Empowered communities : what would make a prosperous, planet-positive Southampton in 2050?

Last night, we gathered at Mettricks cafe in Woolston to chat about our vision for the city, during an RSA Southampton event. We heard from three amazing people who have a vision and are working as hard as they can, building community, to achieve change for the long term.

Matt Salvage FRSA talked about setting up SoCo Music Project 15yrs ago. SoCo offers a range of music opportunities, and in doing so unleashes the power of music making to help people achieve their potential. For example, they work with children with complex needs and adults in recovery. 

SoCo has taken on many spaces over the years including most recently Planet Sounds, and could do with a surveyor at the moment (any offers?). Matt would like to see the music sector nurtured in Southampton, and the city to be a place where people can start things up. He wants to see everything “schmushed” together, around access to spaces, support, confidence etc. 

Hayley Binstead from Board in the City, talked movingly about how they use board games to help people find their tribe. Set up because Hayley, who was working in education and was a foster carer at the time, had proved that board games help people open up. Board in the City is a gaming cafe in Bevois Valley, in the old Dorchester pub. 

In setting up Board in the City, it took several unsuccessful efforts to secure premises and a whole load of challenges. (Really it shouldn’t be this hard!).  She talked about the money they have pumped into the economy in terms of wages, over £1million. Most of the people involved have super-powers ( are neurodivergent) but they don’t shout about “case studies” because “people are not trophies to be waved around”. Their ambition is to set up an adolescent crisis lounge.

Hayley explained how things are tough financially. They had just become sustainable after paying off COVID debt, but footfall has dipped recently. The Board in the City community are helping people through housing and health crises; grant givers tell them they “over-deliver”. But Hayley and team do not turn her back on people in their hours of need.

Clare Diaper talked about the Southampton Climate Action Network, which was formed officially in 2021 but started from Southampton Sustainability Directory. This directory shares places that support the goal of a sustainable, thriving city around energy transport, green groups, recycling etc. Green activity and collaboration has been happening in the city for a long time, and SoCAN builds on this. It realised there was a gap in terms of helping the Council and others communicate with green groups. Those green groups needed a collective voice about policy and relevant issues, and this is what SoCAN delivers.

In 2022, SoCAN secured money for a participatory research programme with University of Southampton, and this developed an interest in Doughnut Economics, which  helps think about our city (and world) in terms of addresses social and environmental issues alongside economic issues. Clare talked about how a doughnut has a hole in it. In Doughnut Economics terms, the outer ring is the planetary boundaries, which we need to keep within in order to have a world we can live in. The social foundation in the middle is about what people need to live eg health, housing, peace, justice etc. We don’t want people falling within the hole of the doughnut, with unmet social needs.

The research funding helped SoCAN talk to businesses and others in the city, connected with Southampton City Council’s Southampton Pound, and recently launched its “Local is the New Global” film (filmmaker Paul Maple). The Hampshire and Southampton Chamber of Commerce got involved, and now the seed is planted. SoCAN will watch how this grows; together we could get the local economy working for everyone. Clare hopes that money and resources  from businesses can also flow to organisations like Board in the City. 

Clare talked about the need for a “Ministry for Imagination” in the city so we can all imagine a brighter future to guide our actions. Clare personally would like to see green spaces well used; places which we don’t just passively use, but where we grow food and help be productive for skills, natural resources and creativity. 

Clare talked about three Ps, in terms of needs:

PROMOTION – SoCAN and positive city activity needs promotion. 

PEOPLE – to join SoCAN Steering Group, help with expertise and support with issues such as administration.

POUNDS – SoCAN needs money to maintain the network, and is working on plans to secure more resources to keep going.

This then sparked a question and answer session and discussion in the room. Raising community PROFILE and expressing our PASSION for what communities do, were too more Ps added to the mix.  

A great question was asked about the role of enjoyment and fun. Board in the City has gaming at the heart of what they do, and SoCo puts music at the centre. But behind the enjoyment are approaches  that are, for example, Disability Confident and are working to help people out of homelessness (Board in the City), and helping young people progress through life, with the support of trusted adults (SoCo Music Project).

Discussion was had about how easy it is to work in partnership with other agencies to ensure people are supported. Hayley mentioned that so much more could be done through the Social Value Act. Matt said that meaningful partnerships can be difficult; everyone needs to be clear about what they want out if them. Partnerships can feel uneven in terms of where the power lies. There are some great initiatives such as a new youth partnership (Young Southampton) but these must not be talking shops. Clare talked about the need for deeper relationships; developing partnerships is a slow process as they need time to build trust.

We could have talked all night. Next step is Fred Bassett is going to analyse the thoughts that others in the room shared about their visions. The next RSA event is on 18 July all about the Southampton narrative and city pride, and follows on really well from much of the conversation at last night’s event. Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rsa-southampton-network-meet-up-tickets-895315120627

Thank you all those who came, and to Fred Bassett and Rachel Grice from the RSA, who have helped make this happen. 

In my view, too often, community voices are put at the end of an agenda. In curating this event, I wanted them to be front and centre. Key points from the evening that resonated for me:

* Community organisations are delivering meaningful impact, changing lives for individuals, the culture of Southampton and taking action on the key social and environmental challenges of our time.

* We can’t make change happen unless we hear from change-makers and respond to their needs. Let’s put stories from change-makers into city activity and make sure it drives policy making.

* We all need to cluster around those change-makers, to share our skills where they are needed and our resources where we can. We need to help drive more money and resources in their direction so they can continue to do what they do best.

* This all needs much better promotion (luckily, the next RSA event on 18 July will address Southampton’s City Narrative, link below)

* That the economic benefits, as well as social and environmental impact, of what community organisations do needs to be captured effectively and communicated to all.

* There are way too many barriers to achieving social action. Why aren’t we using the Social Value Act to better effect? Why doesn’t the city make it easier for change-makers to secure premises? Embedding a Doughnut Economics approach could help us achieve all this.

* We could do with a supportive system that helps people with the nuts and bolts of social action – such as HR, finances, property, administration.

* And finally, don’t underestimate the power of fun and enjoyment. This a key the route to helping people find their tribe, collaborate together and achieve positive social action. It takes time to build trust and deepen partnerships. We must not forget the role of enjoyment in this process.

Let’s keep waving the flag for community action and cluster around Southampton’s change-makers.

Rebecca Kinge, Southampton Collective CIC

28 June 2024