Do you want to save energy & money? And make your home more comfortable?
Transition Exeter is running a project to increase awareness about energy efficiency and to help households cut their fuel costs. ‘Energy: Save it yourself’ workshops will provide information about practical affordable actions that everyone can do to save costs and carbon in three areas of Exeter – Newtown, Exwick and St David’s. The project wants to engage with local communities and includes a survey to find out peoples concerns and priorities about energy efficiency and fuel costs. The project is supported by a grant from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF).
Westcountry Housing: Have your say
West Country Housing is a housing association based in the south west. They provide ways of allowing residents to have their say and get their views across through the use of a survey.
http://www.westcountryha.org.uk/Wha/
ResidentInvolvement/Get+Involved/
Have+Your+Say/Have+Your+Say.htm
Sovereign Group estate walkabouts
The Sovereign Group aim to make sure that their homes and property improve the quality of life for their residents. Each estate is visited regularly and residents are encouraged to take part in walkabouts so that they can say what they want changed and so that recognised problems can be fixed.
Stop Housing Benefit Cuts
'Shelter' is an organisation that helps people with housing difficulties by giving helpful information and fighting for change. By writing to your MP you can help reduce cuts to housing benefits.
The Guinness Partnership: customer strategy group
The Guinness Partnership 'customer strategy group' provides a chance for residents to influence the way in which the group acts and allows the residence to put their views and questions across to the partnership.
Guinness South Partnership Walkabouts
Cornerstone Tenants Association
The 'Cornerstone Tenants Association' allows you to have your views heard by Cornerstone Housing which will help to improve services for local residents.
Tenant & Leaseholder Committee
The Tenant & Leaseholder Committee aims to improve the Exeter City Council housing services and service delivery. The group looks at council strategy, resource allocation, policies and procedures.
http://www.exetertenants.org.uk/
_tenant_leaseholder_consultation.php
DCHA Tenant Investigation Group
The Devon & Cornwall Housing Association's 'Tenant Investigation Group' are a group of volunteer residents who are working in partnership with us to improve housing services. They do this by mystery shopping DCHA and other housing association services so they can compare them, through reading reports and looking at facts and figures about service areas, talking with staff and consulting with residents.
DCHA service improvement panel
The Devon & Cornwall Housing Association Service Improvments Panels are places where residents can share their views with the DCHA to help improve building services.
Devon & Cornwall Housing Association: Neighbourhood Walkabouts
Neighbourhood walkabouts provide residents with the chance to point out scheme issues and meet new residents from the local community in the aim to improve services.
Devon & Cornwall Housing Association
Devon & Cornwall Housing Association hold neighbourhood walk abouts, service improvement panels and tennant investigation groups.
Starting a tenants or residents association
Start your own tenants or residents association in your local area which will allow a connection between local residents and Exeter City Council. The Tenants Association will help plan area-based local events, discuss services that could be improved or point out if there is a lack of facilities in the area.
http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=554&listid=9610
Exeter City Council: Influence building plans
Exeter City Council decide whether to give planning permission to anyone wanting to build or re-develop a building in the city. Your opinion about a plan could affect the council's decision, if you have a legitimate objection to a building plan that can have an affect on traffic, the area's appearance; or a neighbours privacy or light then contact the local planning office.
New training and volunteering opportunities available to help Exeter's unemployed move closer to work.
Exeter CVS has been selected by Job Centre Plus as a partner in its Flexible Fund to help people who are unemployed and face additional barriers to working to move closer to the job market in the city. The pilot project is funded until March next year, and will link closely with another project at Exeter CVS funded through the BIG Lottery Fund that promotes volunteering as a means of returning to the workplace.
Devon Prevention Strategy – 'Promoting Independence and Well-being'
Devon County Council and NHS Devon have published the Devon Prevention Strategy. There are a number of key stages where the strategy suggests that intervention might take place and which are relevant to services provided by the Voluntary and Community Sector.
Communities Living Sustainably Initiative
Up to £1 million could be available to Exeter for a 5-year project to help local communities protect themselves against the effects of climate change.
FixMyStreet
If your street has potholes, a street lamp is faulty, there is graffiti on buildings, broken paving slabs, fly tipping etc. then you can your FixMyStreet to quickly report the problem to your local council.
Be a good neighbour
One way of being an active citizen is by being a good neighbour. Some suggestions would be: Look after your neighbour's pet, water your neighbours plants when their on holiday, do the shopping for someone on the street who are unable to get out, help a neigbour who struggles with reading and writing by helping fill out forms; or help neighbour to get the right information to get the most out a public service.
