Big Society Network (UK): Difference between revisions

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====Introduction====
=Description=
The Big Society is a society in which we as individuals don’t feel small. Does our society pass this test at the moment? Well, only 4 out of 10 of us believe that we can influence local decisions. Only 1 in 33 of us attend public meetings. We feel anger and frustration at the recent behaviour of both the City and Westminster and relatively powerless to change them. We are often anonymous tax-payers without a real sense of how our money gets spent. Most of us try to be reasonably good citizens but our influence seems very small.


The Big Society Network is an organisation being set up by frustrated citizens for frustrated citizens, to help everyone achieve change in their local area. Our aim is to create a new relationship between Citizens and Government in which both are genuine partners in getting things done: real democracy using all the human and technological tools we now have available. This partnership will also add a third and fourth leg to its sturdy chair by involving business and the voluntary sector.
"The Big Society Network is the face and hands of the recently elected UK government's Big Society initiative.  It is intended to help people and communities achieve change in their local area. It's aim is "to create a new relationship between citizens and Government, in which both are genuine partners in getting things done: real democracy using all the human and technological tools we now have available. This partnership will also add a third and fourth leg to its sturdy chair by involving business and the voluntary sector."


As well as helping you get things done as an individual, we also want to help you meet up with other people in your area with the aim of discussing what you want to share and change together in order to make your neighbourhood stronger, safer and more enjoyable.
From the network's website, the Big Society name appears to come from an idea of helping individuals feel big.  The Big Society Network appears to aim to increase the proportion of UK citizens who believe they can influence local decision and find value in attending public meetings.  It wishes to address the anger and frustration felt at the recent behaviour of both the City (financial sector of the nation's capital) and Westminster (Government) and the feeling of relative powerlessness to change them.  On the website, they presume that citizens "are often anonymous tax-payers without a real sense of how [their] money gets spent. Most of [them] try to be reasonably good citizens but [their] influence seems very small.  


Our aim is to not only create the largest co-operative or mutual in Britain, but to create a mutual that is Britain. Every citizen can be a shareholder, contribute, receive help and rewards.
The Big Society Network wants to help people get things done, help connect people with common aims, encourage discussion about what they want to share and change together in order to make their neighbourhoods stronger, safer, and more enjoyable.  The intention is that every citizen can be a shareholder, contribute to a national mutual society and receive help and rewards.


The Network is, above all, practical. It’s an enormous tool-box of advice, case histories, links to people and resources, using the power of the Internet, Mobiles and face-to-face action.
"The Big Society Network is, above all, practical. It’s an enormous tool-box of advice, case histories, links to people and resources, using the power of the Internet, mobiles, and face-to-face action."
<ref>About the Initiative, http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/idea.html</ref>
(http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/idea.html)


====Areas of Work====
=More Information=
The network, launched by prime minister David Cameron at Downing Street [in July 2010], aims to become the ‘largest mutual in the UK’ and will be a support mechanism for communities setting up new organisations, groups and initiatives with possible funding available. However, there is no plan in place to encourage these initiatives to become sustainable social enterprises. Instead, the network will respond to community requests and may act if they see a trend. There is also no plan, as yet, to help those on low incomes access the support of the network.<ref>News, http://www.socialenterpriselive.com/section/news/community/20100729/communities-must-pay-join-big-society-network</ref>


====Current Projects====
*[http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/civicstreets Civic Streets: The Big Society in Action - Demos]
The Big Society Network is presently raising funds to set up the network, requiring between £250,000 and £1m initially.  The organisation is registered as a company limited by guarantee and is hoping to attract funding from private investment, foundation trusts and donations. The network is also in talks with ‘big business and big brands’ for support.
*[http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Ten_Big_Questions_about_the_Big_Society.pdf Ten Big Questions About the Big Society - new economics foundation]
<ref>News, http://www.socialenterpriselive.com/section/news/community/20100729/communities-must-pay-join-big-society-network</ref>
*[http://www.philanthropycapital.org/publications/improving_the_sector/improving_charities/scaling_up.aspx NPC Perspectives: Scaling Up for the Big Society - New Philanthropy Capital]
 
