Goodwin Development Trust - Essay Example

 Goodwin Development Trust Field report Executive Summary A Field Report has been prepared based on a visit to the Goodwin Development Trust located at Hull. Charity has been around from the time Man set his feet on Earth, but its form and content has been drastically changed with advancement of civilization. In modern times it has taken shape of Development Trusts which are non-profit making models of corporate entities. They are a result of a public private partnership that has come together for the benefit of the community in general. The culture and concept of such a Development Trust with its deep rooted intentions of upliftment of the deprived section of the community have been examined in detail. It has been established that this movement has its beginning in charities. In later phases, these charities become a platform to satisfy the individual’s quest for solutions to community problems. They establish themselves as a parallel to fulfil the aspirations of these individuals to bring solutions where the political bodies fail to deliver same. It becomes an expression of practitioner led initiative that focuses on the current and emerging challenges faced by community based organisations. “I realized how useful it is to have a range of connections in terms of getting things done without many resources and without much obvious power or status”. (Alison Gilchrist). This demonstrates how Goodwin networks the community in Hull to improve the quality of life for everyone. To sum up, the Goodwin statement “Our overall goal is to improve the quality of life of people living in deprived neighbourhoods. We aim to do this by helping communities and community-based organisations to develop innovative new services through practical learning, knowledge management and networking”, says it all. (The Goodwin Trust Link) 2 Introduction Nearly any community anywhere comprises of the Haves and the Have Nots. It is a universal phenomenon and has existed from time immemorial. However in each era there have been conscious individuals or institutions that have taken care of the needy, poor and deserving. Usually this was out of pity, religious teachings and occasionally out of love for the fellow brethren. This act of charity was limited to a few of the higher strata and was not universally practices. In the modern era however, due to higher levels of education that is now widespread, and also due to more liberal outlooks the community at large has started feeling uncomfortable at the existence of pockets that lag behind in education and resources. There has also been a feeling of resentment from the have not which was duly acknowledged by others. The feeling of obligation to give a helping hand has become more pronounced than ever before. Out of this has born the need to institutionalize the noble act of charity and people from all over the community participate in it. It usually starts with an assessment of the needs of the downtrodden and a vision is created after analyzing and reporting information of these people. A core group is formed who prioritize the issues and convenes a group of interested persons who can devote time on voluntary basis. This takes shape of a loosely shaped organization that grows with time and it becomes to infuse professionals. This happens as planning groups begin to think about the action steps necessary to create change in the community and members of the group realize that they do not have sufficient knowledge to make decisions about action plans. This is when the group finally becomes an Institution to be run by professionals on organized lines. The Goodwin Development Trust started in 1993 under the name of Goodwin Resource Centre Association. The formation of Goodwin was initiated by a group of concerned local residents who were fearful of the growing consequences of the lack of concern for life on the Thornton Estate and who wanted to bring hope to the people who lived in the district. The people of Hull decided that instead of watching the area develop into another ghetto, they would give it a bright and shining future. A Trust was formed and they became the original Board of Trustees of the new charity. It was duly documented and granted official recognition (Registered Charity No. 1098520) The, initiative, willingness and determination on the part of the original volunteers of Goodwin to achieve something good for their community showed the foresight they had. What could have become an eyesore, and a formation of malevolence, became a garden of hope. It was a novel move and the community realized that it was their social obligation to participate in the upliftment of a section of their own society that had fallen to bad times. The first home of Goodwin was across the road from where it is currently located, in one of the shops on Goodwin Parade. It was described as “a dingy and dirty row of estate shops which was to be the cradle of the golden seed which has grown into Goodwin.” The organisation now known by the name "The Goodwin Group of Companies" changed over from a small aid organization into a limited company with charitable status and became known as Goodwin Development Trust Ltd. In addition, there is the Goodwin Community Trading Ltd. which is the subsidiary trading arm of the main company, and a constant and reliable source of internal funds. By this time, the trustees of Goodwin became trustee/directors and for the first time in its history, Goodwin voted in a new chair now occupied by Priestly. The organisation started as a small charity and worked like a family. Members endeavoured to maintain this mood although it became more difficult with each passing year. By September 2000, Goodwin already had 15 members of staff and a turnover of £150 thousand. By the year 2006 the turnover became a handsome £10 million, with another £10 million in reserve which serves as asset base. With staff strength exceeding 320 it has outgrown the family concept