Creating Community Conversations - Gallomanor

The Secrets of Success in I'm a Councillor

I've now finished writing up the I'm a Councillor 2007 evaluation report (which you can download from our website). It's been fascinating looking in detail at the feedback and the questions that were asked. Although of course I was there for the whole event, while it's on I'm caught up in organising everything. It's great to get down to the nitty-gritty of what young people and councillors say to each other, and what they got out of it.

Reading the report hopefully gives you a great sense of what the event's really like and 'the big picture' of the how the event went this year, across the country. And if you're thinking of taking part in 2008 it may help you to plan for next year. Returning councils usually find they get more out of the event the second year, because they've learnt a lot from organising it once. The evaluation report is one way for all councils to short-circuit that and learn from each other's experiences, and that's one big reason we produce it.

Key points in this year's report:-

• 50% of young people visited the site in their own time, after being introduced to it at school
• Event busier than ever
• Clear dividend for returning councils

The report also contains:-

• How did the busiest councils do it? - Case studies from successful councils
• Feedback from young people, councillors, teachers and council officers
• Outcomes from last year

Hope you enjoy it! The information packs for the 2008 event will be printed in January, and we'll send those out to you then if you're interested. And if you have colleagues who would want a copy, get them to email me and I will add them to my list.

"What's the difference between a supermarket trolley and a Councillor?

A supermarket trolley has a mind of it's own."

This little gem was provided by Cllr Richard Brodie from Dumfries and Galloway Council in a Live Chat this afternoon on www.bigvote.org.uk.  He also provided us with a couple of poems which I'm sure he won't mind being published here:

Dalbeattie, Dalbeattie is a fine old town
But something about it is getting me down
There’s little to do at weekend and night
So give us a Councillor who will put things right

and

There was a young lad from Dalbeattie
Who went round spraying graffiti
Poor old Davie Street
Was covered head to feet
And the town hall looked like Tahiti

all this and conversation with about 30 students on topics as diverse as the new smoking age, the drinking age, what to do in Dalbeattie and improving relations between the police and young people.

Dolores and David explain it all

In the course of some PC housework I came across this radio clip recorded last year on the last day of I'm a Councillor.

It features Cllr Dolores Kelly and Cllr David Jones from Craigavon Council in Northern Ireland and includes Ciara McKay, a teacher, and Michael Kerr, a student from St. Michael's a participating school.

The clip is nearly seven minutes long but is well worth a listen for any councillors or citizenship teachers looking at taking part in the event this year.

Thank you to U105 for not objecting to this clip being featured so far.

Who's playing this year?

There's still several months to go before Local Democracy Week and the final deadline for signing up for I'm a Councillor, Get me out of Here!, but we've got a record-breaking 24 councils signed up so far - a lot of them returners from last year, who we're glad to have back.

It tends to go a bit quieter now, for a couple of months - schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland have broken up already, schools in England and Wales are about to - until a rush of new sign ups after the summer holidays. And of course there's certain people (hello Alan!) who we know will be phoning us on the 10th of September to make the deadline with a minute to spare, but as they are such loves we forgive them.

Councils already signed up for I'm a Councillor 2007

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council
Cambridge City Council
Canterbury City Council
Cherwell District Council
City & County of Swansea
Colchester Borough Council
Congleton Borough Council
Coventry City Council
Craigavon Borough Council
Dumfries & Galloway Council
Mansfield District Council
Middlesbrough Borough Council
Mole Valley District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Oxford City Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Shropshire County Council
Spelthorne Borough Council
Teesdale District Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Waverley Borough Council

If you're a teacher (especially of citizenship) or youth participation worker in one of these council areas, you can look forward to two weeks of getting your young people talking to councillors, influencing local politics and having fun. If you live in other council areas, you can't. Yet. I reckon you should get onto your council and hassle them about why they aren't involved (Do they hate democracy? Don't they care about young people?). But don't tell them I sent you.

I'm a Councillor - 1st deadline

I'm a Councillor preparations are steaming ahead. I'm just finishing the text of the teacher's packs, ready to send off to the designers and then the printers. Lots of fact-checking and arguing with Shane about whether long-winded, chatty stories (me) or terse, numbered lists (Shane) are the easiest way to get across information.

He's left on a week's holiday now, so I'm going to write a 100,000 word novel about an inspiring teacher who turns that inner-city school around through the magic of I'm a Councillor, and send that to everyone instead of the normal briefing notes and lesson plans. Shhh, don't tell him.

Anyway, 1st deadline for signing up is 31st May - one week from today. If you make that then we'll send out your teacher's packs on 11th June, giving you enough time to get them to teachers before the summer holidays. Of course councils can still sign up after this (up to 10th Sept) but you'll probably get your teacher's packs in September. So sign up quick!

IAC 2007 is ready for action!

After an initial hiccup with the printing, the IAC 2007 information packs are now done. They look great, if I do say so myself. So information packs are now ready, for councils who are interested in taking part. Get in touch with me on 01225 869413, or sophia@gallomanor.com if you would like one, or you have any questions about the event.

The leaflets are also online here.

Act Now!

If you are council officer reading this, can I exhort you to get in touch sooner rather than later. I know October seems a long time away, but all our experience suggests that the key to success is contacting teachers early. I've been speaking to a lot of teachers recently, to find out how we can improve the event for them, and every one says they plan for next year in the Summer term and want to get information about the event in May or June.

And our most successful councils last year (like the mighty Middlesbrough, who wore our moderators out!) also talked to teachers early. Although I think if all our councils were like Middlesbrough the mods would kill me, so maybe I should keep my big mouth shut...