ESRC Research Cluster Taking part? Exploring resilience in civil society and third sector organisations ESRI seminar 26 th October 2011 ESRC Research Cluster Carol Packham (Community Audit and Evaluation Centre MMU) Marjorie Mayo (University of Goldsmiths) Zoraida Mendiwelso-Bendek (University of Lincoln)

ESRC Research Cluster The Taking part? Research Cluster Zoraida Mendiwelso-Bendek  The Taking Part? research cluster is building upon the research expertise of the universities and the national Take Part Network’s track record promoting Take Part’s approach bringing together local, regional and national third sector organisations and higher education institutions, concerned with strengthening civil society promoting active citizenship, equalities and community empowerment

ESRC Research Cluster The Taking part? Research Cluster The CBC:- The cluster is supporting: - Postgraduate students Case Students - Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associates - Placements - Smaller-scale research activities (vouchers)

ESRC Research Cluster Research Focus There is a risk that Third Sector organisations could end up reproducing the producer-dominated structures that they set out to challenge. The Cluster with Take Part partners, based in Take Part’s approach (participatory approaches to learning & research) is working in these research questions: -How Third Sector organisations can tackle existing inequalities more effectively rather than reproducing them? -How can they promote increasing social solidarity rather than increasing competition? -How can infrastructure organisations best support smaller Third Sector organisations,? -How can the long-term impacts upon individual volunteers and Third Sector organisations and groups be tracked more effectively?

Voice Active Citizen TAKE PART Take Part Research Change Volunteers Community Leaders Critical and engaged citizens Participating (democratic) citizens as individual citizens As collective individuals Social Action In people: personal development In community organizations: focus and skills In agencies: ‘learning to involve’ In policy-makers: understanding what works Community Development

Social Justice Equality & Diversity CIVIL SOCIETY Civil Society Social Networks raising awareness understanding how power works human rights collective rights and power to act Social Action Cooperative realising value of collective action strengthening collective action working with other organisations working across sectors individual participation social participation Public participation civic participation from volunteers to activists awareness of rights and principles ability to challenge discrimination understanding tensions and changes understanding official processes breaking isolation finding common causes connecting groups and networks social capital

ESRC Research Cluster Third Sector/ University Partnerships Sharing Learning from Community - University Partnership will contribute: Learning to take part in civil society as active citizens Strengthening Civil Society independent role

ESRC Research Cluster Interim findings in relation to ‘resilience’ Carol Packham The stage of the research programme, emerging themes “Community resilience is.. the existence, development and engagement of community resources to thrive in a dynamic environment characterised by change, uncertainty, unpredictability and surprise. Resilient communities intentionally develop personal and collective capacity to respond to and influence change, to sustain and renew the community and to develop new trajectories for the community’s future.” Community Resilience literature and practice Review Magis 2007 Quoted in “Exploring community resilience in times of rapid change” Carnegie UK August 2011

Emerging themes in relation to Resilience 1)Organisational strategies to enable sustainability and survival 2) Challenges to resilience 3) Emerging forms of resilience ESRC Research Cluster

Organisational strategies for resilience (1) Examples of organisational strategies: KTP experience from Lincoln GMCVO ‘Was it Worth it?, Manchester BASSAC, hosting relationships, Goldsmiths

ESRC Research Cluster Organisational strategies for resilience (2) KTP Lincoln Using flexible programmes to analyse and increase their organisational capacity to produces active citizenship programmes. Reinforcing participative approaches to demonstrate the impact of their activities and resist the current risks Mutual learning exploring cooperative practices

ESRC Research Cluster Organisational strategies for resilience (3) GMCVO ‘Was it Worth it?, Manchester - Funded 60 small groups (170 applied) GMCVO, How to evidence and enable - Groups needs - capacity - organisational ability - information - network - infrastructure support

ESRC Research Cluster Organisational strategies for resilience (4) BASSAC, hosting relationships, Goldsmiths Using research to examine – and most importantly to provide convincing evidence to demonstrate the value of umbrella type organisational inputs – mutual support developing in response to current challenges

ESRC Research Cluster Challenges to resilience ( 1) Praxis: addressing challenges relating to social solidarity and community cohesion: how to provide the evidence for Third Sector organisations themselves (as well as funders) to show that community-based strategies can – and do – ‘make a difference’

ESRC Research Cluster Challenges to resilience (2) Marj Mayo Both funders and third sector organisations themselves need to know if they are being effective (especially in context of current resource constraints) But national evaluation indicators aren’t necessarily appropriate AND may require disproportionate resource inputs Hence the importance of developing and road testing more appropriate indicators

ESRC Research Cluster Challenges to resilience (3) (MRSN - Manchester Refugee Support Network) Green Nyoni - funding/ Sustainability - running organisation without funding-abandoning norms and values, joint bidding; stable RCOs; stable volunteers; - organisational structure – horizontal or vertical

g Challenges to resilience (cont’d 3) Manchester Refugee Support Network - nature of representation - competitive power over or democratic representation power with (McNiff 2000; Butcher et al 2007) - challenges facing members e.g. destitution, lack of active participation

ESRC Research Cluster Responses and new forms of resilience Hannah Berry Working with women refugees and asylum seekers: Arise and Shine project Group discussions on problems and issues leading on to self-advocacy through drama and telling stories in schools. Importance of: supportive environment; being listened to and valued by strangers (after systematic disbelief encountered the immigration system); feeling you are changing something (attitudes and practices, hopefully also policies); continuity of group; us as allies being able to give time and help outside of the project e.g. supporting members’ anti-deportation campaigns.

ESRC Research Cluster Responses and new forms of resilience Eve Davidson - Online survey of NW community groups responses, over 70% income of less than £10,000 pa - 42% said likely to fold within next 3 years. ‘all this local work needs to be pulled together nationally and given the credit and funding from Central Government to ensure it can continue and expand’ ‘We are very ambitious, innovative, focused and committed, we are strategic, we see a lot of opportunity in our town. We feel we have found an independent, alternative solution, which does not rely on public subsidy. It is frustrating that we haven't yet succeeded in convincing the local authorities’.

ESRC Research Cluster Issues : HEI research with partners Uncertain position of partners re funding/ staff/resources etc True research/TSO partnerships Requirement for more evidenced based practice Expectations of more ‘professional’ delivery Their responses/strategies So how can Third Sector/ University partnerships contribute for the future?