Bulletin #5, April 2018
On the evening of 3rd July, and on 4th July, people from across the Better Way network will be gathering in London to share insights and ideas and shape our collective call to action. To find out more and book your place, please see here.
Also, to coincide with the July gathering we will be publishing a Better Way collection of essays, stories, examples and ideas, including highlights of discussions over the year across our network. Please contact Caroline Slocock carolineslocock@civilexchange.org.uk if you have ideas for this or would like to contribute.
Please forward this bulletin to others who may be interested, and if you are not yet part of a Better Way group but would like to be, just let us know.
Steve Wyler and Caroline Slocock
About A Better Way
A Better Way is a network of social activists, from the voluntary sector and beyond, who want to challenge business as usual, improve services, and build strong communities. We have set out some simple propositions, which we believe, if pursued with courage and conviction, would bring about a radical shift in favour of the common good. The initiative is hosted by Civil Exchange, in partnership with Carnegie UK Trust and is also supported by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. You can find out more here: http://www.betterway.network/.
Good and bad help
What is the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ help? A recent publication by Richard Wilson, a Better Way member, sets out to answer that question. It describes the kind of help that supports people to feel hopeful, identify their own goals and confidently take action (‘good help’). It also describes the kind of help that undermines people’s confidence, creates dependency and inaction (‘bad help’).
Far too many services still fall into the wrong category. Bad help is all around us! But so too are examples of good help, and Richard sets out the ‘art and science’ of good help, with a series of ideas about how we can design services which enhance sense of purpose and confidence to act. We will be bringing people together from the Better Way network on 19th April (1-4pm in London) to consider what we can do to build momentum for this way of doing things. If you would like to join us, please contact Alison Manson Alison@carnegieuk.org for more details.
The ‘you and me principle’
David Robinson, co-founder of Community Links and a Better Way member, delivered a lecture on March 12th in which he set out the You and Me Principle: the importance of human relationships in everything we do: “Strong relationships are not an alternative to a thriving school or an effective health service, a flourishing business or a successful society. They are the making of it all.”
David spoke of ‘our personal tapestries of real, meaningful relationships that enable us to thrive individually and, that in aggregate, enable communities to succeed’, and he described this as the ‘Warm Web’. Much of this is under threat, he said, from technological change, ideological influences, and managerial models. The quality of our lives, the services we design to help others, and our collective capacity, are all suffering as a result. But, claims David, we can do something about this. Having fun together, well-designed places, and a new set of organisational protocols, can all help relationships flourish. You can find out more, and keep in touch with the You and Me initiative here.
What is Better Way leadership?
Our Better Way cells have recently explored the theme of leadership. The more we looked at this the more we came to realise that a command and control model of leadership is deeply embedded in the public and social sectors, including the voluntary sector. This needs to change. Shared leadership is essential to solve complex issues, and that requires a different way of doing things. Good leadership, we believe, is often about exercising influence, and happens when others choose to follow and engage, not because of a job title. Read more here.
Better Way places
One of our propositions is ‘local is better than national’. But what could ‘better way places’ look like, with communities more in control? And if we were to achieve such a shift, including in the practice of our own organisations, are there risks we would need to guard against? Our recent cell discussions were full of insights, and you can see a summary here.
And finally, the Frome effect….
An article here recently revealed an astonishing fact. Over three years emergency hospital admissions across Somerset rose by 29%, but in Frome they fell by 17%. Why was that? Maybe it had something to do with a Compassionate Frome initiative launched in 2013. This was a team of paid ‘health connectors’, working alongside trained volunteers known as ‘community connectors’, helping people to build social relationships. Surely a better way, in every respect.