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Community Empowerment Strategy and Action Plan

Executive Summary - February 2020

This Strategy and Action Plan is an exciting opportunity for citizens, the Council and Community Planning partners to work together in a new way. It's an opportunity to transform West Dunbartonshire's communities - by empowering them.

It will help people to be more active in community life - helping to increase peoples’ individual skills and opportunities, strengthen their communities, and make sure public services reflect community need. 

This Strategy has been developed through discussion and online consultation with residents and community groups across West Dunbartonshire. The next step is for us all to work together to prepare a delivery plan and to empower our communities.

Transforming and empowering communities is not a quick fix solution. It needs local people, the Council, other agencies and community groups to work together to make change happen.

Our Shared Vision

Across West Dunbartonshire, citizens, the Council and other organisations will work together to take decisions and improve neighbourhoods where:

  • Communities shape and influence services.
  • The Council and communities support and trust each other.
  • Community ownership and pride is encouraged and supported.
  • People are active in their communities and citizens of all ages, abilities and backgrounds contribute
    and work together.
  • Individual communities are resilient, involved and live healthy and fulfilling lives.
  • Young people are engaged and become the community leaders of the future.
  • Individuals and communities have fair access to work, wealth, and healthy and fulfilling lives.

An Agenda for Action

The Council, Community Planning partners and the Community Alliance will:

  • Promote understanding of what community empowerment means and how it can help communities do things for themselves and be more influential.
  • Collaborate by creating Empowerment Champions and learning together as residents, staff and Councillors.
  • Build confidence in empowerment by strengthening policy and removing barriers to people taking part.
  • Improve skills and knowledge for empowerment through training for communities and services on how to do it.
  • Adopt and promote the National Standards for Community Engagement to all Community Planning partners.
  • Provide resources for empowerment by ensuring that the spaces, support services and policies we need are in place.

The Delivery Plan

The Delivery Plan will provide more details on how we can all work together to achieve each action within the Strategy.

Ingredients of good community empowerment

  • Collaboration
  • Trust
  • Honesty
  • Information
  • Resources
  • Support
  • Capacity
  • Confidence

For more information on how to get involved contact: empowerment@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Empowerment Strategy and Action Plan

Communications Plan survey results