Meeting about Community Engagement and a community charter for Portobello
Wednesday 18th March 7-9pm in the back room of the Dalriada
As you may be aware, Our Forth is beginning the process of putting together a community charter for Portobello, based on the ground breaking Falkirk community charter. We’d like to ask community groups in Portobello to help make sure that this document is as inclusive as possible and best represents the views of all of our residents and people who either work or attend school in the local area. To start this process, we would like to invite you to a meeting on Wednesday 18th March, 7-9pm in the back room of the Dalriada, to hear how Falkirk created their charter – and to get your help in planning the best ways to take a Portobello charter forward.
We are aware that several groups in Portobello are currently planning or are involved in, community engagement activities and want to make sure that the charter process can both support and be supported by the range of community building initiatives that are around. On the 18th, we’ll hear from Maria Montinaro about how Falkirk built it’s charter over 2 years. There will then be space for representatives of local groups to say a little about what they’re up to in terms of community engagement and if/how they think the charter process might connect with what they’re doing. We’ll then spend some time working together on four key questions (see below) to make sure that the charter process can work together with everything that’s already happening in our community.
You can read more about the charter at http://www.ourforth.org/charter/
We have also set up an online survey to capture input from across the community. You can access this at https://surveymonkey.com/r/YQ7Y3WX
We really hope that one or two people from your group would be willing to come along and give us a hand. Please let us know whether you can come and how many people to expect from your group.
Many thanks, Our Forth
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In the second half of the meeting, we’re planning to work in groups on 4 tables; each one dealing with a different question and each group shifting after 10 minutes, till everyone has been at all the tables Here are the four questions for you to have a think about in advance:
1. Timeline of local (or wider) events and comments on good or bad tie-ins with the community charter Are you able to identify any events which could help with the consultation process to build the charter or where the charter could add/feature as part of an event? What would you like the Portobello Charter to be able to do for Portobello…. next year? In 5 years? In 10 years? Would you, or a representative from a group which you’re in, like to join the steering group to help develop the charter?
2. Map of local groups, organisations, institutions etc. with contact details where possible Can you suggest how any groups which you’re involved in, or any others which you know about, could benefit through the development of the Portobello Community Charter? Is there anything which the group you’re in, or which you as an individual, could offer to the process of developing the Portobello Community Charter?
3. Ideas of good ways to engage with local people – making sure that we can reach as wide a range of people as possible Can you think of any local groups who are missing and how can we include them or get them involved in the process? Can you suggest the best communication networks/channels to reach folk living in Portobello? Can you suggest any ways which would help make this process as transparent and participatory as possible?
4. What have we missed? What other things do we need to do to ensure that the charter is genuinely representative and inclusive? What would you hope the charter could offer the individuals/residents/trader/