Tuesday, 15 April 2008

The hub of the village

'Since the pub and post office shut, the surveillance camera is the hub of village life.'

Cartoon by Matt in today's Telegraph.

15 Apr 2008 06:30:28

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Living library: take out a prejudice Ronni Abergel, one of the originators of the 'living library' idea, is in London next week launching a new guide at this event - Local Level is currently organising a series of public library-based Living Library events, so we were struck by the slogan 'take out a prejudice'. It will be interesting to try and find out whether this challenging approach (developed in the context of youth work, I believe) attracts people who might otherwise not be encouraged to explore experiences that are new to them, or whether they might be put off. Our Living Library events will take place as follows: Norton Canes Library, Staffordshire Sat 26 April, 1000-1200; Wed 7 May, 1000-1200 & 1330-1500, Thurs 15 May, 1700-1900. Bradford Central Library Wed 14 May, 1500-1900, Thurs 15 May, am, Sat 17 May, am. Bournemouth Library Sat 3 May, 1000-1200, Wed 7 May, 1400-1700, Mon 12 May, 1000-1300. Sevenoaks Library, Kent Tues 29 April, pm, Sat 10 May, am, Wed 14th May, am.
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Learning from the local: engagement and cohesion A quick note about yesterday's Learning from the Local conference organised by the Centre for Urban and Community Research at Goldsmiths. The main purpose was to report on a recent local project, the Newtown Neighbourhood Project (report will be linked here when I'm told it is available). This material was well contextualised with other presentations, including an update from Marj Mayo on a current JRF project on community engagement, governance and ethnic diversity - 'fluid communities, solid structures'; and a session on researching and working with gypsy-traveller groups. The Newtown Neighbourhood Project worked in a predominantly white area with a sizeable proportion of residents of gypsy/traveller origin. The partnership (a housing association, a community engagement consultant, and CUCR, with Housing Corporation funding) seems to have worked really well, so that participative research was possible and small specific actions followed from consultative exercises. The event got me thinking about the ways in which the community engagement agenda may be merging with (or coming into collision with) the community cohesion agenda. My take on it at the moment, FWIW, is that the two agendas come from different drivers but just because there are tensions between them - for example, there are practices of engagement which might seem to contribute to segregation; and at the same time, as Michael Keith pointed out in response to a question, there's a politics of cohesion which is fairly reactionary - I don't see why there should not be a natural combining process here. I'd like to live in a society where people incontestably have the right to informed participation in decision-making processes that affect them, and where at the same time people from different backgrounds get on well together. Doesn't sound too much to ask.

Kevin Harris

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