This document provides information about a program called "Our Place" that is being implemented in Highfield's Estate in Halesowen. The program aims to strengthen community leadership and governance so that local people can have more influence over local public services. It is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and run in partnership with Locality and the Local Government Association. For Highfield's Estate, priorities identified through community engagement include improving the environment and housing, boosting community cohesion and providing a community space, activities for young people, and skills/employment opportunities. A logic model outlines initial activities like installing window boxes, starting a football team for Yemeni youth, publishing newsletters, addressing shopping trolley issues, consulting with

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Our Place – Highfield’s Estate
Welcome
Development Event
Wednesday 21st
January 2015

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Our Place – General Information
• National Programme - funded by DCLG
• Run by Locality in association with the
LGA
• Few others involved i.e. New Economy
Community Development Foundation

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Our Place – Context
• Services not joined up at local level
• Services often impersonal complex
confusing many providers
• Services – reactive focusing on todays
problems with little emphasis on
preventing those of tomorrow

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Our Place – National Goal
• To build on know how, capacity, confidence and
capability within a neighbourhood strengthens
leadership and governance and create
opportunity for local people to have greater
influence and power over how local public
monies are spent
• Development of a sustainable model / approach
for communities to influence and design local
public services

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Our Place – Pioneers
• Programme pilot in 12 areas across UK
• Some areas were led by parish councils
others local authorities and some by 3rd
sector organisations

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Our Place – Highfield’s Estate Halesowen
• CfED made application in January 2014
• Highfield’s chosen because of challenges
and connections
• Several pieces of community engagement
activities undertaken on estate between
2010 and 2013. i.e. community organisers
and mapping exercise

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Our Place – What have we done so far?
• Between April & July 2014 a Getting Ready
Grant of £3k was used to:
- Undertake almost 200 listening
- Host an Appreciating Inquiry event attended
by mainly local people
- Several meetings with partners and
communities
- Use of census 12 data
• Prepared & submit Develop Strategy

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Our Place – Development Strategy
• Over arching aim:
- To improve
community
cohesion, health &
well-being and
education of young
people

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Our Place – Development Strategy
• Ambitions:
- Empowering communities to be engaged &
involved in decision making
- Enabling communities to be engaged in
activities that improve skills, self-esteem &
Health & Well-being
- Bringing people together to create a
community that address needs of young
people, transform environment, housing
conditions & break down barriers

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Our Place – Highfield’s Estate Priorities
• Environment & housing
• Community cohesion & community space
• Young people
• Skills & employment

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Our Place – Logic Model

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Our Place: Highfield’s Estates Project
Activities
• Window boxes
• Yemeni young people football team
• Newsletters
• Shopping trolley
• Environment
• Consultation with young people

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