Ten groups to be supported through Knowledge is Power
/We’re delighted to announce that we’ve selected ten community groups for the Knowledge is Power programme. The groups will be supported to carry out community-led action research in their communities to develop their own evidence to influence change in their communities - and to take forward actions for improvement.
We’re also pleased to announce that Corra Foundation and Inspiring Scotland have provided additional funding for projects they support to be involved in Knowledge is power. This has helped increase the number of supported projects from six to ten. We are also really grateful that Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs will part sponsor one of the local inquiries.
The successful groups and their research focus are:
Aberdeen in Recovery – This group with lived experience supports people recovering from addiction and their families. They plan to carry out research to address issues in service provision.
Auchinleck Community Devlopment Initiative (ACDI) - This volunteer-led community anchor organisation aims to support community-led action with young people to develop a community action plan.
Community Action Blackburn – The research focus of this community-led group is to identify issues around the misuse of fireworks within Blackburn in order to drive positive change around the issue.
Crossroads Youth and Community Association and Bridging the Gap - This partnership of community organisations working in the Gorbals area of Glasgow aims to explore the impacts of the pandemic on the community and what might be needed by the community to go beyond recovery towards renewal.
Dunterlie Foodshare - Run by a group of volunteers from Dunterlie supported by Corra Foundation and East Renfrewshire Council’s communities team, this Foodshare project aims to identify gaps in service and develop new projects and ways of working.
Fernhill Community Kitty - Originally set up as a steering group to deliver a local participatory budgeting exercise, this group is being supported by Corra Foundation and South Lanarkshire Council to identify community priorities and plan actions around these.
Falkirk Youth Involvement - This community led action project will provide an excellent opportunity for local young people to be at the heart of the design, development, and delivery of youth services which will meet the needs of local young people. The group of young people who will be undertaking the research come from across the Falkirk area and will be supported by local youth work staff.
Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC – This Moray-wide group aims to start a conversation and collect the voice of lived experience around neurodiversity to further their aim of increasing ‘Mental Wealth’ across Moray.
Shetland Community Connections – The focus of this community-led research is to understand the reality of attending social and cultural events or spaces for Disabled people, their families and carers in Shetland and how their experiences can be improved.
Taking Up Sophie’s Fight – Having formed in 2017 as a result of taking part in the Health Issues in the Community (HIIC) course, this Dundee-based group plans to use community-led research to explore and work towards a co-ordinated recovery approach to mental health services in the community.
The research evidence generated by the community organisations will be brought together through the Knowledge is Power website and used to help shape policy at a national level across Scotland.
Thursday 14 November is the first Knowledge is Power training day, with all ten groups taking part. We’ll provide an update on the training on the Knowledge is Power website in the coming days as well as news of the launch of out online Knowledge is Power toolkit, which will be a resource for any community group in Scotland wanting to conduct their own research to make positive change happen.
The programme is being delivered by Scottish Community Development Centre and The Poverty Alliance and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and Scottish Government.
Follow @KnowledgeScot for the latest.
