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Section Three: Active and influential communities
Active and influential communities: resources that support communities to be active and to have more influence
Much of the purpose behind capacity building work is to help equip communities to become more influential, and to be better able to influence the policies and decisions that affect the quality of community life. To be effective in this area, communities and community organisations need to understand policy and practice as it affects their interests, and have the ability to organise so that they can have some power and control over the decisions that are taken. We were surprised at the dearth of good, recent Scottish or UK material on campaigning and effective strategies to achieve change, and have concluded that this is an area where further work may be necessary. Of the material that is available, the BBC's A to Z of Campaigning is the most comprehensive and accessible resource.
Key resources
- A to Z of Campaigning, BBC Action Network
- Recommended resources
- The Organizing Game, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (California)
- The ICT for Communities programme, Learning & Teaching Scotland
- Understanding the Policy Maze, Peter Taylor, CHEX / NHS Health Scotland
- Community Planning Toolkit, The Poverty Alliance
- Lobbying politicians and policy makers - an introduction to influencing, Voluntary Arts Network
Other resources
- Scottish Parliament Information Service ( SPICE)
- The Campaigning Handbook, Directory of Social Change
- Pressureworks, Christian Aid
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