by Corinna Macfarlane, Involvement and Engagement Officer
The West End of Newcastle has strong local identity that encompasses memories of the early 90’s riots through to the cosmopolitan dining experience that can be found on Westgate Road. It’s a well-documented area: defiant, track-suited kids in the striking documentary photos of Mike Pinter jostle alongside old sketches of Benwell in the Newcastle Western end of cyberspace. And most importantly, it’s a community: one that looks after its own and demands to be heard. But who is listening?
I’ve only recently joined Involve North East (INE), but what strikes me is the commitment of the organisation to reach out to local members of the community. This isn’t always easy. Communities can be suspicious of ‘outsiders’ wanting to know their thoughts and can be rightly sceptical that they will see any changes as a result. The mandate to seek ‘your views’ is now embedded into most public organisations and ‘consultation fatigue’ is probably something we can all identify with. A legacy of governmental neglect in this area of the city throughout the 90s makes this even more difficult.
So, engagement is a harder task that asks us to spend time with those we seek to understand and learn from. In the West End, INE is one of a number of community organisations that understands this. From the West End Women and Girl’s Centre through to George Street Social, the west recognises that local people need to look after each other. INE may be a small charity, but it shares the ethos and commitment of its partners in the area and knows the importance of collaboration among small organisations.
Having arrived at INE by way of the Local Authority, it’s this collaborative aspect that I’m most excited about. As a social worker with adults, I’ve always tried to link people in with community resources as I believe mutual aid: that is, helping each other to help ourselves, is a more enduring and authentic form of support. But even with a wealth of support provided by charities, individuals can still find the initial step of reaching out for help is often the hardest. Or in many cases, struggling with the trust required to accept support when it is offered. Which again takes us back to engagement!
It is this crucial ‘first impression’ and first contact that any professional has to be aware of. Though my role here is as a bit of a bridge: seeking out the views of local communities on changes to services on behalf of third parties, it will still be incumbent on me to remember first impressions count! Although I’ve worked in Newcastle’s West End (and the East End, although that’s another story!) for the best part of 15 years, I’m still an outsider (Pit Yacker if you really want to know). But West Enders are friendly for the most part and don’t hold that against me. Hopefully I can continue returning that kindness and open mindedness in my new role and look forward to many more years kicking about the Benwell terraces.
