Any community project working towards a goal usually needs to acquire knowledge, money and publicity to be able to turn an idea into reality. But finding those resources can use up the most valuable resources of all; that of people’s time and enthusiasm.

Improving society usually requires navigating large and complex bureaucracies. A project can generate a lot of information that needs to be managed amongst many people. It is essential for collaboration that everyone understands who will or can do what as well as why, where and when.

For example; a campaign to provide transport services might need the resources of political representation, funding from charitable bodies, support from other activist groups, contacts in transport operators and transport authorities and others. Each of those organisations will have different roles, remits and boundaries. The campaigners would need to determine the best contacts to approach, map their different remits and see if they can leverage any of the resources.

Suffolk ACRE’s Community Information Project has developed a new toolkit to enable people to be more effective at finding and managing all kinds of resources. Its innovative method creates an overall snapshot and a flexible ‘situation map’ of available resources that highlights the gaps, the duplication and reveals where assets can be leveraged to be most effective.

The CIP toolkit also enables mapping all of the statutory, commercial and charitable services in a given area to ensure fair access for everyone. A snapshot of services in one place can then be accurately compared with another. Auditing services with the CIP method assures that provision isn’t a postcode lottery and makes signposting more efficient. Using the CIP method makes people better skilled at navigating bureaucracy and more effective at community development and information referral.

Suffolk ACRE is offering free workshops in resource mapping with the CIP toolkit to individuals and community groups on Friday mornings starting 20th April 2012 at Halesworth Library IP19 8AD but advance registration is essential.

For more details and to book a place, please contact the Suffolk ACRE Community Information Project as soon as possible.

Contact: Nat Bocking

Email: [email protected]

Mobile 07787 258137

To find out more about Lowestoft College ring 0800 854695