Since 2002 Investing in Children has been working with children and young people who are diabetic and their local health services to improve the way those services are provided. Evidence of dialogue and evidence of change are at the heart of effective participation, as this example suggests.

A RightSpace interview with Ali Thomas and Paula Jackson-Key from YWCA on the participation of women and girls in local centres and the national organisation.

Reposted from Tim's Blog This evening saw the first 'Big Society Network' open night. The Big Society Network is a new organisation*, linked to, but distinct from, the 'Big Society' as a core discourse in current government policy making. The open night, facilitated as a rather chaotic open space event packed into a small space in the DCLG offices, brought together over 100 people interested in exploring what the Big Society Network was about, and how their work or issues fit with it. Big Society Network CEO Paul Twivy introduced some of the 'big ideas' of the Network - from creating a mutual open to everyone to join that would provide insurance for any volunteering activity, to the terribly framed 'Your Square Mile' concept - and then handed the floor to Steve Moore who led the open space. I was in a group looking at young people in the big society, and promised to blog a few quick notes (some from my comments, others from other's in the groups - apologies for not managing to jot down everyone's names / affiliations) - so here they are:

Jennie recently shared the story of a young people's centre in Baltimore, opened after nine years of young people campaigning, raising funds and working to create a space of their own. Here, in an article reposted from the US National Writing Project, the story is told in more detail.