Community Development Practice Hub

The Community Development Practice Hub is a resource for people and organisations who ‘work with’ people in Birmingham, supporting them to take collective action to make changes to things that are important to them and their communities. It aims to connect, inspire and upskill community development practitioners across Birmingham.

The hub is funded by Birmingham City Council, led by BVSC and supported by Thrive Together Birmingham.

Come join us on this exciting journey, as we collaborate with the sector to offer a tailored approach with a focus on Birmingham-specific learning, challenges, and achievements.

How Birmingham’s Community Builders Are Making Change Happen: Reflection from the Community Development Practice Hub (2024–25)

In neighbourhoods across Birmingham people are coming together to share skills, support one another, and create change in their communities. Whether it's over a cup of tea, a sewing needle, or a neighbourhood meeting, community building is strong in the city.

The Community Development Practice Hub, funded by Birmingham City Council’s Adult Social Care Directorate, led by BVSC and supported by Thrive Together Birmingham, exists to nurture grassroots energy in the city - supporting the people behind the scenes who help communities thrive. From training and peer support to storytelling and microgrants, the Hub is all about helping people to do with, not do to drawing on what is strong in communities.

What is the Community Development Practice Hub?

The Hub supports community development practitioners – whether paid or volunteers who go by many names: Community Enablers, Connectors, Helpers, Builders, Guides, Networkers, Liaison or Development Workers, and more. All with a shared commitment to helping local people shape the change they want to see.

The Hub offers training, networking, mentoring, and microgrants and creates space for people to connect, share stories, and develop their practice in a supportive environment.

Overview of this year’s training:

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Training

In 2024–25, six cohorts (66 community builders in total) took part in an ABCD training programme - a hands-on course that explores the principles and practices of great community building, offering practical tools and tips to help people take action in their own neighbourhoods. It’s designed for anyone who wants to uncover the strengths and assets in their community and bring people together to create lasting change.

“I thoroughly enjoyed both the sessions and using some of those skills with my community group to identify leaders within the group to take activities on and enabling them to be more confident to use their skills. We are using various listening skills to give participant a voice and giving them confidence to participate in sessions.”

Great Community Groups Training

This last year we have also trained four cohorts, with a total of 42 community builders, to facilitate excellent community meetings, giving everyone the opportunity to share their perspectives and be part of bringing about positive change.

This training helped participants design inclusive, engaging group sessions that create real space for listening, sharing, and problem-solving.

“It is my intention to create spaces and convene meetings that make room for ‘real talk’ (in ABCD terms, let's start with what's strong to deal with what's wrong). I would go further: it is my intention to cultivate a “high joy” environment in which people feel listened to and show on their faces and with their body language that they are glad to be in the presence of the other. It is a tall order, but I am convinced that [using what I’ve learnt] can amend the ‘soil,’ and with good soil, just about anything will grow!”

Microgrants: Small Funds, Big Impact

Sometimes, a little bit of funding can go a long way. This year, two microgrants were awarded to local community builders. One recipient was Donna Wells aka the Crafty Queen – who used her grant to run sewing sessions that bring people together, reduce loneliness, and create community through creativity.

You can read more about Donna’s brilliant work here:
Bringing the community together through sewing

Community Treasure Tours

In East and South Birmingham, 28 “shipmates” joined us on our Community Treasure Tours for two immersive days of storytelling and community exploration.

These tours gave local community builders space to reflect on their work, share inspiration, and connect with others doing similar things across the city.

The tours revealed five powerful themes behind great community work:

Connectedness – Giving ourselves permission to connect and grow relationships.
Relationships – Building valuable, reciprocal networks of support and knowledge.
Storytelling – Owning and sharing our stories is central to how change happens.
Collaboration – Welcoming new ideas, built on trust and shared values.
Knowing – Understanding what’s working, what needs to change, and what to let go.

Two short films were created to capture the spirit of the tours – you can watch them here:

What’s Next for 2025–26?

Looking to get involved this year? The Hub is running with even more opportunities to learn, connect and lead community change. In the year ahead, the Hub will:

Run several ABCD training courses across the city to reach new community builders
Deliver more Great Community Meetings trainings and a mentoring programme
Offering small microgrants to community builders
Convene regular gatherings to share practice and build relationships
Grow our Community Treasure programme, including 3 new Treasure Tours

Share the story and get involved!

If you're working in community development, volunteering in your local area, or just curious about how you can make a difference where you live, we’d love to connect with you.

Learn more on our website: https://www.bvsc.org/communitydevelopment or get in touch with us [email protected]

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