Start A Youth Group
Youth groups support young people by getting them off the streets and doing fun, constructive activities.Youth clubs also help to build a stronger sense of community. Find out more about starting a youth campaign.
http://www.youthgroupgames.co.uk/how-set-up-youth-group.html
Report fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is the dumping of waste materials on land that is not licensed to do so. Fly-tipping does not only damage the environment but is against the law. You can help your community keep the area clean by reporting any occurrences of fly-tipping. For more information on fly-tipping visit the Exeter City Council's website.
http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9541
Low Carbon Exeter Transport Group
The Low Carbon Exeter Transport Group aims to reduce the amount of carbon in Exeter by pursuing a transition to sustainable forms of transport. You can help the cause by taking part in one of their campaigns and helping spread the message. Meetings are held monthly and everyone is welcome.
Run a Citizen's Day
By running a Citizen's Day you can help local people get more involved in society by providing a way for residents to talk about and give feedback on important issues such as crime, the environment and transport. Citizen's Day also provides an opportunity for people to see how they can get involved with their community and help to become more active citizens. The citizenship foundation has provided a leaflet that contains lots of useful information on running Citizens' Days.
http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/
main/resource.php?s367
Create a Youth Council
Youth Councils allow young people to voice their concerns, participate in local government and be empowered to take action in the local community. For more information on setting up a local Council, take a look at the national association of local councils website.
Create a Local Council
Local councils are the first tier of local government and include parish, town community, village and neighbourhood councils. They ensure that the community has a stronger voice in the local area. Find out more about local councils.
TravelWatch SW
'TravelWatch South West' aims to help improve travel services. Meetings are held twice a year in which delegates are able to enter into the discussion and provide their views to assist in making travel services the best they can be.
St Sidwell's Centre: community committee
St Sidwell's Centre aims to promote health and well-being, improve access to information and communication technology, promote environmental sustainability and more besides. By becoming a committee member you will have a say in the developments of the centre.
Shared Streets: Write to your MP
Shared streets are areas where the traditional pavement has been removed in the hope to reduce traffic and making a much more 'social' area. Unfortunately, without pavements it is very hard for blind or partially sited people to know where the road begins and the path ends because the traditional path is used as a navigational cue. You can help by contacting you local MP and expressing your views on the issue.
Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme: Become a 'Volunteer Orginser'
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme encourages people from local communities who are aged 50+ to volunteer. Volunteer organisers support and encourage people to volunteer in their local area and also attract new volunteers through the use of local papers, newspapers, etc.
http://www.volunteeratrsvpdevon.org/become-a-volunteer-organiser.php
Exwick Community Association
Exwick Community Association provides a community centre in Exwick. The community centre is used by the community for all manner of events that bring the community together. The Association is run by a group of trustees but are looking to create a Building sub-group and an Events sub-group.
Newtown Community Association
The 'Newtown Community Association' aims to bring people in the local community together and provide a place for activities and events. Meetings are run every 6 weeks.
St David's Neighbourhood Partnership
The 'St David's Neighbourhood Partnership' is a group of people who try to tackle problems in the local area, such as crime, environmental problems and community safety.
Scouts
The scouts are ran groups that help children develop team building and leadership skills. Parents of members can get involved by helping with meetings and joining the "leadership team".
http://www.exeterscouts.co.uk/about/parental-involvement.php
Exeter Community Agriculture
The 'Exeter Community Agriculture' is a group of people who have rented 4 acres of land and who aim to make a difference to how local food is produced. They are keen to reconnect local people with the land.
Become a Parish Councillor
Parish councils have a number of formal powers. Many provide and maintain allotments, community transport, playing fields, car parks, village greens, litter bins, etc. You can become a member of the parish council to influence your local community.
http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Toolkits/
Become_a_councillor
/Become_a_councillor.aspx
The Freedom of Your City campaign
The Freedom of Your City campaign (from Cycle Exeter) aims to double the number of cycle journeys in Exeter by 2011.
Friends of the Earth Exeter
Friends of the Earth campaigns on local and nation environmental issues. They run monthly action meetings.
Exeter City Council: petitions
Exeter City Council provides a petition scheme, giving information on how to set up a petition.
Become a Charity Trustee
Trustees are volunteers from the community who are legally responsible for the overall decision making and the running of a charity or voluntary organisation. Using the Do-it website you can search for Trustee opportunities.
http://www.do-it.org.uk/wanttovolunteer/aboutvolunteering/
_trustees
You can also visit the celebrating trustees (Become a Trustee) page of this site for information and case studies.
Multiple Sclerosis Society: Campaign Network
The multiple sclerosis Society funds research, runs respite care centres and provides grants to improve the lives of those who suffer from Multiple Scerosis. You can join the campaign and help raise funds for the society.
