The Community Insights Hub is a space designed to help connect community expertise to policy making to support policy design and policy change. The Hub is now live on the GLA website – click here to have a look around.
In 2024 Big Ideas facilitated a content call for the Greater London Authority (GLA) answering the question: What makes a strong community? The GLA wanted to profile community groups across London who are working to create strong communities and enlisted Big Ideas to find these groups and tell their stories through art, film, photography and participatory workshops.
Fourteen groups took part in this content call telling powerful stories about the work they do with their community. Supported by Big Ideas and with funding from the GLA, each community group told a personal account of their organisation’s experiences, aspirations, needs, and priorities.
The fourteen stories are showcased on the Community Insights Hub, along with other stories from across London. Below are some selected highlights from the groups we worked with:
ARC Collective
ARC Collective is a grassroots community space in Islington shaped by the local neighbourhood and built by local people, for the benefit of all. For this story, members of the ARC community who are local Islington residents expressed their thoughts about community strength. In the community’s own words, this film tells the story of strength in collective rest, collective action, collective movement, cooperation and solidarity.
Micro Rainbow
Micro Rainbow provides social inclusion activities to reduce the extreme isolation faced by LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. In these sessions, individuals form new friendships and become part of a community.
The emphasis of Micro Rainbow’s social inclusion work is to move away from disconnection and fragmentation and towards connection. In regular workshops, beneficiaries build on their strengths and aspirations and use the arts to help heal trauma.
On 13 February 2024, Micro Rainbow ran a theatre workshop with 18 LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees, focused on the theme of community. During this session the photographs below were taken of the participants exploring the theme of community strength.
BikeStormz
BikeStormz began in 2014 to raise awareness about youth violence. The slogan ‘Bikes up, knives down’ encourages young Londoners to get into cycling and not get involved in crime. BikeStormz advertise their rides on social media and welcome people to join them for a peaceful cycle around areas of London. Everyone is welcome to join a ride, whether you are new to cycling or very experienced.
BikeStormz created the film, linked below, in which founders of BikeStormz talk about the organisation and include some snap shots of events that have taken place in London.
The Community Insights Hub is a place for policy makers to read about the needs of the communities they serve. As the hub grows with more stories from communities across London it will provide insight and guidance for decision makers to make choices that benefit Londoners.
Big Ideas attended the launch of the Community Insights Hub with YuWing from AuLaw Organic Farm CIC in South West London. They are not just growing vegetables, they are also growing a strong and supportive community. Through their community gardens they celebrate Hong Kong’s food heritage but also facilitate cultural exchange between residents of different cultural backgrounds, integrating Hongkongers into British society. Read the AuLaw Organic Farm Community Insights story here.
