A meeting at the Welcome Centre this afternoon involving Manjula Sood (our Chair), Tony Nelson (our Vice-Chair), myself and Peter Bradley from Speakers' Corner Trust about Local Democracy Week.
Leicester City Council's Adult Learning and Skills Service is charged by the City Council with "targetting activities to engage people in local democratic processes". The Service hopes for a strong presence from local organisations who are committed to public debate and the potential of informal adult learning.
Most of the text below comes from "The Speaker's Corner Initiative and Leicester City Council: A Programme for Local Democracy Week", a briefing note written by Peter Bradley.
Introduction
Speakers’ Corner Trust (SCT) is a registered charity which promotes public debate and active citizenship as a means of revitalising civil society in the UK (and supporting its development in emerging democracies). Its work includes both the promotion of local projects and the development of national programmes, many of which provide resources and support for the projects.
At local level, SCT typically works in the first instance with local authorities to recruit local stakeholders to independent Speakers’ Corner Committees which in due course take ownership of the project.
Their work might include the establishment of permanent Speakers’ Corners in public spaces as platforms for free expression and exchange (and potent symbols of citizens’ rights) but their priority will always be to stimulate and support public deliberation and debate.
At the heart of each local initiative lies a programme of events designed by the local Committee to reach every community in its area. They could include debates led by local interest groups, consultations mounted by public services or local politicians or discussions stimulated by academics or others on subjects from the global to the local to the cultural.
The central principle in all these events is that they should be accessible to all, strictly non-partisan and non-adversarial, welcome diversity and seek to inform opinion, identify common ground – and, as often as possible, enrich and entertain.
SCT’s approach is based on the belief that association between citizens and the free, face-to-face exchange of ideas, information and opinions - with each other as well as with the decision-takers among them - is a key to rebuilding trust and participation in governance and sustaining vibrant, cohesive communities.
Leicester City Council has been awarded ‘lead accountable body’ status (LAB) with the responsibility, as envisaged in the previous Government’s The Learning Revolution white paper, for developing a local partnership, vision and plan for informal adult education which encourages and enables people to continue learning throughout their lives. Among the tasks identified as priorities for LABs is “targeting activities to engage people in local democratic processes”.
This brief paper outlines proposals for a programme of activities which the Council, with SCT and other local partners, will undertake during Local Democracy Week (15-19 October). The proposal has been framed so that the programme can comprise either a self-contained initiative or the prelude to a longer term Speakers’ Corner project.
The Proposal
SCT proposes to work with the Council and other key stakeholders in Leicester, including other public services, the education sector, voluntary organisations, community groups and the business community, to organise a range of ‘Speakers’ Corner’ events during the course of Local Democracy Week. In broad terms, the aim of the programme will be to
- involve as wide as possible a cross section of Leicester’s communities in the discussion and debate of a range of issues of importance to them;
- provide platforms for sectors of Leicester’s community which are seldom heard;
- create opportunities for constructive engagement between the public and local policy makers and decision takers.
Developing the Initiative
As outlined above, SCT promotes its local projects by forming Speakers’ Corner Committees made up of representatives of the public, private and voluntary sectors which ‘own’ and steer them. The credibility of the Committees as authoritative but independent bodies representing the broad community is essential to the success of the Speakers’ Corner initiative.
As this project is time-limited (though it is hoped that it may give rise to a longer term initiative), SCT will as a priority work with the Council to identify potential members of a steering committee (rather than a fully fledged Speakers’ Corner Committee) which could include representatives of
- the City Council (possibly both Member and officer)
- the Leicester Partnership
- other public services (the police/PCT)
- the education sector (higher/further/secondary)
- the CVS
- local arts organisations (in particular theatre)
- local media (in particular local daily paper)
- the multifaith forum
- trades council (if appropriate)
- chamber of commerce (if appropriate)
An Outline Programme
The Democracy Week programme could, subject to further discussion and the steering committee’s approval, comprise a launch event in a prominent open air city centre location (perhaps with appropriate historic associations); a series of events throughout the week in different locations including perhaps
- the Council Chamber
- neighbourhood community centres
- schools
- places of work
- places of worship
Developing Partnerships
While the City Council will have a key coordinating and promotional role to play, much of the organisation of the events could be undertaken by other bodies, particularly those which should especially benefit from the initiative.
There are extensive networks of voluntary groups and organisations in every community. Most have important issues and causes to promote but many struggle to be heard. The Speakers’ Corner project is designed to provide them with an important platform in return for which the groups themselves will often take the lead in organising events, suggesting topics, securing speakers (and sometimes venues) and advertising the initiative among their membership and mailing lists.
