ROC Conversation
How it works
A ROC Conversation is a one-year community engagement project that begins with an invitation from a local area. This will sometimes come from a statutory body such as the Police or a local authority; other times it may be a local charity or church or even a school. The request is always based on the need for a neutral facilitator to gather a diverse group with no specific agenda other than the desire to strengthen the community through opening door of communication between existing groups.
The first stage is a three-month period of research conducted by ROC which maps the area to identify as many projects and groups as possible currently active in delivering social action, mainly focusing on voluntary organisations but also including senior officials from social services, emergency services, schools and social enterprises. Personal contacts are made with as many of these groups as possible and information about their work is recorded. A centrally located venue is booked for a two-our structured event, personal invitations are sent and general publicity is circulated
People of Goodwill
In every locality, the majority of people share an unspoken aspiration: to live in a safe, strong and kind community. This common goal is a powerful factor that enables people with a variety of personal beliefs, values and backgrounds to put aside any perceived challenges relating to cultural, religious or social differences and commit to pool energies, ideas and resources for the sake of the community.
We Invite:
- Residents
- School and Youth representatives
- Volunteer groups
- Police & Fire Services
- Churches and Faith groups
- Councillors and MPs
Working Together
At the event we:
Celebrate
We take time to feature and applaud the many good things already happening in the community.
Share
We discuss and collaborate on specific areas of need in the community and note any gaps in provision, offering to share resources where possible.
Explore
We explore potential ways of addressing these needs using existing energies and resources to create realistic and sustainable outcomes.
After the event we:
Summarise
Our dedicated HQ team organise the raw data from the discussions and distribute a comprehensive report to all attendees.
Recruit an Action Group
Drawing from those who volunteered at the event we form a new volunteer Action Group which will launch new projects with ongoing support from ROC.
For Safer, Stronger Communities
ROC’s mission is to increase community resilience by inspiring and supporting groups to work together
A ROC Conversation achieves this by:
- Connecting local community members, volunteers and statutory agencies
- Celebrating all the good things currently taking place
- Raising awareness of current needs and offering to share resources
- Exploring potential solutions through new collaborative partnerships
- Creating an active network of people passionate about community life
- Kick-starting new projects and helping to source local funding
The ROC Conversation was truly inspiring and the springboard for a host of initiatives for making our community happier, healthier and safer. ROC is an outstanding initiative and I hope it can return to other towns in Surrey. I wait with eager anticipation.
ROC came to Reading and catalysed a hugely productive conversation across all sectors of our community – a great framework which brought us together in structured discussions to focus on key issues and enabled creative ideas to flow within them. I am excited that a second ROC conversation is coming up. What does it promote? Joined-up thinking and action. What are its hallmarks? Respect, inclusion, positivity
ROC does fantastic work to bring together churches, community groups, the police, and other agencies to work together to strengthen our local communities. So I am delighted they were in Cheltenham for the ROC Conversation. I’m proud of Cheltenham’s compassion. Our town is home to so many great local projects, supported by an army of local volunteers.
Together we can achieve so much more. Events like this help us to celebrate what’s good, and identify what more can be done to meet local need and build an even stronger local community.
Get in Touch. Get Involved.
We would love to hear from you if you’re interested in finding out more about our ROC projects. Email us for more information on how to get involved.