CONNECTION ACROSS THE BOROUGH
The work of the Dynamos of Dagenham is just part of a wider effort looking at encouraging participation and distribution of resources across the local area. Barking and Dagenham Giving and Community Resources are two other organisations that have been using Participatory Grant Making (PGM) methodologies, supported by Lankelly Chase Foundation, to encourage the voice of residents to be heard and acted upon.
Along with Kingsley Hall, we have formed a participatory grant making working group that meets every 6 weeks to experiences and see how this methodology can be applied to shift power across the wider community.
As well as the Dynamos, there are other groups, all of whom have been given decision making power over varying amounts of grant money and we use this shared space to share learning, resources and discuss how PGM has made a difference in the borough. Within this group there is also multiple other groups that are also exploring how PGM distributes power, increases agency and equality of voice. We are keen to see how the learning and connection between the groups can begin to influence wider system changes.
All of the groups involved have been given decision making power over varying amounts of grant money and we use this shared space to share learning, resources and discuss how PGM has made a difference in the borough.
The groups include:-
DABD Golden Years
DABD is a large local disability charity that aims to support individuals (primarily with impairment, but not exclusively) by the provision of facilities and opportunities to enable greater economic, social, educational and physical mobility through personal development. A key project is called the Golden Years, where isolated elderly people attend a variety of different volunteer-led groups each week. 8-10 members have formed a steering group to decide how best to spend their allotted grant.
Community Resources
This is a local community hub n Dagenham who were funded by Lankelly Chase in August 20199 to explore PGM and how that might look in the local area. Through their ‘working group’, they have shared Community Resources’ experience in experimenting with different ideas. At the same tine, they are have also benefited from learning about how PGM could support others in the Borough.
Future M.O.L.D.S. & Community all stars
Future M.O.L.D.S. is a community interest group based in Barking and Dagenham who have been working with young people aged 11-21 years and their families in barking and Dagenham for around 10 years. Most of their work is on the Gascoigne Estate, a Barking housing estate with many social issues, and they work with a core participatory group of around 10 young people.
Barking & Dagenham Young Carers
Barking & Dagenham Young Carers is a large organisation operating in the area, aiming to offer interventions for carers. They run a young carer project where they have around 300 young people accessing their support at any one time. They have gathered around 10-15 of their young carers (aged 8-15) to help design a process by which they could spend a participatory grant pot.
We Rise
Following a commissioning event led by Barking and Dagenham Council to tackle domestic abuse in the borough, a group of 12 women with lived experience of abuse have come together to form a group called We Rise. Their aim is to raise awareness and also help others who are in similar positions.
Moms on a Mission
Moms on a Mission are a limited company run by a group of mums who have had a wide variety of experiences including domestic violence, inadequate housing, poverty and mental health issues. They are mainly focused in Barking, although some of their projects spread across the borough, and they aim to help other mums and their families across the community.
Company Drinks
Company Drinks is a community space and social enterprise based in Barking and Dagenham “where we make drinks with and for each other”. Cam Jarvis is one of the (part time) project leaders, overseeing all programmes and coordinating with the keyholders, who will be taking part in this shared project.
Kingsley Clan
This group has been meeting since November 2020 from Kingsley Hall and is made up of 5 residents who have experience of disability, isolation, and mental health.
Make Your Mark
Mark Your Mark was created in 2019, with an idea to support local children and young people to access resources and opportunities. They kicked off with a ‘Pack Lunch Club’ providing meals and ‘Keep Busy’ packs during school holidays. Since starting, they have made over 1,300 meals for local children experiencing food insecurity.
Their pink ‘Pop-Up Shelves’ in Community spaces provide free sanitary products and information for local teens reducing period poverty locally. They are also working on a ‘Girl Talk’ workshop, giving a face-to-face advice, life and learning skills, as well as promoting Wellbeing, Mindfulness and female positivity and resilience.
In addition, they are running a project with teens called ‘Well Girl’, to introduce young people to topics around food, fitness and wellness – which in 2021 became fully inclusive as a local HAF provider with 300 participants!
Books by MILE
Books by MILE is a company set up by Irina Goncherneko and Liliana Hristova, who are both authors, mothers and actively involved in several community participatory projects. Their aim is to improve connection within families and community, through storytelling, playing and art. They have a platform on which to publish their own and other’s work.
They believe that learning about each other’s culture and point of view improves inter-community relationships, promoting deeper understanding, kindness, and a positive shared future. This community engagement includes a children’s art and story club; healing relationships workshops through mindfulness and meditation; creative writing workshop for young children and parents; and sustainable children’s games design.
They were recently nominated by Kingsley Hall to join the participatory grant-making working group, receiving £5k to develop their programme of work.
Barking & Dagenham Giving
BD Giving is a local funder that believes that the people affected by funding decisions should be the ones making those decisions. They do this through PGM and have given away about £200,000 in the last 18 months using these methods.
The charity envisions a borough that is collaborative, inclusive and sustainable; where everyone feels heard and sees the change they want. It is on a mission to enable everyone in Barking and Dagenham to participate in shaping their borough for themselves and future generations.