and is now a corporate. Goodwin grows from strength to strength at a rate which has turned many a head, both within the organisation and within the third sector nationally. The original Board of Trustees took the organisation as far as they dared but by 2002 they realised that Goodwin had outgrown the boards expectations and had the good sense and courageous selflessness to stand aside and to place the organisation which they had formed, nurtured and watched grow for so long, into the hands of others who could take Goodwin to its next level. A new group of directors were recruited to add to the small nucleus of those who were left in position. Goodwin has traditionally provided and continues to provide education. This was the basic mandate as education paves the way to make better and responsible citizens out of people. It enables them to gain better employment. Given the residents background of poverty and despair, in the beginning almost any employment was a welcome relief. After all their historical situation was that they belonged to a set of populace who were in the unenviable position of coming from a long line of people who have never worked and have been for generations, habitually unemployed (Priestly, 2007). 3 Socio-Economic Context It is observed that the increased interest in social community enterprises was emphasised with the publication of the Social Enterprise Strategy by the UK Government way back in 2002 (Haugh and Rubery, 2005). Their role in social and economic regeneration, growth in the sector, need for education and training to improve performance as well as support those employed within the sector has also been recognized. On Goodwin’s part, it had its conception and birth on the Thornton Estate but have grown and reached out to encompass the residents of the City of Hull as a whole. Its strap line tells the story of Goodwin’s growth but was changed from "Serving the Community" to "Serving the City." The organisation was formed by local residents and is still governed by local residents with Board of Directors that are passionate about their estate and their organisation. Goodwin looks at its strengths and weaknesses and acts accordingly as the leaders and management are not afraid of what the future may bring but welcome the challenges which enable them to carry on the work which was begun by those visionary people who split the atom of expectation and refused to allow Thornton Estate to be just another statistic. Priestly (2007) quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” At present, Goodwin services and projects include Goodwin Link, an independent learning and innovation network with the overall goal to improve the quality of life of people in deprived neighbourhoods. This helps communities and community-based organisations to innovate services through practical learning, knowledge management and networking (Goodwin, 2007). Guide Neighbourhoods is a community organisation tackling crime, poor housing and unemployment where Goodwin regularly hosts visitors to pass on the lessons learned. The Octagon is an award-winning multi-purpose conference facility with 260 seat room and six meeting rooms for events as well as other functions and gatherings. Income generated from it is used to help fund projects aimed at improving the quality of life for local residents (Goodwin, 2007). Sure Start Children Centres composed of the Marvell and Octagon Children’s Centre and Newland and Avenue Sure Start brings together childcare, early education, health, employment support services for pre-school children and families. The Octagon Fitness Centre is the first community gym that has an outside multi-use games area with highly qualified team of instructors devising health programmes for members. West Hull Community Transport provides vehicles designed to enable residents of whatever age or disability additional improved access. Hull Community Wardens is responsible for the community wardens from Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and parts of the East Midland region (Goodwin, 2007). The Thornton Estate is considered the heart of everything Goodwin does which operates a Neighbourhood Management Programme involving residents. It covers aspects of health, safer and stronger communities, youth and economic development, as well as an IT training centre. The latest project of Goodwin is the Douala that provides support and assistance to pregnant and expectant mothers until childbirth. Volunteer females are paired with their clients in order to provide comfort and support to the mother and her immediate family (Goodwin, 2007). Goodwin Development Trust, as indicated in their website, was set up as a charitable organisation in 1994 by residents of the Thornton Estate in Hull who wanted to improve their quality of life and the services available on their estate. From this community spirit and entrepreneurial drive has grown an organisation that reflects the ethos of social enterprise. Currently Goodwin Development Trust employs over 300 staff with a turnover of £9.2 million working across 38 sites aiming to deliver services that improve the quality of life for residents throughout the city. It has been recognised as an example of best practice by many organisations but Goodwin’s success stems from an entrepreneurial spirit, organisational flexibility and a business approach to attracting funding whilst at the same time working in partnership with statutory, voluntary and professional organisations to deliver quality services for the community (Goodwin, 2007). According to the DTA (2007) development trusts organisations which operate in the United Kingdom are: community owned and led also based in the community cultivating enterprise engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community building assets that are independent but seek to work in partnership with other private, voluntary and public sector organisations securing community prosperity to become self-sufficient or