Here at Fazeley Studios with Nick Booth and Gavin Wray from Podnosh on the Social Reporting Training Course . 

With colleagues from Neighbourhood Forums and Community Groups learning about how to blog . Sitting next to Robert from Kings Heath Neighbourhood Forum who has just set up his first blog and near to Peter and Jackie who have just loaded up a sensational photo! Shahida is doing AudioBoo……

Nick explaining that social media not journalism but a great, powerful and fun way of connecting and having conversations in neighbourhoods

19th April

Back again for the second week of the Social Reporting Training – people still turned up even tho’ the sun is shining outside.

This week we are concentrating on the use of flips and adding podcasts on to our blogs….people finding the flips easy and fun to use and now trying to upload. Good stuff…

The Flips are available for loan, free of charge to community groups . Please contact Karen on 0121 675 8519

You might remember that in September we trained a group of people to use Flip cameras and asked them to send us the videos they recorded during Local Democracy Week. We sat down them last week to find out what they’d learned, what they found difficult, and how they’ve been using the videos since.

The video above is just some of the feedback they gave us – you can read a more detailed post about their experiences here.

You’ve already seen some of the results of the Flip training with a number of local citizens, including footage from Local Democracy Week events. Here’s a round-up of some more of the videos submitted, starting with the video above which finds Glyn Selwyn, Chair of Bournbrook Neighbourhood Forum, interviewing people about the litter problem in the Bournbrook area of Selly Oak.

Thanks to being trained in using a Flip camera, Glyn was able to capture evidence of some of the affected areas, as well as reflecting the litter picking work being done by volunteers to combat the issue.

Below, you can see Glyn talking to Steve McCabe – MP for Selly Oak – about the impact of neighbourhood organisations and volunteering. Finally, there’s also a video recorded by Claire Spencer from Chamberlain Forum, gauging responses to Councilor Paul Tilsley’s Chamberlain Forum lecture and discussing how future measures might affect the work being done at ward level.

All of the winners at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

At the Council House last Friday evening (22nd October), a special awards dinner was held to celebrate the nominees for the 2010 Local Hearts Awards, and announce the award winners. Giving praise and recognition for all of the work done by these unsung heroes intheir communities, the evening was hosted by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Michael Wilkes and the Deputy Lady Mayoress, Mrs Vivienne Wilkes and compered by local poets Spoz and Matt Windle.

All of the winners and highly commended nominees received prizes which will help them to continue their great work in the community and help to make future projects become a reality.

The full list of winners includes:

Active Citizen (Male)
Mick Williams

Active Citizen (Female)
Sister Helen Ryan

Active Citizen (Young Person)
Luke McClean

Community Group
Balsall Heath CATS

Young People’s Group
RocNewz

Community Learning
Nick Reynolds

Lifetime Achievement Award
Joan Knowles

You can hear interviews with all of the award winners here. Click here for a full list of the nominees.

Mick Williams, winner of the Active Citizen (Male) Award at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

Winner of the Active Citizen (Male) Award at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards, Mick Williams talks about the commitment to renwable energy sources, and the role that development of organic produce can have as an educational tool for children in the community.

You can hear our interview wth Mick below.

Mick is vice chair of the Shard End and Tile Cross neighbourhood management board and is at the forefront of community activity in Shard End.

He has been instrumental in securing funding from local businesses for the mini Eden Project which has seen the transformation of a derelict site off Gressell Lane into a green organic and renewable energy source site to be enjoyed by all the community as well as an educational base for local schools. He is also involved in a youth community project on Shard End Lake, training up local residents and volunteers in water safety and water awareness, as well as providing a recreational facility for children and young people.

Recently Mick has committed to a six month weekend programme to help supervise the rehabilitation of young offenders working on environmental improvement projects in Shard End.

RocNewz are awarded the prize for Young People's Group at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

The winners of the Young People’s Group Award were RocNewz, the creators of a newsletter aimed at Birmingham’s children in care.

The group selects themes for articles, reports on news, views and events and provides information on issues that affect looked after young people, highlighting their concerns.

The RocNewz reporters undertook their first major roving reporters’ assignment earlier this year at the G2K10, a summer fun consultation event for Birmingham’s children in care.

Nick Reynolds collects the Community Learning Award at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

At the 2010 Local Hearts Awards Nick Reynolds received the prize of the Community Learning Award, sponsored by Residents University and Birmingham City Council’s Take Part programme.

Along with a handful of other residents, Nick Reynolds set up the Roman Way residents’ group in Edgbaston about five years ago. Thanks to Nick’s efforts, the group has gone from strength to strength and is now a community interest company (CIC), with Nick as its company secretary.

Nick never misses an opportunity to learn and to enable others to do so by sharing his knowledge and experience. He sits on the council of the Resident University, which provides a programme of events and learning opportunities for people who live and work in Birmingham’s neighbourhoods.

To hear our interview with Nick in full, click on the arrow below.

Sister Helen Ryan collects her award for Active Citizen (Female) at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

Sister Helen Ryan sums up the impact of her work and that of fellow volunteers as social cohesion, and helping the most vulnerable people in communities is clearly at the forefront of this. Sister Helen was talking to us after accepting her award for Active Citizen (Female) at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards. You can hear the interview in full below.

Sister Helen Ryan is Director of St Mary’s Convent of Mercy in Handsworth and Chair of Governors at St Frances School in Lozells.

St Mary’s Convent has an open door to people asking for support and Sister Helen works tirelessly to help and support vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community, including vulnerable women, asylum seekers and refugees.

Sister Helen is a great example of leadership and an encourager of cohesion in an ethnically and religiously diverse community.

Representatives of Balsall Heath CATS at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

Nazreen Bi, of Balsall Heath Children Action Team Support (CATS), talks on behalf of the organisation about the origins of the organisation and the impact of young volunteers on the work they do, as well as how they serve children and families in the local area. Nazreen’s passion for the work is obvious during the interview, and it’s clear why the organisation is held in such high esteem within the community.

Balsall Heath CATS is a voluntary group that provides inclusive play opportunities for disabled children and their families.

The group was established to provide opportunities for a number of local children and families that were isolated and excluded from mainstream services because of their additional needs and were struggling to find support.

Through their work and activities, Balsall Heath CATS has created a lifeline for these families by supporting children and their families at home through engaging them in play activities and by taking children on trips and to community centres and other facilities.

Luke McClean at the 2010 Local Hearts Awards

Visibly thrilled with his award, Luke McClean beamed while talking about some of the projects he’s been active in, including a community cafe and a youth club for young people, as well as his future as a social entrepreneur. Asked about how it feels to win an award, he grinned:

“You don’t do it to get an award and you don’t do it to get anything out of it; you do it because you see people’s faces and the kids are so enthusiastic. It’s such a buzz and it makes you feel amazing.”

Luke, aged 19, from Castle Vale, is a committed and dedicated volunteer who gives up large amounts of his time to help his local community.

He started Young Stars, a group for children and young people aged 8 to 16 years old, using music, drama and dance to build confidence and self-esteem and address difficult issues that some young people face.

Luke has organised numerous activities to raise money for local and national charities. He is now developing a social enterprise community café to provide a meeting place for individuals and groups in Castle Vale where they can also access organisations who can provide services tailored to their individual needs.

You can see more about Luke’s work by watching the video below: