October 10, 2023
It’s October which for us is a time of celebration and reflection as we are nearing our 3rd birthday at the end of the month. It’s also traditionally been a time of the year when co-creation projects that we have been working on for a while (like our new strategy) get launched and we continue to build on foundations we have all laid together. On that note to strengthen those foundation if you have not signed up to our monthly newsletter yet to be kept up to date with all our latest news and ways to get involved, please take minute to do this now.
As we discussed in our blog in June ,we have been working on recruiting six people to join our Allies Group. Interviews were conducted last month, and we will be sharing about the new Allies Group Members who have been successfully appointed in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!
In September, we made significant progress on 'Our Direction 2023-2028,' our forthcoming strategy that embodies our vision for the future and our planned approach to achieving it. After over a year of dedicated development and valuable input from our Co-Production Collective community through workshops and feedback sessions, we now have a nearly complete draft of the strategy and look forward to sharing it with you at our 3rd birthday celebrations on 31 October. You can read more about how we developed the strategy through a series of events in our previous blog.
We took part in the NIHR ARC North Thames research showcase, where we witnessed the impactful work they're doing to improve the health and care of North Thames communities through diverse research initiatives. The event featured presentations, interactive installations, and insightful discussions, providing insights into their key research themes and commitment to involving the community in their work.
We attended the launch of the Anti-Racist Partnership agreement held by the Centre for Equity and Inclusion at the University of Sheffield, co-produced by artist and legal practitioner Jack Tan with Centre partners and postgraduates of colour. Jack produced a visual contract that reimagined conventional legal clauses through the lens of global majority cultures and traditions, as well as anti-racist, black feminist and decolonial theory. You can learn more about this innovative project, how it was co-produced as well as see what was created by reading this blog.
As we approach our Co-Production Collective's 3rd birthday, we are thrilled to invite you to a special event, that will take place on 31 Oct between 12:00 - 13:30 (UK time) on Zoom. Join us as we launch our co-created new strategy, and discuss the implications of this strategy for our future and the future of co-production. We'll also provide updates on our website redevelopment and our commitment to anti-racism work, seeking your valuable input. We'll cap off the event with a birthday celebration and an opportunity for you to share your reflections. You can find out more about the event and book your ticket on our Eventbrite page. We look forward to seeing you there. Whether you are able to join us at our birthday celebration or not, if you would like to wish us Happy Birthday you can do this by signing our online birthday card which will be shared with our community.
This month we’ll be delivering the third and final session to our third cohort of students on the UCL Mental Health Science PhD exploring the practicalities of co-production inaction. This is a course we have been supporting since October2020, helping students grasp the essence of co-production and empowering them to include real-life experiences in their research, which we feel contributes to a more inclusive and effective approach to mental health studies. You can read more about our involvement in this programme in this blog.
Join our upcoming event, the Measuring Success in Co-production: Learning by Doing Programme and Funding, which is designed to support the co-production and evaluation (measuring the benefits) of projects which focus on the themes of mental health and wellbeing and/or climate change. At this interactive event on Tuesday 17 October you will hear short talks with on:
You will also get the chance to network and make connections with others curious about applying. The event takes place online from 10.00-14.00 and as we have designed it so you can participate in a flexible way you can drop in and out to allow for listening, networking and connecting in a way that suits you. Find out more about this event and book your free ticket on our Eventbrite page. You do not need to have attended the launch event to take part.
Ideas Alliance together with People's Voice Media are running a project from 2021-2024 looking at how they develop, explore and exchange knowledge of co-production across England. They are looking for people from 12 organisations/groups from North East London to be involved in the project. The project will include access to a Community Reporting Training programme and the Institute for Community Reporters web platform as well as co-production learning workshops, 1 to 1 coaching and an end of project community learning festival which we will co-create together. To find our more, please contact hello@ideas-alliance.org.uk
Join Co-production Scotland’s Co-production Week, which will take place between 13-17 November. This event will explore real-world examples of co-production and its positive impact. It's a great opportunity to come together, exchange ideas, and share stories that showcase how co-production empowers people and communities, placing them at the centre of the services and support they receive. To find out more please visit Co-production Scotland’s website.
We have 2 tickets available for the Anti Racist Cumbria Summit 2023 on 2 November, 9.00am – 4.45pm at Theatre By The Lake, Keswick. If would like to join Nicc from the Collective staff team for this event and represent Co-Production Collective please email us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk by 17:00 on Friday 20 October. We will pick a name at random out of the hat on Monday 23 October. We are also able to cover train travel or mileage to attend.
Thankyou for coming to our October Co-Production Collective Co-Pro Cuppa– it was really lovely to chat with you and have lively discussions on a variety of topics including remuneration, and how to best embed co-production in organisations.
Our next Co-Pro Cuppas will take place on 1 November at 14:00, 5 December at 13:30, and 9 January at 10:00 (UK time). You can find out more about the Cuppas and sign up via the events page on our website or on Eventbrite.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about our work, please get in contact by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk
If you have been working on a co-production project and have some insights you would like to share with the Co-Production collective community on our blog we’d love to hear from you. Please contact coproduction@ucl.ac.uk.
Interested in finding out more or exploring how we could work together?
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