Community Amplifiers Project

Arising from the Growth Commission recommendations in 2016, the Barking and Dagenham Together - Borough Manifesto was developed in consultation with almost 3,000 residents. The outcome was clear: people want "a friendly and welcoming Borough with strong community spirit."

One of the characteristics of the borough is its sheer diversity. The population of Barking and Dagenham is larger, more diverse and more transient than ever before. As a borough, we know that there is more that unites than divides us, and that with diversity comes growth, creativity and strength. However, the scale and pace of change have the potential to loosen the bonds that keep us together, and to undermine our sense of belonging.

As part of a bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has been awarded significant funding to deliver the 'Connected Communities' programme across Barking and Dagenham.

As one of the elements of this programme the Council is looking to commission two organisations with experience in doing community research or willingness to build their capacity in this approach to help amplify unheard voices in the borough. The 'Community Amplifier' Project will help generate a better understanding of residents' perspectives on community cohesion, and develop concrete solutions to increase community togetherness. It has the following aims:

• Amplify the voices of residents and groups that are least heard in the borough and explore local perspectives on the challenges to and drivers of community cohesion as means to identify solutions and opportunities across residents, stakeholders and the Council.
• Explore the use of participatory visual techniques, e.g. participatory video and photography, to document and share some of the best ideas and practices that exist within our community to build or increase community cohesion.
• Support the development of resident-led responses to community cohesion issues as a way to increase their chances of success.
• Explore the usefulness of community research as a way of providing insights into the Barking and Dagenham community, and to stimulate community-owned solutions to challenges and issues.

The full extent of the selected contractor's services will be set out in the documents which shall be issued with the invitation to tender, but in summary include:

• To recruit and train a group of community researchers to deliver the on-the-ground work with residents and effectively act as proxies between the Council and residents;
• To share and implement best practices and increase trust between individuals and groups across the borough;
• To monitor and evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at increasing community cohesion with the help of residents;
• To record the methods used and lessons learnt throughout the process so that the use of community researcher for community cohesion can be shared with others.