Empowering Communities: NCIA Equitable Partnerships Workshops

The National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA) and Queen Mary University London recently completed a series of three workshops focused on equitable partnerships. Held in London, Sheffield, and virtually, the workshops provided an essential platform for dialogue and collaboration.

Nick Wright, Senior Administrator at NCIA found his first-time attendance at the London workshop enriching, saying, "Being able to interact with people actively involved in grassroots projects across the UK was truly inspiring. Their passion ignited a spark in me, and I left the workshop brimming with new ideas and motivation". Likewise, the NCIA's Nicholas Anderson also shared his experience of the Sheffield workshop, stating that "attendees were discussing practical considerations and solutions to the challenges they all shared in partnership-working in an honest yet also very productive manner."

Rebecca Wildsmith , Project Officer at NCIA, remarked on her experience of the virtual session: "Supporting these workshops has been a great experience. Hearing participants discuss their challenges as well as successes has provided invaluable insights. It has been exciting to learn about some of the best practices that have been adopted."

Sarah Gifford , Civic Engagement Lead at Queen Mary University London, shared her perspective of delivering the workshops, alongside colleague @DaisyPayling: "The Universities and their community partners who have been involved have contributed to really rich discussion on how to enable equitable partnerships within their practice, and it's been great to talk through the challenges and opportunities by doing so in-person."

An anonymous attendee highlighted the collective nature of the challenges faced, stating, "I thought some of the issues I had with my university were unique - they’re not!! Let’s work together!”

These workshops served as a beacon of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community building. They have successfully encouraged and supported equitable partnerships, fostering a spirit of unity and collective growth. We look forward to more such collaborations, striving to make a difference in the community.