Our work with regeneration practitioners

In September 2006, Oldham City Council joined staff from nine other organisations in the North West of England to explore how they could improve their regeneration work by understanding and acting on gender inequalities. After taking part in Oxfam’s ReGender training, the regeneration department developed plans to make positive changes to their services, and support their colleagues and partner organisations to do the same. This included re-writing their community consultation and engagement guidance to include advice on how to engage with women and men more sucessfully using gender aware methods.

Supporting women to participate more in local decision-making structures

Work has begun in Oldham with the Council Community Development and Diversity Team, the local volutary sector network body, and the lead councillor on community cohesion to increase the representation of women in the community network and Local Strategic Partnership structures. Continuing focus groups are working to identify what the issues are for women locally, and how they could be supported to engage more in boards and forums, in particular focusing on BME women’s participation in local decision-making.

The team also supported Oxfam in piloting its Into the Lions Den toolkit with local Asian women's group Fatima Women’s Association. The pilot built the confidence of the group and has in turn led to them being able to speak to the local council and have a say in establishing a children’s centre.  

The group have now gone on to take part in a Women into Leadership project, which aims to get more women onto decision-making bodies in Oldham, some of which have regeneration as an explicit focus, and some of which do not. These include Community Councils, school Governor boards and a variety of other bodies.

 

 

ReGender is supported by the Big Lottery Fund.