aiming for self sufficiency, and not for private profit. There is no set form of legal structure, and a development trust may be registered as a company limited by guarantee, a community interest company or an industrial and provident society. Therefore many, like Goodwin, register as charities. In support of these initiatives and community spirit, there is an assortment of other activities that are also undertaken by development trusts and they include: - running the local shops and post office - development of play park, day care and recreational facilities - managing a housing and community development - development of renewable energy projects such as wind farms and other recycling opportunities - setting up training programmes and other community-centred projects focusing on people development. Most development trusts memberships are formed by a belief that community regeneration which is achieved through community owned enterprise is the way to build strong and sustainable communities (DTA, 2007). The DTA added that there are about 500 development trusts throughout the UK, co-ordinated by the Development Trusts Association (DTA). The mission of the DTA, which was established in 1993, is “to bring about a successful development trust in every community that wants one,” (DTA, 2007). 4 Policy Context “It takes an entire village to raise a child” It is an old African Masai Tribe belief and its relevance has been resurrected in contemporary times. The community at large has to extend its kindred outreach to all its members in equal proportion and this is new policy context of collaborative effort in forming charitable trusts like Goodwin. There is more focus on the neighbourhood child youth and family rather than just the self. Ever since the nineties there has been a policy shift in favour of individual participation in community or group activities. The change has been brought about by the new social scientists that propagate that the community is an asset to which one belongs and the improvement of this asset ensures the improvement of self. One therefore endeavours to chip in the community building effort and thereby lend it support and strength. According to Heberlein (1976), increasing demand for public involvement is a matter of trust in government. Summers (1987) defines citizen participation as "the active involvement of citizens outside the electoral process in making decisions affecting their lives" (p.16). Heberlein (1976) views pubic participation as a way of reaching "better decisions." By making the manager and planner aware of the range of alternatives, and by not leaving out or alienating groups (who, if ignored, will resort to traditional political and legal mechanisms to make their wishes known), better decisions will be made (p. 3)." It is recognized that the idea of citizen involvement in the electoral process is deeply rooted in an individual's concern for policy and programme implementations. In continuation of the above thinking it becomes necessary to participate in community development projects to shape up the citizen’s decisive powers in framing the political future of the immediate community and the nation at large. Involvement in public decision-making therefore becomes the major objective of citizen involvement. The policy context of the Office of the Third Sector for social enterprise helps, promotes and champions this social enterprise, takes action needed in addressing barriers to growth, and identifies and spreads good practice for the sector. Consequently, Social enterprise has been defined as “businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners,” (Office of the Third Sector, 2007). It was also clearly indicated that social enterprises tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues using business solutions to achieve public good, and help create a string, sustainable and socially inclusive economy. Policy objectives include: “helping to drive up productivity and competitiveness; contributing to socially inclusive wealth creation; enabling individuals and communities to work towards regenerating their local neighbourhoods; showing new ways to deliver public services; and helping to develop an inclusive society and active citizenship,” (Office of the Third Sector, 2007) 5 The Social Impact It was widely acknowledged that Goodwin Centre is one of the most successful development trusts in the United Kingdom for making an organisation grown from voluntarism to an almost corporate success. In my observation during the Field Visit, the impression gathered is that Goodwin has offered a self-less service that encouraged participation among community members. This served as mechanism for growth, initiative, support and determination to pursue the noble aim of keeping a part of the Hull city away from degeneration caused by the urbanisation process. It is known that community enterprises are distinguished from other third sector organisations by generating their own income to finance their social goals through trading and not through philanthropy or government subsidy. They also have democratic structure that allows participation of members in the governance and management. They also foster partnerships with corporations. This builds capacity and empowers the communities that eradicate paternalism while creating power relations as source of valuable assets, knowledge and expertise (Tracey, Phillips and Haugh, 2005). In addition, community enterprises are described as “multifunctional organisations engaged in several different kinds of initiative designed to contribute to local regeneration in holistic way,” (p 328). These development trusts, like Goodwin, go beyond the concept of normal charity and offer a wide scope of activities that Improve the character and quality of communities. Make communities attractive to businesses seeking cultural richness and essential services. Provide direct job training programs to improve local citizens quality of life Provide jobs for the underemployed and unemployed members of the community Provide opportunities for people to become more active in their own communities through voluntary participations and other cooperative efforts. Offer other facilities like help and assistance for the child and family apart from just the individual Besides working in congruence with corporate objectives as partners, community enterprises become more appealing as dependence is lowered and partnership becomes mutual (Tracey et al, 2005). 