Zebra to help city's voluntary organisations make their voices heard

Plymouth City Council has selected the Zebra Collective to work with voluntary and community organisations in the city to help them make their voices heard.

Zebra will support grassroots groups in neighbourhoods including tenants groups, residents’ associations, neighbourhood watches and Timebanks and help ensure community organisations can get involved in making key decisions in the city

As part 12 month contract, Zebra will map all of the small charities and organisations, residents’ and interest groups in the city so gaps in neighbourhoods can be identified and extra support offered.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Community Development said: “This is the start of an important project to look at how our voluntary sector can help us achieve our vision for Plymouth. We want to work co-operatively with the voluntary and community sector to explore how, by working with people rather than doing things to them, we can together improve the quality of life in Plymouth and the influence communities have over what happens here.”

“We want to make sure we are talking to organisations and groups about what they want and the opportunities there are in the city.”

Zebra will also support the Council with its plans to develop a community economic development trust (CEDT) in the north of the city and hold a programme of discussions with residents.

CEDTs are independent organisations set up to create local jobs and make best use of local assets, while investing surpluses back into the local communities, supporting community development and providing business development advice. The Council has been developing a more co-operative approach with the aim of putting power back in the hands of local residents and boosting the city’s economy.

Marc Gardiner, a founding director of Zebra Collective, said: “As a Plymouth-based worker co-operative that's been working in the city and beyond for 10 years, we're very pleased to have this opportunity to bring to bear our experience in co-operative approaches and community engagement. This is a big task that can have significant impact on the strength of Plymouth's community and voluntary sector.”