Tag: Community Voice

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Empowering Community Voices in North Birmingham

Words and pics supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

Witton Lodge Community Association has launched the Community Voice Forum to empower North Birmingham residents in shaping local services through direct involvement in decision-making processes.

At Witton Lodge Community Association, we’re dedicated to amplifying the voices of residents across North Birmingham, to play an important role in shaping the services that impact their lives.

Through a new Community Voice Forum, we are excited to facilitate a cohort of passionate, motivated individuals to be involved in decision-making processes, directly influencing the creation and delivery of support services across Erdington and Sutton Coldfield.

To kickstart this new initiative, we recently welcomed over 40 local residents from across our community to hear about our goal to develop sustainable, resident-driven forums.

Community Infrastructure Facilitator Steve Sharma said: “We had a fantastic turnout at the launch of the Community Voice Forum at Perry Common Community Hall.

“Being community-led is at the heart of everything we do at WLCA, and we were delighted to connect with local residents, sharing our plans for the Community Voice initiative.

“We’re so encouraged by the positive response we received at the event and want to thank everyone that joined us on the day.

“Community Voice has the potential to make a significant impact in our communities, and seeing residents come together to use their voice and take control is incredibly inspiring. We’re very excited for the future of this much-needed initiative.”

Together, we want to connect with those who are passionate about their community and eager to help shape services and support across our six key themes: Housing, Employment, Health, Enterprise, Environment, and Volunteering.”

The Community Voice Forum welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, and abilities from across North Birmingham to share their lived experiences and discuss the issues affecting them.

By doing this, we can gather tangible evidence of the issues facing our communities, identify gaps in existing services and work together to identify the support needed to address them.

Individuals passionate about their community with a desire to be part the decision-making process can join the Community Voice Forum by contacting Community Infrastructure Facilitator, Steve Sharma at WLCA via email at [email protected] or phone on 0121 382 1930.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Your Voice, Your Vote

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association

At Witton Lodge we’re delighted to support the recent launch of ‘Community Voice’, a new community-led initiative that enables residents from across Erdington to have a real say on local issues and opportunities.

Together, we want to connect with those who are passionate about their community, including those ‘less heard voices’ eager to shape and deliver local services and improve their neighbourhoods.

Community Voice welcomes people from all backgrounds and will work hard to reflect the makeup of our local communities from across Erdington and North Birmingham.

We already know there is huge appetite, interest and expertise and Community Voice will help to amplify this.

Now, there is also the small matter of a general election. Our right to vote was hard-won through the tireless efforts and sacrifice of many, so please do exercise this right, and vote.

I was also reminded of sacrifice, during the recent D Day commemorations, when we heard moving accounts from our veterans about how British, Commonwealth and Allied troops made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.

Your vote is your voice, and it holds the power to influence the decisions that affect local lives, shape our communities and determine the future of our country.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.