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Community Organising
Help turn loneliness into connection, despair into dedication and struggles into strengths. When small numbers of people are organised, we can have a powerful effect. Help organise local events and people in Colchester to build power and make a positive impact and end the need for a foodbank.
There are many people in Colchester facing hardship and problems they need to overcome, some injustices. Few people may have the strength and support to deal with them on their own. Community organising is a way of building strength in numbers, solving those problems together, and moving forward together.
Community organising brings together people who are affected by a social issue, such as low pay, poor housing or discrimination, in order to build power and overcome injustice. Unlike most other methods of change making, organising works to ensure that members of the community who are affected by the social issue are central to decision making, planning and action.
Why Community Organising?
Over the last couple of decades, food banks across the UK have provided incredible, practical support to people in poverty. The food banks in our community are extraordinary, and their response to needs in our community is inspiring.
But that kind of response shouldn’t be needed.
We stand on the edge of a cliff, with a clear decision to make: either we accept food banks as a ‘new normal’, or we work to create a more dignified, compassionate, and just society where everyone has enough money for the essentials. We chose the latter. And we believe community organising is our way there. Our aim is to create a future where no one needs a food bank by addressing structural issues such as social security, support for people in crisis and underlying drivers such as health, housing, precarious work, and unaffordable living costs.
Our Projects
Cuppa Kindness
This is a listening campaign aiming to improve our interaction with our community. The idea is to partner with willing local cafes across our community to offer its customers an option to buy an extra cup of coffee along with whatever they’re already getting for themselves. This extra cup will be paid for by them and saved as a coupon for someone that can come in and claim it. Someone from our community organisation team will be at the cafe and offer to have a conversation with the person claiming the coupon. We would look to converse regarding their thoughts on the foodbank, community, any issues they’re currently experiencing and what we can do to help them.
Our goal is to reach & interact with people we may not have otherwise, understand the issues in our communities better and to also change the perception of the community on what our foodbank is (that we are not just someone that gives out food parcels). The nature of this campaign also allows us to interact with the right people who need our help and build compassion within the community.
Open Voice
A focus group initiative where we host a conversation with a group of our clients to hear their lived experience over some coffee/tea and cake. Through this, we aim to identify the underlying issues in our community – what are the issues our clients are facing? What is bringing them to us? This will help us ensure we are campaigning for the right things and setting up the right sustainable projects In addition, we will also find out how their experience with the foodbank has been and what we can implement to improve our service. Will also be an opportunity for clients to interact with each other and exchange knowledge/experience.
Our Campaigns
We work in the community to campaign for change the things that are leaving people without enough money for life’s essentials – including food. Together with your support, other Community Organisers across the UK and in the Trussell Trust network, we are thousands and thousands of people, working to right this wrong. Make your voice heard and join us. Together, we can create a future where no one needs a food bank.
Real Living Wage
We are campaigning to make Colchester a Real Living Wage City where everyone working earns enough money to afford life’s essentials. If you support this view, join us in helping make this happen. Campaign for change, encourage your employer to become accredited. If you are an employer, be an organisation that voluntarily pays the Real Living Wage. It’s good for business.
Affordable Local Transport
Guarantee Our Essentials
Community for Change
What gets you angry? What is something that you’d like to change in our community? Get involved. Join our volunteer Community Organising team. Email us on [email protected]