Community engagement and empowerment is now as never before at the top of the national agenda. The ‘Big Society’ has community empowerment at its core; and before genuine community empowerment can take place, there is the need for successful engagement.
Kaizen are experts in community engagement and empowerment and as well as delivering our own programmes, we train managers across the sector and provide consultancy on engagement.
We are currently working with the Changing Places Programme from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, and were invited to sit on the board (as the only consultants) specifically for our expertise on community engagement.
We deliver a wide range of projects and support in the engagement and empowerment area, including the following:
- Design and delivery of multi-agency community engagement and empowerment projects
- Training on strategic engagement
- Skills training for frontline staff
- Being the honest broker
- Coaching and individual support
- Organisational consultancy around engagement and training design
- Strategic consultancy on community cohesion
Examples of engagement and empowerment projects include:
- Design and delivery of community leadership programmes for the Tutu Foundation;
- Two 1-year Community Leadership programmes with the London Borough of Camden across five estates to increase resident engagement and improve partnership working between residents and professionals;
- A community engagement and capacity building project for South Kilburn NDC;
- A large 1-year multi-disciplinary partnership programme with the London Borough of Brent Regeneration department;
- Engagement strategy and skills training for managers and frontline staff across the community sector;
- Community consultation and research project on environmental volunteering across the 5 Olympic Boroughs, for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games;
- Support on community engagement for the Changing Places Programme Board of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games;
- Community engagement for the Adult Learning Partnership in Camden;
- Youth engagement approach and skills training for Merseyside Fire and Rescue;
- Design of strategic engagement process for youth programmes for The Salvation Army;
- Delivery of seminar on community engagement at the Chain Reaction conference for Community Links;
- Consultancy on community engagement for the Audit Commission;
- Expert contribution on community engagement for LEAD International European leadership programme;
- A community based staff recruitment and leadership process for Nando’s Chickenland Ltd
“The training builds wisdom in community engagement”
Leroy Logan, Community Engagement Manager,
Olympic Security Directorate, Metropolitan Police
“To get 40 or 50 people to turn up on a weekend to discuss their estate is near impossible and they managed it every time. So the methodology, although different, really works.”
Dave Francis, Community Engagement Lead,
London Borough of Camden Community Safety Partnership
More information:
KZ Sustainable Communities
Locog Changing Places
KZ Engagement models
Case Studies
- Kaizen contracted to deliver a 2-week study tour on community led development for project managers from Nigeria
