Steering Group OverviewMoira Blood & Helen Barnes

• Bid for I&GP fundingi) Housing Market Renewal lead ii) Number of interventions in

Pathfinder area iii) Impact of cohesion activity

• Board set up to provide strategic overview • Steering Group to deliver the project

i) Range of partnersii) Clear focus on evaluation

• Promoting cohesion in areas of existing housing where cohesion appeared to be weak

• Promoting cohesion in mixed tenure new build developments

• Evaluation techniques – how to measure cohesion and the impact of projects

• Thinking through the whole process from need to evaluation

• Designing & selecting interventions

• Responding to changes in circumstances or focus

• Research & evaluation

• Input from a range of disciplines and perspectives

• High quality project management

• Partnership working at its best

Impact of design on cohesion in a number of new build developments including

• The impacts of consultation process on new and existing residents

•  How shared spaces may have improved community cohesion at schemes where they did not exist

New Build and Cohesion

• Linking private development with the rest of the estate

• Integrating residents in a new block of flats with each other and their surrounding area

Philosophy for Communities

• Open discussion sessions with targeted individuals

• Creates a safe environment for wide ranging discussion

• Builds bridges between participants

• Wanted to evaluate P4C as a tool

Dance, Sports and Creative Arts

• Intergenerational dance sessions

• Sports sessions for young people with adult volunteers

• Use of creative arts to explore cultural identity and differences

Conflict awareness training

• Working with community groups to help them deal with conflict

• Linking two community groups from adjacent areas who do not mix

Cohesion Counts Impact Evaluation

Lisa Hall & Kathryn CrowtherYork Consulting LLP

Cohesion Counts Evaluation Overview

• YCL commissioned in May 2009; Focus on “Real-Time” Evaluation

• Impact Evaluation Report covers:

– Good Relations Oldham: Conflict Awareness Training and Bridge Building Project

– Groundwork: Multi Sports and Dance-Uni

– Spiral Dance – Folkways in Falinge

• And:

– Philosophy for Communities

– First Choice Homes Oldham Linking Project

– Limeside and Clarkwell Linking Communities Project

“Transforming neighbourhoods to improve peoples’ lives”

Evaluation, Evaluation, EvaluationIMPACT

• Real-time: Responsibility split between Steering Group and YCL

• Impact Evaluation Report covers:

– Aim 1: to improve residents’ satisfaction with the neighbourhood in which they live;

– Aim 2: to improve resident’s sense of belonging to their street, neighbourhood and Borough;

– Aim 3: to improve residents’ perceptions of living in communities mixed by age, tenure, property types, areas of the neighbourhood, and social and ethnic backgrounds;

– Aim 4: to improve relationships within neighbourhoods between residents mixed by age, tenure, property types, areas of the neighbourhood and social and ethnic backgrounds; and

– Aim 5: to encourage residents to build relationships with people from different backgrounds from themselves through meeting and talking in a variety of places.

Good Relations Oldham: Conflict Awareness Training and Bridge Building Project

• Project Refocused

• Evaluation

– Impact on Relationships: Volunteers, Committee Members; User Groups and Participant Personal Development

– Breaking down barriers and building inter community links

• Activities

– Pre and Post Questionnaires; One-to-one Consultations

• Impacts

– Belonging: Skills development to deal with situations of conflict and support their local communities

– Perceptions: become more aware of different cultures, opinions and lifestyles

– Relationships: inter and intra linking of communities

Groundwork: Multi-Sports and Dance Uni

• Evaluation

– Impact on breaking down barriers and perceptions; change in negative behaviours; forming relationships.

• Activities

– Pre and Post Questionnaires; One-to-one Consultation; Mood Boards; Scenario Testing

• Impacts:

– Satisfaction – expanded use of community facilities; engagement in secure and safe, healthy and creative activities

– Perceptions – Volunteers and Young people felt people from different backgrounds could get along well together

– Relationships – Develop skills and meet with other people, older and younger

Philosophy for Communities

• Evaluation

– Impact: contribution towards improving community cohesion on the Alt in Oldham and Kirkholt in Rochdale estates.

• Activities

– Pre and Post Questionnaires; One-to-one Consultation; questionnaires, Blog activity

• Impacts

– Satisfaction: encourage communication and understanding between groups

– Belonging: ability to influence local-decision making; confidence to speak out

– Relationships: Opportunity to meet with people and address stereotypes

Spiral Dance: Folkways in Falinge

• Evaluation

– Impact on raising awareness of issues around community cohesion and hate crime, breaking down barriers between different social groups

– Change in negative stereotypes and preconceptions.

• Activities

– Pre and Post Questionnaires; One-to-one Consultations; Graffiti Walls; Scenario testing; Story-telling

• Impacts:

– Belonging: Showcase of activities to wider Rochdale area

– Perceptions: Benefits of having a mix of older and younger people in an area

– Relationships: Positive experiences considering people from different ages and backgrounds

Limeside and Clarkwell: Linking Communities Project

• Post- Evaluation

– Long-Term Impact on bringing the two communities together and working towards building friendships

– Changed perceptions of each other’s cultures.

• Activities

– One-to-one/paired Consultations; Secondary Data

• Impacts:

– Positive perceptions of people from different ethnicities, ages and backgrounds

– Opportunity to ask questions, share best practice, consider different approaches and opinions

– Broke down barriers and stigma

– Extremely positive start but longer-term momentum/ sustainability needed

Cohesion Counts Impact Evaluation Report

• Additional Impacts of the projects on Individuals and Communities

• Best practice:

– using efficient and effective methodologies and approaches to get individuals interacting with the projects; and

– the steering group and support networks that were created as a result of the programme.

• Lessons Learnt:

– evaluation engaged from the outset: Real-Time; clear steer and focus

– delivering impacts under time pressure

• Sustainability

• www.cohesioncounts.org.uk

Cohesion Counts Impact Evaluation

Questions:

lisa.hall@yorkconsulting.co.uk & kathryn.crowther@yorkconsulting.co.uk

York Consulting LLP