What is the empowerment project map?

The empowerment activity map is an interactive, publicly accessible online map which allows the user to search for community empowerment activity/projects in the East of England. The organisations and projects listed have all been added by the organisations themselves to share their experiences and knowledge, allowing others to see what activity is taking place in their region.

The map allows community members to see what activities are taking place in their locality, hopefully encouraging people to get involved!

The empowerment activity map is managed by Inspire East (supported by EEDA) who is the accountable body for the newly established East of England Regional Empowerment Partnership.

Who are Inspire East, EEDA and REP?

Inspire East is the Regional Centre of Excellence for sustainable communities in the East of England, supported by EEDA. Their aim is to deliver the knowledge, skills and advice that will inspire the region’s organisations to use and apply best practice. Inspire East are the accountable body for the REP and have been tasked by the partnership to complete the development of this interactive map.

EEDA stands for the East of England Development Agency, for more information visit http://www.eeda.org.uk/

REP is the East of England Regional Empowerment Partnership (REP). The REP was set up to look at empowerment activity within the East of England. REP is made up of various individuals from organisations across the region.  During the last year the partnership has undertaken research on what empowerment activity is happening in the region and has delivered some events to explore and celebrate empowerment. The partnership is now developing an online empowerment activity map with funding from Improvement East who are the Regional Improvement Efficiency Partnership (RIEP) for the East of England.

How does Inspire East define Community Empowerment?

Community empowerment means different things to different people. The research developed the following definition to enable the study to include empowerment work taking place in all sectors, whilst keeping true to the required past research focus;

Community empowerment is the giving of confidence, skills and power to enable communities to shape and influence their own development.
Our work is specifically interested in those community empowerment activities that directly or indirectly support individuals to engage with public bodies and enable them to have a greater say in how their services are delivered.

Is what I do community empowerment?

Even if your work is not specifically referred to as ‘community empowerment’ it may be just the kind of activity the empowerment activity map aims to demonstrate. Lots of terms are used to describe the sort of work that may empower communities. If you undertake work that can be described as any of the following, then it is likely we would be interested to hear from you:

• Community Capacity Building
• Community Cohesion
• Community Development
• Community Engagement
• Community Inclusion
• Community Involvement
• Community Participation
• Community Support

If the intended outcome, or indeed the indirect outcome, of your work is that people are having a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives we would be interested to hear from you! Anything from a residents association that meets once a month to discuss their local issues and how to tackle them, to arts and crafts sessions that encourage young people to engage in their local community, to members of the public being supported to sit on their Local Strategic Partnerships. If you believe that your project is supporting people to become more involved and empowered then please consider submitting it.

How do I add my project to the empowerment map?

To add your project you need to click on this link http://www.inspire-east.org.uk/map.aspx which will take you to the empowerment activity survey. Once you have completed this survey and submitted it to the project co-ordinator the information will be checked and uploaded to the map.

What sort of information will I be asked for?

The questionnaire comprises 17 short questions.

You will initially be asked about your organisation as a whole – where you are based and what type of organisation it is.

You will then be given the opportunity to enter information on specific empowerment projects. This information will include a range of quantitative and qualitative questions relating to that projects design, delivery and outcomes.

There is no limit to how many projects you can add. Once you have entered the details of your first project you will be given the opportunity to add details on another project.

I am considering adding a project(s), but what is in it for us as an organisation?

We appreciate that many people are pushed for time and capacity as it is and that filling out and updating an online form is not top of their priority list. But we would urge people to take the time to complete the short 17 questions online so that we and other organisations across the East of England have an accurate picture of the work that is being undertaken in the region.

Participation in this project offers your organisation the opportunity to gain recognition for good work undertaken and demonstrate the value of community empowerment activities. The map allows information about what works, and how these activities are being designed, resourced and managed to be shared. This will be a unique opportunity to share good practice with like-minded practitioners and create new partnerships.

The empowerment activity map will make your project visible to the public and the communities you are empowering- allowing other people to see what they could get involved in (free advertising for you!).

As a further incentive, if you add your project before the end of March 2009 you will be automatically entered into a free prize draw to win a £50 voucher for your organisation. The winner will be selected at random.

My organisation’s empowerment work is not project based, should I add our details?

Some people have said their organisation undertakes community empowerment work but they do not deliver discrete projects. Where this is the case it may be better to think in terms of the key activities your organisation undertakes. For example if your organisation is helping to set up neighbourhood watch schemes, please tell us about how you are going about this.

The reason we are aiming to collect data on projects, rather than information on the overall aims of services to engage and empower, is that projects are more measurable, can be evidenced and are directly comparable.

I am not sure if I am the right person to be filling in the registration form and project details?

If you carry out work that fits into the definition above and/or the list of activities that often fall under the umbrella of community empowerment, then please fill in the form. If someone else is responsible for managing the delivery of these activities, then please forward the link to the appropriate person.

We are hoping to hear from as many departments within local authorities and other organisations as possible, please don’t presume that someone else will report on your work as an overall response.

Please also don’t presume that your organisation or project is too small to matter to a regional project. We recognise that important empowerment work gets carried out at the very local level.

Would I be registering for my entire organisation?

Yes, if you are the first to add your organisation to the map then you are registering the entire organisation. Please also be aware that if you are completing the form and have entered your name and contact details you will be listed online as the contact for your organisation. If there is someone else better placed to be the main contact please discuss with them about adding their details to the form instead.

If someone else in your organisation tries to register the organisation again the map will not allow them to. They will be informed that the organisation is already registered by yourself and if they wish to add projects they should liaise with you.

Can I add more than one project?

The simple answer is yes! If you are completing the online questionnaire, fill in the form for your first project and then once you click submit it will ask if you have finished or if you have another project to add. If you have more than one click on ‘another project to add’ and keep doing the same until you run out of projects!

Will I be able to update my project details as the project evolves?

Once you have registered to enter your project details you will have your own user name and password and will be able to access your project details at any time to edit them.

Can I remove my project at any time?

If for any reason you wish to remove you project from the database you can contact the project co-ordinator at map@inspire-east.org.uk who will be able to remove your information on your behalf.

Who can I speak to about the map if I have any further questions?

If you have any further questions or comments please email the project co-ordinator at map@inspire-east.org.uk