Partnerships work is about building relationships with people and organisations, making links and joining the dots and bringing people together to make things happen. By connecting, sharing, working together there is a greater understanding of each other and a strengthening of bonds which helps to make things happen and change things for the better.
During the pandemic, we have seen some heart-warming examples of partnership working. People and groups organising themselves and coming together to support other people and communities. An example of this is the Homelessness Food Delivery Service, volunteers and organisations coming together to support some of the most vulnerable people in society.
A piece of Partnerships work that Action Together in Rochdale has been able to support during the pandemic is the continuation of our Grassroots Gatherings. Instead of face-to-face they have moved to an online platform. We have been hosting this every Friday morning since April. This is a regular time and a place when voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations can come together and share what they have been doing, give updates, make requests for what they need and make offers of what they can give or share with others.
Each week in the Grassroots Gatherings there is new information, new discussions and new links made as well as a feeling of support and solidarity for each other. There have been many examples of networking and collaboration such as the distribution of the GMCA Creative Care kits for young people in different communities across the borough.
If you would like to join us at a future Grassroots Gathering here is the link
Another piece of Partnership work that has come about as a direct result of the Grassroots Gathering is the Digital Tech Library Consortium. Discussions about how some people are ‘digital excluded’ and isolated from accessing online services and activities as they do not have access to digital equipment. A brilliant group of voluntary sector partners came together with support from Action Together Partnership Co-ordinator to form a consortium and secured funding to purchase new tablets which will be loaned out for people to use with support from a Digital Champion if needed. A wonderful offer and we look forward to seeing this project and consortium flourish.
For more information about Partnerships work in Rochdale, contact Suzanne.vincent@actiontogether.org.uk