Particularly if they have sufficient notice so that their participation can be included in their curriculum planning, schools and colleges are also often keen to participate in Speakers’ Corner events. At the launch of the Lichfield project, for example, students from three secondary schools spoke on a range of issues and several volunteered to speak again on the project’s first anniversary.
Universities also represent very considerable resources in terms of their intellectual capacities, student populations, facilities and potential as venues.
The press and media are also important partners, both as potential participants and in the promotion and reporting of events.
The Launch Event
As suggested above, the programme could be launched at an event in Leicester’s city centre. SCT is currently developing a mobile Speakers’ Corner which could provide a platform both here and subsequently at local (indoor) events.
The central event could comprise:
- an introductory speech on the theme of Democracy Week by the Council Leader
- a brief speech on the importance of free/self expression by a local celebrity
- contributions from young people from local schools
- contributions from members of the public
- an element of performance/entertainment
‘Local’ Debates
The steering committee would be responsible for determining the number of events and subjects for debate which are likely to reflect the city’s diverse communities and sectors and feature topics which will include though not necessarily be limited to local issues.
The summary below describes the events held on a single day at the launch of the Speakers’ Corner project in Nottingham and illustrates the range of topics, venues, formats and times which can be used to attract different target audiences.
Listening to Mothers – a discussion at Community Centre in Bulwell on the challenges of parenthood and the needs of young mothers. Representatives of the City Council and the Primary Care Trust came to listen and learn and by the end of the event, the mothers had set up a self-help group.
The Best of Both Worlds – a packed discussion in the Council Chamber in which older people talked about the advantages of modern living and younger people speculated about how life might have been better in past times. The debate was such a success that it overran by half an hour.
Common Ground – a discussion which was chaired by a Muslim woman and took place in a Synagogue bringing together members of Nottingham’s Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Baha’i and Christian communities to discuss the articles of faith and principle which unite Britain’s mainstream religions.
Future Gazing – a discussion in the Council House led by four distinguished academics on the direction in which science and technology are taking us, how they may change our lives and how we may have to change our thinking and our values both to exploit and control progress.
Getting the Best Out of Our Neighbourhoods – in a Community Centre in Sneinton, in which members of the local community asked, what are the strengths of our community and how can we play to them? What do we need to improve the quality of life in the short, medium and long terms?
The Future of Football – in the Council House, uniting Nottingham Forest and Notts County fans and a panel including the former Forest player and manager Frank Clark to ask what’s right and wrong with football? Do the fans get what they deserve? What will it take for England to win again? What changes would make football a better experience?
Less formal events could also contribute to the programme. At open air People’s Hustings organised by Speakers’ Corner Committees in Bristol, Nottingham, Lincoln and Lichfield in the run-up to the 2010 general election, local voluntary groups took centre stage by setting the agenda for the politicians who responded to their priorities for public policy and local action on issues as diverse as recycling, social enterprise, homelessness, overseas aid, debt, barriers to employment and environmental protection.
The mobile Speakers’ Corner could be used in a number of locations to provide a platform for local voluntary and community groups as well as members of the public.
Public Speaking Workshops
Everyone has good ideas and strong opinions. But few have the confidence or experience to communicate them to others. Wherever SCT works, it seeks the support of local theatres in providing training for members of the public in the skills required to speak confidently and effectively in public.
For example, free workshops have been conducted at the Nottingham Playhouse, Lichfield’s Garrick Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic at which professional actors and trainers have coached members of the public in the techniques of speaking in public and several have subsequently spoken at their local Speakers’ Corner.
It is hoped that theatres in Leicester might also be prepared to
- run free workshops for members of the public who would be asked to perform at the launch event; these could take place at the theatre and/or in community centres or schools;
- run free/subsidised workshops in participating schools;
- perhaps help secure a celebrity for the launch event.
Creating a Record
Securing a record of some at least of the discussions and debates would be a distinct advantage, particularly if they focus on issues of public policy.
The local Universities and Colleges are likely to have media studies departments which may be able, with sufficient notice, to include in their course work assignments either to film and/or to create a documentary treatment of the initiative.
The Longer Term
Much of the work required to plan and organise the Democracy Week initiative could also contribute to the establishment of a permanent Speakers’ Corner project in the city. Indeed, if the October events are successful, there may well be demand for more.
In designing the initial programme of events, it would be sensible to keep in mind the potential for further developing the project over the longer term.
The Next Steps
The first priority is to consult with and secure the support and participation of key stakeholders in Leicester, set up a steering committee and begin to plan the scope of the programme for Local Democracy Week.
Find out more about Speakers' Corner Trust:
http://www.speakerscornertrust.org/
