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.

Unearthing the treasure in our communities

In 2024, as part of the Community Development Practice Hub activity, a group of local co-collaborators, creators and curators brought to life the Community Treasure Tours. The Community Treasure Tours aimed to shine a light on those citizens who are active in building community alongside others, amplify and celebrate what is already happening in communities, and recognise how relationships are woven together to form an ecology of social connectedness across a neighbourhood. It was hoped that coming together in communities would inspire those who could nurture this approach, by exploring community building practice through storytelling.

Two areas of the city were identified as places to conduct the Community Treasure Tours, and four local community anchor organisations were invited to participate and host a tour destination. Their wisdom and knowledge about their neighbourhood, and the active citizens they are alongside, were important. They were the storytellers and shared their stories of contribution to their community.

The tour demonstrated that in neighbourhoods across Birmingham, there is an abundance of community building taking place, with many citizens active in making things happen for others. The tour highlighted a real desire for community builders to connect with each other to strengthen their practice and celebrate the great things happening in neighbourhoods. What emerged out of the reflection sessions were attributes of community building in practice:

Connectedness – Giving permission to connect and grow connections. Inviting curiosity to seek connections with others and to notice who is missing.
Relationships – Increasing relational networks of value, knowledge, skills, and resources, to grow a movement of community builders.
Storytelling – Storytelling is at the heart of community building, and it is important for communities, organisation, and citizens to have agency in their story.
Collaboration – Coming together and humanising collaboration that inspires and welcomes new ideas, based on a reciprocity of knowledge as well as understanding.
Knowing – Giving permission to know what is working well in the neighbourhood, what needs to change adapt or be discarded.

The reflection also recognised the importance of convening. The Community Treasure Tour planning and preparation was underpinned by the values of creating equitable, inclusive, and equalised spaces in which to ignite thinking and increase confidence that voice matters. This takes time and should be a key factor when planning and preparing events to fully realise the value of coming together in this way.

Participants said of their experience:

"I have learnt from the tour, that when you tell your story you inspire others to do all these things, go out their comfort zone and just be part of the community more"
Treasure Tour Participant

"Inspiring stories equalled renewed confidence that citizens and communities can do things for themselves"

Treasure Tour Participant

To learn more, read the Evaluation Report:

Download the Report

You can also watch tour videos:

Community Treasure Tours 2024

Community Treasure Tour reflection days 2024:

If you would like to learn more about Community Treasure, please get in touch [email protected] or [email protected], or visit www.thrivetogetherbham.org/initiatives/communitytreasure

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