Big Local Connects 2020

150 Big Local areas are invited to get together for two days to learn, share and network

Big Local Connects, our biggest event of the year, is an opportunity for all Big Local areas to come together to celebrate and inspire each other.

Resident-led sessions

We are inviting residents from Big Local areas to run a session at Connects 2020, to share their learning and ideas with other areas.

The theme for Connects 2020 is ‘vision for the future’: what do we want our communities to be like in 2026 and beyond? Within this, there are five sub-themes, if you’re thinking of submitting an idea consider which sub-theme it fits best:

• Economy– from skills and employment to local business or lending schemes, these sessions will explore how the local economy fits into plans for the future.
• Society– how do residents interact with each other and how does this reflect the wider community? Think about creating a community identity, sport and mental health, a longer healthy life, making the most of unlikely spaces, and alternatives to illegal money lending.
• Power – understanding formal and informal power structures and how they can shape communities. Explore power dynamics, inclusivity, learning from failure, democracy and community leadership.
• Environment – these sessions will look at how communities and individuals can respond to the climate crisis and move to a greener future in a fair and sustainable way. Think about food, practical changes to address the climate emergency, green energy and pollution.
• The road ahead– what will we do between now and 2026 to achieve the changes we envision for our community? Have a go at future visioning, storytelling, make new connections, explore legacy, creative approaches to evaluation and fundraising.

For areas interested in delivering a session at Connects please submit a short proposal by email, covering the following:

• Title for session
• Which of the five themes does your session relate to?
• Purpose of the session: why do you want to run a session on this topic and why do you think it will be relevant to others?
• Outline of how the session will be structured:– is it an interactive workshop? Make it as creative as you can!

Things to note

• Each session is one hour long
• Where a proposal overlaps with a session already being planned, we will look to incorporate the ideas into one session where this makes sense
• To keep the resident-led ethos, at least one facilitator / presenter must be a resident of the Big Local area delivering the session
• We will give priority to areas that didn’t apply / deliver a session at Connects 2019

Proposals and questions should be submitted by Monday 20 April to biglocalconnects@localtrust.org.uk