“CA:MK put people at the heart of what they do. Believing in the potential of individuals and communities. Balancing supporting with standing back”

Here at Community Action: MK we support the amazing work happening in and around Milton Keynes’ communities, we support local people to take action in their community whether part of a charity, a community group or an individual looking to make a difference.

Which Communities are we working in?

Community Mobilisers

Community Mobilisers (CMs) are community-based workers who support people to have a voice in their community, contribute and enjoy life in the places they live.  The CM approach is based upon the premise that residents are the experts about what they need and want and should be supported to play an active role in decision making.  CMs work with a wide-range of agencies and partners to support people to share their needs, identify appropriate solutions and develop, deliver and commission services in a sustainable way. At the same time as working in a specific community, CMs have the opportunity to be involved in supporting the delivery of other projects that Community Action: MK is involved with.

Dialogue Reports

We collect dialogue from community members in the areas we work. We use this to understand what ideas, issues and interests local people are expressing about their neighbourhoods, and report this each month. This allows us to build an up to date picture of what residents within communities need and want and convey this to local agencies and stakeholders.

Open University Evaluations of the CM Service

The Open University undertook a longitudinal, qualitative evaluation of the Community Mobiliser (CM) Service over the course of three years from 2005 to 2008. The interim reports home in on the various aspects of the CM service, with an executive summary produced in 2009. The Open University were asked to follow this up in 2011 with a further study and report to identify how the approaches had been refined and adapted over time to meet other agendas.