Community Empowerment Rural Development Council Alasdair McKinlay Regeneration Division

Community Empowerment The Scottish Government and Community Empowerment Developing the Action Plan - What we heard from our Dialogue What is Community Empowerment and why does it matter? The Actions Plan Shared challenges for the future

The Scottish Government and Community Empowerment A cross Government agenda Committed to people in Scotland having more control over their own lives and more choice in how their needs are met Scottish Ministers were keen to listen to a wide range of views about how to make community empowerment a reality

Dialogue Process Spoke with 380 people from October December 2007 Good mix of participants Strong equalities dimension

Dialogue Process – What we heard Very broad mix of views – but some consensus Empowerment is not something that can be done to communities - but supporting communities is critical. Don’t invent new schemes, structures or layers of governance - build on what is there

Dialogue Process – What we heard People agreed that community empowerment involved communities taking more direct control of change in their communities. However, many people felt that simply having more and better involvement in the planning and delivery of services would be what some communities would want

Dialogue Process – What we heard Real community empowerment is about equality, with all sectors of the community being involved and having their voice heard Scepticism amongst many community activists and the third sector about whether public bodies were really interested in empowering communities

What is Community Empowerment? Joint Statement of commitment with COSLA “Community empowerment is a process where people work together to make change happen in their communities by having more power and influence over what matters to them.”

Why does Community Empowerment matter? Community Empowerment complements the role of elected members in invigorating democracy It helps to deliver better outcomes – Communities doing things for themselves is sometimes the best way to deliver change It improves quality of life - People working together unlocks talent and creativity and develops resilience and confidence

Action Plan A milestone on a journey – not an end point To be launched jointly with COSLA 23 March 2009 Promoted around the country after that

Action Plan Reinforces that the Scottish Government and local government are committed to community empowerment; Develops enthusiasm for what can be achieved by empowering communities; Celebrates existing examples to show what communities can achieve for themselves; Provides clarity on key principles and practical action which will help make community empowerment a reality; Shows that this is an agenda shared by all key partners in Scotland.

Actions Highlighting 12 examples of community empowerment; Sets out for the first time nearly £180m Community Empowerment Programme of potential investment in community groups; Investing in an integrated programme to develop skills, learning and networking in relation to community empowerment and engagement;

Action Plan Developing support to help communities own assets; Investing in improved support for community capacity building; Working with Audit Scotland to agree how to assess progress on engagement and empowerment.

Shared Challenges? Overcoming scepticism Resourcing support for community groups Developing an understanding of the benefits of empowering communities with a wide range of colleagues