The Change Champion (CC) programme is delivered as part of the Releasing Community Capacity Programme. The CC course was originally conceived as an intensive skills development programme for key people who were currently working in community development. It was anticipated that these participants would be active in the communities and have extensive skills in community activity and that this course would offer them the opportunity to update their skills at the same time as giving them protected time to plan and develop new initiatives.
The CC course is delivered as three days over three months and participants are encouraged to attend:
- In small groups if possible
- To commit to all three days.
Only those completing the three days become Change Champions and there is a standby list of people wanting to do ‘odd’ days to complete their three day commitment. The content of the year one Change Champion course includes:
- The RCC programme
- Understand the Need
- Measuring and proving results
- Engaging Communities and Stakeholders
- Funding approaches (delivered by VANEL)
- Social Marketing
- Spread
- Sustainability
- Planning
There is significant time allowed as team time where the teams plan what they are going to do to embed their learning in that month. Subsequent days pick up from plans that the teams make the month before.
Changes to the content of the course are planned foryear two. We have recently introduced a session on social return on investment.
Lynne Smith, who was only 2 weeks into post when she joined the Change Champion Course, had a focus on developing time banking in NE Lincolnshire. Using what she learned on the first session Lynne was able to conduct a survey and gain insight into demands for time banking. She used this information to hold a community time banking event in Scartho. 40 people turned up to the event and 37 of them signed up to time banking. Lynne has since found a community base where she time banks with the vicar in return for a room she does some cleaning and hovering for the church.
The time banking programme has gone from strength to strength and Lynne is supporting other local community groups to access funding from the H&WB funds. Lynne has said she benefitted hugely from being on the Change Champion course.
‘Hi Kevin, Many thanks to you and Linda for such a fantastic course. I enjoyed every minute of it and it has been immeasurably useful’ – Lynne Smith
Lynne has applied for funding to provide a recorded books service in the community and is supporting another group with an application Group two originated from the older people’s collaborative who are currently working with 16 social clubs across NE Lincolnshire. The groups joined the Change Champion programme to further spread and develop activities for older people by introducing a team of community residents trained to a high level in Tai Chi so they could open up additional Tai Chi sessions across the patch.
The group worked through the process and identified an accredited course, some volunteers, materials and venues and is awaiting funding to begin the training. The Tai Chi will be sustainable as there will be an agreement in place that trainers will provide free training sessions in the community.