Community engagement organisation Your Square Mile has launched a portal for Moss Side and Hulme, at www.moss-side.yoursquaremile.co.uk, creating a central hub for local projects, event listings, news and polls. Ranging from a community action forum to anti-violence initiatives, these projects were voted on in a public workshop held at the Zion Arts Centre in Moss Side in November.
Each project has its own page on the portal, outlining the idea, how it will benefit the community, the next steps being taken and the help that is required. Residents will be encouraged to volunteer through a ‘sign up’ button. A news feed and discussion stream will offer further updates and opportunities for volunteers to communicate with each other.
The portal also publicises local event updates that can be uploaded by citizens. It also hosts a map of community resources with information and links on each one, as well as a photo gallery and a link to History Pin, which allows visitors to post and view pictures of past local events. The results of a community attitudes survey taken at the public workshop are available as are a video and images of the November workshop. All content will be linked to a Facebook and Twitter feed.
Projects voted on at the workshop were a community action forum; turning an old bus into a drop-in centre that provides services and training at Bowes Street; a befriending service for the over-55s; extending the Powerhouse community centre into a full time facility; a drama group to educate against gang violence; and a Fathers Against Violence football club.
The workshop was held as part of Your Square Mile’s corporate community engagement partnership with Heineken that will match employees at the Royal Brewery in Moss Side to selected projects based on their skills and interests. The initiative is designed to make corporate volunteering more meaningful and enjoyable by allocating people to projects that fill a genuine need in the community, as decided by residents.
Your Square Mile chief executive Paul Twivy comments: “The launch of the Moss Side and Hulme portal is the next step in equipping residents to create positive change in their square mile, giving them the resources and information to make a difference in locally relevant ways.
“The portal will keep people connected, maintain momentum and inspire people to share their knowledge of their local area. It is not designed to compete with or replace existing local sites - we see it as a complementary aide that will work alongside local media of all kinds.”
Heineken corporate relations director Jeremy Beadles adds: “We recognise that as a significant local employer, we can make a real impact on the surrounding community by providing opportunities for our brewery colleagues to get involved in projects that local people feel passionate about. Your Square Mile’s consultation and activity has provided us valuable insights that enable us as a company to become closer to and a more active part of the communities in which we operate.”