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Community21 has selected some case study communities and projects to share across the network to inspire and inform others. Should we be featuring yours? If so get in touch.
3VA: Voluntary Action in Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden
I started working at what was then Eastbourne Association of Voluntary Services (EAVS) in 2008. As a Council for Voluntary Service it works with local groups through support, advice, and training and helps the sector to network and have a voice locally. EAVS was very involved in partnership working and the University of Brighton was often mentioned but we had no relationship with the university at the time. It was through membership of the Eastbourne Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) that I was first introduced to the Community University Partnership programme (Cupp). Cupp staff were involved in the work of the LSP and I found that Cupp was an invaluable way in to the ‘labyrinth’ of the university.
Our first piece of joint work with Cupp was on the Local Resilience Action Plan for East Sussex. This tried to measure the nature and extent of activity in the voluntary and community sector. The National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS) funded the project and Cupp helped with finding a researcher who provided academic input. The project developed into an assessment of the impact of the early recession on the voluntary sector locally. The co-production approach worked well, with Speak Up, a countywide forum for voluntary and community sector representatives in East Sussex, bringing voluntary and community organisations together as part of the consultation and helping produce the final report.
The value of working with the university was that the results of the work were taken seriously both by local organisations and by the local authority and other funders. Nationally, NACVS adopted the approach as a model of good practice.
The project led to EAVS establishing a close relationship with the university through Cupp. I joined the Cupp Steering Group and because EAVS was linked to so many local voluntary organisations we could see what might be relevant to Eastbourne and how Cupp could link with this.
3VA was formed in November 2009 when Eastbourne Association of Voluntary Services joined forces with South Downs Council for Voluntary Service to create one Council for Voluntary Services for Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden. The relationship with Cupp has continued through other project work. 3VA has been involved with the university’s On Our Doorsteps programme in Eastbourne and is currently working on a project looking at the potential of neighbourhood management. Eastbourne introduced a Neighbourhood Management initiative to three areas of the town in 2010 to enable the local community to have a greater say in what happens. The project aims to strengthen this initiative by highlighting recognised models of good practice in neighbourhood management and strengthening links between local community groups, the Local Strategic Partnership and the university.
Other useful links have been with students. Some Events Management students worked with Speak Up to help run its annual conference – ‘The Big Event’ – for voluntary sector organisations in East Sussex.
There are challenges in working successfully with the university. A major one is geographic: our nearest campus in Eastbourne is isolated from the parts of the town where most voluntary and community groups are working. Many of the degree courses at Eastbourne are focused on health and social care professions which is not always the best fit with community needs, although there has been some innovative work with older people who can also be a great resource for the university. Finally, the development of an organisation like 3VA is very organic which does not easily match with the university’s academic and research needs.
Nevertheless, the relationship is genuinely positive: students bring a sense of energy to Eastbourne; university staff have been fantastic people to work with and have a real commitment to the community. Strategically, we need to work out how we should develop the relationship in the longer term but we hope to continue working closely with the university whenever there is the opportunity.
Adam Chugg Chief Executive, 3VA