6 Evaluation Although the Goodwin Trust has made impressive progress in the field of empowering its have nots, it has to understand the larger objectives that it should now impose on itself. It needs to understand that the aspiration of individuals that form the community is not only diverse but are often is influenced by new events that take place all the time. Previously unknown problems and opportunities present themselves every now and then. Cultural impacts of other societies that have come closer and become more transparent due to globalization, change public perceptions for both better and worse. Aging population (Glenddening C, et al), fetal alcohol syndrome children, and children bearing children and AIDs victims, all represent new, unspoken concerns certainly these represent new challenges to citizen participants, both in the areas of united inclusion of typically excluded citizens, and in the content and quality with which the community responds These new challenges demand attention and new methods have to be learnt or evolve to cope up with these stresses. Some amount of alienation is also caused due to this new disruptive behaviour and that is to be managed to maintain the community harmony. Local determination and control are part of the solution to the alienation that may lead to damaging individual behaviours besides being a burden on the community. Community wide mobilization is likely to be successful if it is organised and goal oriented. The need for greater civic culture and social responsibility is the answer to the larger problem and this is the future direction of efforts of Goodwin Trust. During the field trip to Goodwin Centre a fresh view of government policy on partnership working and inter-professional collaboration between community members and government agencies was observed in action. While there may be unsuccessful attempts to forward and champion government-initiated projects with regards to people and community development, the Goodwin Centre proves that positive attitude coupled with the right support from the community at large can work wonders. This in turn brought forward government agencies and actually created a successful community enterprise that could be emulated even by corporate entities for it excellence in governance. It is indeed encouraging for many aspiring community members and those talented and skilled men and women that have been deprived of chances due to lack of connection and networks find space and opportunity in their own community through this community enterprises. This fact has been highlighted and made real by successful social community enterprises in the United Kingdom that includes the Goodwin Development Trust. Seeing the growth of a small but tight-knit initiative of a community to become a competitive business enterprise is truly inspirational for other communities in not only in the developed countries but is a beacon of light for many developing nations. There is much that has been achieved through the consistency of Goodwin Development Trust that is worth emulating for communities around the world as government now fall short of expectations Goodwin has now taken a step beyond its original mandate that its founders had worked for. Then back in the nineties its aim was to uplift the downtrodden, the have nots, the miserable lot of the community. But having succeeded in that endeavour, it turned its eyes and attention to improving the whole of Hull’s community into a more enriched class of citizens. It has focussed in the areas of public health, child care and even care of the pregnant women through its impressive Douala programme. “The break-up of old Fordist and Keynesian hierarchies is creating new spaces for both networking and networks. Wherever access to information becomes important, SNA will become a key research” (Rogers, A. and Vertovec, S. 1995) The Urban Context: Ethnicity, social network and situational analysis. Berg. tool. Truly speaking the former Masai belief of the village taking care of its child has come home to roost. Tradition has come to support the community and the common binding source is the Goodwin Development Trust. References Gilchrist, Alison. (2004). The Well-Connected Community: A Networking Approach to Community Development. Policy Press. Bristol, Preface Glendinning C, Coleman A. and Rummery K. (2002) ‘Partnerships, Performance and Primary Care: Developing integrated services for older people in England’ Ageing and Society, Vol 22, No2: pp 185-208 Hugh, Helen, and Rubery, Eileen. (2005). “Educating Managers to Lead Community Enterprises.” International Journal of Public Administration 28, 887-902. Rogers, A. and Vertovec, S. (1995) The Urban Context: Ethnicity, social network and situational analysis. Berg. Summers, Gene F.1987, "Democratic Governance," in Needs Assessment: Theory and Methods, Donald E. Johnson, Larry R. Meiller, Lorna Clancy Miller, & Gene F. Summers (eds.), Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press: p.16 Tracey, Paul, Phillips, Nelson, and Haugh, Helen (2005). “Beyond Philanthropy: Community Enterprise as a Basis for Corporate Citizenship.” Journal of Business Ethics 58, 327-244. World Wide Web: Goodwin Development Trust. (2007). Available at: http://www.goodwintrust.org/index.php The Goodwin Trust Link, Available at: http://www.goodwinlink.com/ Office of the Third Sector. (2007). “Social Enterprise.” Available at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/social_enterprise/ Read More