Big Local and civic participation
This report examines Big Local partnership members who go onto other civic roles, and how taking part in Big Local influenced them to do so.
Big Local funding was purposefully allocated to areas that lacked civic infrastructure – community organisations or spaces – and has given many people an opportunity to start their civic participation journey.
Local Trust had been hearing more and more that Big Local partnership members had moved on to take up other civic roles in their community. We were interested in their journeys and how important being involved in the Big Local programme had been in motivating them and providing the skills needed to take on other roles.
When we talk about civic roles we mean different roles in the community like volunteering, becoming a trustee of a voluntary or community group, becoming a local councillor or school governor, joining a residents’ association, or setting up a new voluntary or community group or charitable organisation. We asked partnership members who have taken on these roles about their experiences in a series of interviews. Our report explores the findings from this.