====Publications====
What others have to say about The Big Society
 
[http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/civicstreets Civic Streets: The Big Society in Action - Demos]
 
[http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Ten_Big_Questions_about_the_Big_Society.pdf Ten Big Questions About the Big Society - new economics foundation]
 
[http://www.philanthropycapital.org/publications/improving_the_sector/improving_charities/scaling_up.aspx NPC Perspectives: Scaling Up for the Big Society - New Philanthropy Capital]
 
<!---P2P aspects of the project.  Remove this comment to use this section) ====P2P and {{PAGENAME}}====
====={{PAGENAME}} and [[Category:Peer Property | Peer Property]]=====
====={{PAGENAME}} and [[Category:Peer Governance | Peer Governance]]=====
====={{PAGENAME}} and [[Category:Peer Production | Peer Production]]=====(End of comment area.  Remove this comment as well as the one above the beginning of the P2P section to use this section. -->
 
====References====<!--This section and the references tag below will relist the references from above-->
<references/>
 
====More Information====
=====Internal Links===== <!--Is your project related to anything else on this wiki?-->
*[[P2PCC]]
=====External Links===== <!--What links should people visit?-->
*[http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/ Big Society Network (The) Home Page]
*[http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/ Big Society Network (The) Home Page]
*[http://www.thebigsociety.net/ Big Society Blog (The)]
*[http://www.thebigsociety.net/ Big Society Blog (The)]
*[http://twitter.com/thebigsociety Twitter]
*[http://twitter.com/thebigsociety Twitter]
<!--Comment - this section, more info, is optional, but a good place to add additional links or to summarize those included in the text above -->
*[http://bsnopen.wikispaces.com/ Big Society Network wiki] created by [http://socialreporter.com/ David Wilcox]
<!--Comment - Remove the first colon from :Category:Peerproduction (and others) below (so it reads Category:Peerproduction insures your page shows up in the directory.-->
 
<!--Comment -  Remove all categories that are inappropriate for your project. -->
[[Category:UK]] <!--add the name of your country here like Netherlands -->
[[Category:United Kingdom]] <!--add the name of your country here like Netherlands -->
[[Category:Movements]] <!--associations of peers organized for a purpose-->
[[Category:Movements]] <!--associations of peers organized for a purpose-->
[[Category:Peergovernance]]<!-- Related to governance in distributed networks -->
[[Category:Peerproperty]] <!-- Related to interactions with commons resources in p2p networks -->
[[Category:P2PCC Allies]]<!-- Related to P2PCC -->
[[Category:Commons]] <!-- Related to commons resources specifically -->

Latest revision as of 22:46, 12 February 2017

Description

"The Big Society Network is the face and hands of the recently elected UK government's Big Society initiative. It is intended to help people and communities achieve change in their local area. It's aim is "to create a new relationship between citizens and Government, in which both are genuine partners in getting things done: real democracy using all the human and technological tools we now have available. This partnership will also add a third and fourth leg to its sturdy chair by involving business and the voluntary sector."

From the network's website, the Big Society name appears to come from an idea of helping individuals feel big. The Big Society Network appears to aim to increase the proportion of UK citizens who believe they can influence local decision and find value in attending public meetings. It wishes to address the anger and frustration felt at the recent behaviour of both the City (financial sector of the nation's capital) and Westminster (Government) and the feeling of relative powerlessness to change them. On the website, they presume that citizens "are often anonymous tax-payers without a real sense of how [their] money gets spent. Most of [them] try to be reasonably good citizens but [their] influence seems very small.

The Big Society Network wants to help people get things done, help connect people with common aims, encourage discussion about what they want to share and change together in order to make their neighbourhoods stronger, safer, and more enjoyable. The intention is that every citizen can be a shareholder, contribute to a national mutual society and receive help and rewards.

"The Big Society Network is, above all, practical. It’s an enormous tool-box of advice, case histories, links to people and resources, using the power of the Internet, mobiles, and face-to-face action." (http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/idea.html)

More Information

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