Community Links is an innovative east London charity, running a wide range of community services and projects for all ages.
Founded in 1977, they now work with 30,000 local people each year supporting children, young people, adults and families, in 60 different projects. They share the learning nationally with government, other practitioners and the media to generate social change.
The community organisers would sit in their community development team, a small but experienced team of people who know Newham and its population well. Community Links is a locally trusted organisation deeply rooted in the local community. Over the last 10 years this team has penetrated those very isolated communities of Newham and engaged, empowered and inspired local people to play a part and make a difference in their neighbourhoods. They have built sustainable networks within the borough and given residents the skills and confidence to go on and build their own networks.
Newham has an ever-evolving demography and it has been the intent of Community Links to build the resilience of the static population so they are able to respond positively to the changes around them. Door by door, block by block and estate by estate community development, supported by training for local people in community leadership has transformed the lives of many.
Community Links will work with Locality and partners to develop the programme – by offering Community Links training programmes like Everyday Innovators, evaluation of Community Links’ kickstarter process and sharing the learning nationally with practitioners, policymakers and the press.
