How do I?
There are many resources available for people who are interested in kick-starting new forms of community activity in their area. We have tried to provide easy access to the best of those resources. It’s a list that will continue to change, so if you think we have missed something that people in Devon would find useful, please let us know.
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Getting my voice heard
If there is something that needs improving in your community, the following information may help to make it happen:
Town or parish council
Your district / city council
Devon County Council
Voluntary and community support
How to become a County Councillor -
Alternative ways to deliver a service
The following information can be viewed here:
Engaging with other local organisations
Setting up a social enterprise
Setting up a community enterprise
Setting up a development trust -
Getting support and funding
The following information can be viewed here:
Sources of grant funding
Sources of help and advice
Funding from within your community -
Getting local people involved
Many grassroot community projects begin when one or two people take the initiative to involve other people over a concern, an aspiration or a new idea. The way projects take shape depends on how well they manage to enthuse and involve others.
The following information is based on approaches that have been used in Devon and elsewhere, by community engagement organisations as well as voluntary groups and our town and parish councils:
Taking an asset-based approach
Running an Ideas Farm
Volunteering
Running a Dragon’s Den event -
Projects involving land and buildings
The following information can be viewed here:
Taking on a building or open space
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Developing a proposal
We are committed to helping communities make decisions, develop ideas and take on assets and services that we currently deliver. We want people to have more influence, choice and control over the way in which local services are shaped and delivered, to help communities and voluntary sector organisations develop and grow.
If your community is thinking of developing an idea, the following information and advice may be helpful to turn an idea into reality: