The Programme aims to address the need to generate ideas, develop skills and increase people’s capacity to take local action and work as partners with local authorities and other local agencies.

This report:

Training courses are residential and run over 2-3 days. Each event involves people from different community organisations from social housing areas across the country. The training is participatory and action focused. There are bursaries available to cover the costs of attending. Every group that attends a training course can apply for a small grant, maximum £3,000, to put their ideas into action and kick start a new community project.

Since the beginning of the Programme over 1,700 volunteers from over 1,000 different tenants’ and residents’ groups and voluntary community groups have undertaken training courses. 51 grants have been awarded to a total of £121,189. The evaluation shows that resident representatives credit the training for small practical ideas and confidence boosts that have helped the follow up action they have taken. The small grant fund has helped projects that have achieved outcomes such as an increase in community involvement by people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and linking council tenants to IT and the internet.

Tenants/residents from low income areas.

Average cost of a training place including total Programme overheads was £450; average cost of a £3,000 grant including total Programme overheads was £9,000 (including £3,000 grant award). Residential training facilities required.

ESRC Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics
Ms Helen Beck, tel. +44 20 7955 6679

01/11/1999

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Capacity building