"St Leonards Sharing" Objectives Present membership of the Consortium Invitation to other organisations/interests in St Leonards to join the Consortium

"St Leonards Sharing" Objectives

The “St Leonards Sharing” Consortium exists to generate optimum partnerships which deliver services in St Leonards on Sea that:

1. Increase interaction between people who do not ordinarily meet, such that greater understanding and trust is built.

2. Share resources within the community, not least of which is the encouragement of privately owned resources to be increasingly made available to others in the community by promoting initiatives such as streetbank etc and making resources offered on-line more accessible to those who do not use the internet.

3. Encourage the recognition, development and offering of skills in the community through the process of timebank brokerage, or similar initiatives.

4. Promote wellbeing, initially with reference to the “5 ways of wellbeing” as published by the New Economics Foundation and combining these with learning from the St Leonards Community in the development of local wellbeing groups

5. Share understanding of ways to work constructively with difference and empower people in handling their own differences with others such that 'systemic win' is in mind, opening up possibilities not just for 'win-win' between individuals but also for a stronger community for having worked through and learned from the differences between individuals.

6. Encourage the development of local community-based caring structures, enabling individuals to have more choice in how their care needs are met.

7. Generate creativity in relation to how St Leonards becomes a more “caring and sharing place”.

Present membership of the Consortium

“St Leonards Sharing” Consortium

This organisation presently has five member organisations:

Freelending CIC

• promoting sharing between households & recognised as a leader in it's field by possibly the leading sustainability think tank: “Forum for the Future”

Mediation Support Ltd

• A not-for-profit organisation, built on experience of working within the national charity for supporting mediation in the community, providing a range of innovations in community engagement.

Restorative Technology Ltd

• arising out of the winning project of “The Social Innovation Camp 2010” (judged by representatives from the Youth Justice Board, Police Improvement Agency, Prison Reform Trust & Foyer Housing federation)

Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness

• The leading local group in a new national organisation for promoting the wellbeing agenda, in terms of personal actions and community action.

The Centre for Peaceful Solutions

•  A charity providing “Dialogue Road map” training in St Leonards, built on work with the founder of the nonviolent communication process, on work in schools, on conflict clinics, on divorce mediation work and preventing gang violence and (gun) murder in the London Borough of Brent. The centre for Peaceful Solutions was initially established with Treasury “Invest to Save” funding.

Invitation to other organisations/interests in St Leonards to join the Consortium

The “St Leonards Sharing” Consortium's lead organisation is Freelending Community Interest Company and the consortium are keen to engage with other partners in the delivery of community projects that promote the consortium aims, so is not intending to close it's membership. The criteria for entry of a new organisation into the consortium is the consent of the representatives of all other organisations. It is intended to exist always as a partnership subject to changes in membership as possibilities for optimum delivery of services to the community unfold.

If you want to see what we can offer -or join without knowing this yet- please provide an indication of what your project is and what support you are seeking.

We aim to support organisations (& foster a consortium) in being more effective and achieving something useful, whilst building community in the process.

All organisations join the consortium with a commitment to “deep democracy”* ways of working, whereby the dissenting voices to any proposal are valued and worked with creatively. Mediation is used as the next step for resolving any difficulties. The lead organisation, Freelending CIC, provides a facilitator for all meetings or invites another member organisation so to do, holds all funds for the consortium and is the final arbiter of any matters of difference between member organisations.

Please also note Freelending CIC equalities and inclusion policy

*also see www.deeperdemocracy.blogspot.com, where trainings in South East England in 2012 will be offered by Mediation Support Ltd & partners. (Subscribe to Mediation Support Ltd updates here to stay informed)