How Does It Work? 

Build Action Teams

Smart Local Teams, as described previously are teams which represent different local development themes in the community. Each community may have its own make up of teams. 

Year 1: The main task will be to chat to community people and organisations, explain the program to them and help create the initial local teams. The teams can be grown further at the AGM.

Subsequent Years:  Each year before the AGM, the Smart Local Team is encouraged to go on a local recruitment drive to bring in new members. They may talk to local organisations who may be interested or publicise that they are looking for new members on/offline.

Tip: to thrive in the long-term, a group or committee needs to constantly renew itself by bringing in new members. Success is more likely if the group is widely seen as welcoming and open. To ensure on-going recruitment of committee members with the necessary commitment and skills:

• •  Develop a plan for how to pass on skills 
  • Introduce ‘Membership’ as a new standing agenda item at committee meetings 
  • When looking for new committee members, use mainly one-to-one, personal approaches to individuals. BUT remember that this method risks creating a group drawn only from people who know each other already. To be open and inclusive, you have to use other means too, like  area-based elections and general local advertising
  • If somebody indicates that they might be willing to join your committee in the future, arrange for them to ‘shadow’ a current member for a while: this is especially useful if someone feels they might not have the skills or the time to match what existing members do 
  • Welcome newcomers when they join the group, and designate someone to meet them before and after each of their first few meetings

Community Blitz

The blitz is a 2-4 week period before the AGM where the community undertakes a series of quick-fire activities to get  itself organised for the year ahead. Local residents and organisations can join the blitz, select the areas they are interested in, see the list of activities and help achieve as much as we can. The Blitz is designed under the principals of: 

• • Do what you can
  • Do what interests you
  • Do what you are good at

Thus, everyone is invited to help in whatever small way they can. There are a series of suggested actions, you are invited to select the themes you are interested in, and see how you can help.

General Team Actions: There are actions which are generic to all teams which include: 

• • Team Building: 
    • Invite new members to join
    • Acknowledge & celebrate your teams achievements for the previous year
    • Undertake short, quick enjoyable projects (See Blitz projects)
  • Review Assets Register: 
    • Create a register and annually review key local assets related to this theme.
    • As appropriate, investigate how existing assets could be better maintained or improved 
    • Identify what new assets would benefit the community
    • A full list of possible assets a town may have are listed in the appendices document 
  • Review Stakeholder Register: 
    • Annually undertake an exercise whereby members in unison can create an open invitation for other people to join.
    • Invite all stakeholders to give the feedback on the previous year and their positive ideas for the year ahead

• • Other:
    • Invite all related organisations to join
    • Create a photo library to related assets
    • Prepare a description of the key assets and opportunities for grant applications and PR purposes
    • Prepare a team brochure to encourage greater involvement
    • Prepare a list of project ideas for the coming year – no/low funding
    • Prepare a list of project ideas for the coming year – 2K funding
    • Organise team meeting 
    • Present Team plan at AGM

Theme Specific Actions: There  is also a list of theme-specific actions which the teams are invited to action, eTownz provide a list of such actions.

e.g. Theme Specific Actions: Mental Health 

• • Arrange public awareness talks 
  • Start up seminars offering young people advice on how to maintain and promote their mental health.
  • Publish Older people’s guide to sustainability

Using a map, suggest areas where cycling infrastructure and facilities can be improved. A full list of theme specific actions are listed in the appendices click here

Note: The project helps bring like-minded people and organisations together to better coordinate local activity. The project does not aim to double up on the great work already being done but to help related stakeholders work together. 

Prepare 12 months Plan

After the blitz, eTownz will compile information across the community, compile it into a simple community plan and present it at the AGM. Each team is invited to illustrate the actions they undertook and present their plan for the next 12 months. The “eTownz Community Dashboard” provides a way to coordinate activity from the different local teams and helps compile and update the community plan.

Present at AGM

Each year we propose to hold a community AGM where the various teams will come and: 

• • Present a summary of the project they have worked on
  • Identify the challenges and opportunities related to their area 
  • Provide a summary of planned actions for the coming year

The AGM is open to local residents and representatives from local clubs, business and public services. At the end of the AGM the updated local plan will be agreed upon and everyone from the community is invited to sign to signify the cross community participation involved in executing the plan.

Implement Plan

Each team can then undertake their plan over the course of the year and report back at the AGM. The team can work independently or with the other teams if they wish, calling on them as required. The teams may be very active in identifying and implementing projects as a group. The team can also exist and not undertake many actions throughout the year but simply once per year bring the members together to review the status quo and plan for the year ahead. The teams may:

• • Hold regular team meeting
  • Undertake their projects
  • Help build register of relevant projects in the area (maybe undertaken by others)
  • Undertake relevant local surveys and assessment 
  • The team each year can decide how involved they will be but their one requirement is to prepare a plan each year and present it at the AGM