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/get_involved
/policy_campaigns/campaigns_network/
take_action/index.html
British Lung Foundation: Be a campaigner
The British Lung Foundation work to support people who have been affected by lung disease and other lung related problems such as mild asthma and lung cancer. You can support the foundation by signing up to the campaign list and getting involved in local fundraising and campaigning events.
http://www.lunguk.org/getinvolved/
campaigner_signup
Cancer Reasearch: Radiotherapy Petition
Cancer research save lives by discovering ways to prevent, treat and research cancer. Radiotherapy should be used in half of all patients cases as part of their treatment but lack of staff and equipment mean that some patients are missing out. You can get involved by signing the radiotherapy petition to urge the government to make an action plan for radiotherapy.
http://www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/
ourcampaigns/Voice-for-Radiotherapy/
British Heart Foundation: Run a Campaign
The Bristish Heart foundation provides a toolkit to help you set up your own local campaign and help spread the word about the work the British Heart Foundation does.
http://www.bhf.org.uk/publications/view-publication.aspx?ps=1001143
British Heart foundation: Be a campaigner
The British Heart Foundation supports those that have suffered heart problems and researches how they can be treated and prevented. Get involved by becoming a campaigner and sign-up to the campaign eNewsletter to find out where your local fundraising and campaigning events are being held and discover new ways of getting involved.
http://campaigning.bhf.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=57&ea.campaign.id=478
Friends of Balloons
Balloons is a charity dedicated to providing community based support for children, young people and families who have suffered a death or are expecting death. Get involved by joining the 'friends of balloons' group which involves supporting fundraising events, dances and balls and smaller regular events, mail-outs to businesses looking for sponsorship.
http://www.balloons-devon.org.uk/GetInvolved.aspx
Petition: Save the ADVA
The ADVA (Against Domestic Violence and Abuse) bring together the statutory and voluntary agencies within the county to tackle the problem of domestic violence. They help thousands of women and children every year escape violent and life-threatening situations. The Devon County Council have announced plans to drop the ADVA (Against Domestic Violence and Abuse) in April 2011 due to budget cuts. You can support the campaign and reject the budget proposals by signing a petition.
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42189.html
Become a Facebook Activist
Facebook is a social media site that has more than 500 million active users. It can be very useful for getting your cause recognised and spread. Digiactive.org have produced a guide to using Facebook for creating a campaign and covers subjects such as the pros & cons of Facebook activism, steps to organising a campaign and has case studies of successful facebook campaigns.
http://www.digiactive.org/2008/06/28/guide-a-digiactive-introduction-to-facebook-activism/
'Community Day' Campaign
The 'Community Day' campaign wants to create a new bank holiday that is dedicated to communities and volunteering. The Community day would fall during the Autumn half term break in October, breaking the long run of 16 weeks without a holiday between August and Christmas. The aim would be to celebrate the work that voluntary community activity does. Help by signing up to the campaign.
Youth Act: Learn To Create a Campaign
'Youth Act' provide free training for young people who want to gain the skills necessary to create their own campaign. Skills such as problem solving, team building and co-operation, influencing decision makers, communication, fundraising and campaigning will all be looked at to empower younger people.
http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/
main/page.php?198
Cancer Research: Tobacco 'Out of sight out of mind' campaign
Cancer Research UK is a charity dedicated to beating cancer by researching all aspects of the disease and providing information for cancer patients and their families. You can aid in the reduction of cancer by writing to your MP and asking them to put forward a case for putting tobacco out of sight in shops and removing tobacco vending machines to help reduce the number of younger people taking up smoking.
Action for Blind People: fundraising event
'Action for Blind People' make sure that partially sighted people receive help in areas such as finding a job, applying for benefits, housing issues, holiday breaks etc. You can help by organising your own fundraising events and help keep the charity going and growing.
http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/support-us/get-involved/organise-your-own-event,95,SA.html
Save the Children: 'Fairer Education For All' Petition
'Save The Children' aims to improve the lives of children around the world by campaigning for basic education for those that don't have it, protecting orphans and children at risk and trying to lower the death rate. You can help by signing a petition to call on Ministers for Education around the UK to commit to a fairer education for all.
Shared Streets: Campaign in a Box
Shared Streets are areas where the traditional pavement has been removed with the hope of reducing traffic and making a much more 'social' area. Unfortunately, without pavements it is very hard for blind or partially sited people to know where the road begins and the path ends because the traditional path is used as a navigational cue. You can start your own local campaign to help raise awareness of this problem.
Rethink Activist
'Rethink' work to support everyone affected by severe mental illness to recover and gain a better quality of life. Become a 'Rethink' activist and help make a difference by and helping out with campaigns, fundraising, media work, etc.
Organise a campaign
Have your say on local issues that you are passionate about by creating an advertising campaign to draw in the attention of other like-minded people. Find out how to formulate, monitor and organise a campaign.
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