteer group have an idea for a project in your local place, such as a community garden, pop-up market or cycle hub, Spacehive are hosting two free online project creator workshops where you can learn more.

For more details on how Growing Great Place works and how we can help you bring your projects to life, please register for your free place:

Wednesday 15th July – 12 noon

Wednesday 23rd July – 4pm

 

Find out more about Growing Great Places

Growing Great Places – community crowdfunding

Growing Great Places – Spacehive

 

Growing Great Places – community crowdfunding

Growing Great Places crowdfunding

We know that local places really matter to our citizens. People make places great.

Lots of new ideas for how we can support each other and stay connected have come from our towns, villages and neighbourhoods during Covid-19. Growing Great Places crowdfunding could be a way for you to get a great idea off the ground in your local place.

The programme is run by the Democracy service at Kirklees Council. We want everyone to be able to have a real stake in the places where we live, work or visit. By running a crowdfunding campaign with Growing Great Places, you’ll have the opportunity to involve backers in your project, spread the word, and connect with others who care about your local place.

How much can you crowdfund for?

You choose your own crowdfunding target. Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are here to support you and make sure that your campaign has the best chance of succeeding. We offer lots of advice and support. If local people back your idea, groups could also receive a pledge of up to £5k of funding from Kirklees Council (and up to 2.5k for citizens).

Who can crowdfund?

Local organisations, informal groups and citizens can start a crowdfunding campaign. If you’re part of a mutual aid group without your own bank account, you may be able to work with a community organisation to run a crowdfunding campaign for your project.

What can be crowdfunded

Growing Great Places is for projects that bring people together to get involved in making our local places even better, through your local energy, skills, assets and creativity.

Kirklees Democracy

Find out more

We’re keen to hear from anyone who might like to start crowdfunding soon, so we can learn how to support you best. Please email: GrowingGreatPlaces@kirklees.gov.uk

Growing Great Places website

Blogs about Growing Great Places


hashtag lets pull together

Extra help for local campaigns

Both Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are doing more to support groups who are crowdfunding at this time. Spacehive have waived their standard 5% fee until 20th June 2020 for projects who are raising funds during lockdown and are offering an extension of up to two months to give people more breathing space. Kirklees Council are being more flexible about the percentage of project costs that we can pledge to fund.

Spacehive have also relaxed their criteria so that organisations can crowdfund for running costs (so even if your project isn’t right for Growing Great Places, you could still run a campaign). You can find out more on the Spacehive website about how mutual aid groups and community organisations across the country are crowdfunding to support others during Covid-19.

Spacehive – Helping your community cope with COVID-19