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Shropshire & Telford Arts Partnership
 

Community Games

COMMUNITY GAMES SUPPORT PROGRAMME: BRIEFING NOTE

INTRODUCTION

The West Midlands County Sports Partnership Network and its partners[1] have been commissioned to provide a programme of support for local organisations who wish to deliver their own Community Games. The purpose of this Briefing Note is to explain to all potential partners how this support programme will develop over the coming months.

COMMUNITY GAMES - WHAT IS IT?

'Community Games' is part of the West Midlands' Legacy Trust programme that aims to leave a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Community Games programme is a very exciting concept which has the potential to 'touch' the lives of West Midlands people providing many of them with their own personal "Olympic moment".  The Community Games programme is about encouraging and enabling communities across the West Midlands to stage their own community events, drawing on the inspiration of Dr William Penny Brookes' Wenlock Olympian Games (which started in 1850 and were themselves an inspiration for the Modern Olympic Games).

The vision is for the Community Games programme is to create a region-wide street-level celebration of sporting and cultural abilities, run by communities for communities.  The defining characteristics of a Community Games are:

  • They are driven and shaped by a community
  • They feature a combination of sporting and cultural activities
  • They include some sort of ceremony, ideally an opening and/or closing ceremony
  • They encompass the following values:
  • Inclusive, accessible to all, and ideally free of charge for participants
  • Cross-generational
  • Reflecting the values of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
  • Involving young people, both as participants and as decision makers
  • Reflecting diversity and internationalism
  • Utilising digital media to engage new people
  • To increase the aspiration of communities.

The programme aims to engage 100,000 people through 500 Community Games over the duration of the project.

As Partnerships the WM CSPs recognise the potential to engage key local partners particularly in the promotion and support to community groups.  As such we are interested in your views on both the potential interest amongst community groups that you work with and your ability / capacity to work on the 'Community Games' programme.

TOOLKIT

A toolkit has been produced and is currently available for those community organisations that are ready to get started.  It can be accessed through this link: http://www.wmfor2012.com/community-games

PROGRAMME SUPPORT - ROUTE TO SUCCESS

The route to market identifies the key players at the different levels whose involvement is critical for the Community Games programme to succeed and be sustained.  The key players and their respective roles, which be mobilised into action, are summarised below.

Community Games Team West Midlands

Key Players

Role

Project Management Board

Regional leaders & champions with influence and extensive networks

Community Games Leader Officers

Co-ordinating programme in each sub region and for Street Games

Community Games Tutors / Mentors

Deliver training to Community Games Organisers & volunteers

Community Games Ambassadors

High profile personalities for championing Community Games events 

Community Games Advocates

Local partners to target & engage community groups

Community Games Organisers (CGOs)

Promote and manage a Community Games

Community Games Volunteers

Contribute to delivery of a Community Games

Community Games Participants

Enjoy and be inspired by a Community Games

Key Players will be:

  • 1 Project Management Group
  • 24 Community Games Trainers / Mentors
  • 30 Community Games Ambassadors
  • 7 Community Games Lead Officers 
  • 100 Community Games Advocates
  • 200 Community Games Organisers
  • 5,000 Community Games Volunteers
  • 100,000 Community Games Participants

 A SUB REGIONAL APPROACH

The six County Sports Partnerships are leading this support in the West Midlands covering: Birmingham; the Black Country; Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire; Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin; and Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent.  Each of the County Sports Partnerships in the West Midlands has identified a member of staff who will lead and co-ordinate effort in their sub region.  This approach is designed to encourage local diversity whilst reflecting the regional impetus.

SUPPORT PROGRAMME

The WM Legacy Trust is not able to offer organisations/groups financial support to run their own Community Games.  Support will be given to build capacity in communities to deliver activities through:

  • Local advocates and advisers who can help to shape ideas 
  • Free access to training on how to organise successful events
  • On-line access to the Community Games web site including a toolkit with ideas and tips for developing events and examples of what others are doing
  • Promotion and marketing templates and resources
  • A monthly newsletter with information and news on what's happening elsewhere
  • A helpline if organisations get stuck or want to know who best to contact in their area

During the summer the support programme will be designed, tested and refined and will be available for local communities to access from September 2010.

COMMUNITY GAMES MANAGEMENT

A WM Community Games Management Group will be responsible for giving direction, making strategic decisions and reviewing progress.  This Group will be supported and influenced by an Operational Group of Lead Officers and the existing CSP Directors and Marketing and Communication Forums.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

As a Community Games Advocate: Our first priority is to recruit Community Games Advocates, who are organisations (and individuals within organisations) who work with target community groups and are able to recognise the wider value/benefit/potential for community groups to engage with the Community Games programme, e.g. Rural Community Councils, local authority leisure services, School Sport Partnerships, Arts Development teams, community development officers, officers, Library services, Scout Associations etc. 

 As a Community Games Ambassador: Our Ambassadors will be local 'stars' who would be available to open Games, talk to the media and generally champion the Community Games within the local area.

 As a Community Games Trainer or Mentor: Our Trainers and Mentors are experienced professionals who understand and are respected within local communities and have a good track record of:

  • Organising and promoting community 'participation' events
  • Training and enabling community groups / partners
  • Applying for the Inspire Mark
  • Attracting external funding
  • Working with volunteers.

 If you feel that you can fulfil one of these roles please sign up to the programme by contacting the Lead Officer for your area.

LEAD OFFICERS

The County Sports Partnership Lead Officers are:

Birmingham - Tom McIntosh (tel: 0121 464 2027; e-mail: thomas.r.mcintosh@birmingham.gov.uk)

Black Country - Joanne Taylor (tel: 013 844 71139; e-mail: joanne_taylor@blackcountryconsortium.co.uk)

Herefordshire and Worcestershire - Sarah Mackay (tel: 0190 585 5543; e-mail: s.mackay@worc.ac.uk )

Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire - Tracy Murphy (tel: 02476 574441; e-mail: T.Murphy@warwick.ac.uk)

Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin - Alison Evans (tel: 0174 325 5091; e-mail: alison.j.evans@shropshire.gov.uk)

Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent - Chris Turner (tel: 0178 561 9681; e-mail: cturner@staffordbc.gov.uk

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