Lead to Change Holds Its First Network Meeting

Afro Innovation Group

Sep 11

2 min read

On 3 September, Afro Innovation Group held the first meeting of its new Lead to Change Network, welcoming 20 representatives from community organisations to our Leicester premises.

Lead to Change has been developed by AIG to bring organisations together around the issues they are seeing through their work, identify where challenges are shared and create opportunities for collective action and influence.

The first meeting gave us an important starting point.

Ten adults pose in a bright office meeting room, standing in a row in casual and formal clothes with neutral, friendly expressions.

What Are Communities Experiencing?

Representatives introduced their organisations, the communities they work with and the challenges they are currently encountering.

A number of common issues quickly emerged.

These included housing and homelessness, health and wellbeing, employment and economic inclusion, immigration and welfare advice, financial hardship, access to public services, social isolation and access to legal support.

Members also raised community cohesion and integration, cultural identity, education, participation, capacity building and the allocation of resources.

While organisations work with different communities and in different areas, the discussion showed considerable overlap in what they are seeing.

For Lead to Change, identifying those connections is important. When similar issues are being experienced across different communities, bringing that knowledge together can help us understand the wider picture and identify where change is needed.

Diverse group of coworkers smiling around a conference table in a bright meeting room with laptops, notebooks, and cups.

Building the Network

AIG also used the first meeting to discuss how Lead to Change can develop into a useful space for ongoing collaboration.

The network will meet quarterly, with communication continuing between meetings.

Following suggestions raised during the session, AIG will establish a WhatsApp group for members and explore the development of a digital collaboration platform where organisations can share knowledge, evidence, community experiences and opportunities.

We will also begin developing the first Change Labs, focusing on priority issues identified through the network.

These will allow AIG and participating organisations to examine specific challenges in greater depth and explore what practical action, recommendations or influencing work could follow.

Diverse team in a meeting room around a table, man speaking; laptop and whiteboard visible, daylight from large windows.

From Community Experience to Influence

Lead to Change is not intended to stop at discussion.

As the network develops, AIG will bring together the insight emerging through meetings and participating organisations to identify recurring themes, strengthen evidence and support engagement with relevant partners, services and decision-makers.

The first meeting has already given us a broad picture of the issues organisations want to explore further. The next stage is to begin prioritising them and determining where collective knowledge can support action.

Thank you to all 20 representatives who joined our first meeting and contributed their experience to the discussion.

AIG will continue developing Lead to Change and welcoming organisations from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that want to contribute to the network.

Interested in joining Lead to Change? Register your interest.