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At the heart of what I understand about Big Society is the idea of liberating communities, or ‘empowering' them, and harnessing the potential power of people helping people in deprived communities to support regeneration. Of course, this is nothing new; some people have always been active in their local communities, volunteering at the hospital, as a member of the neighbourhood watch or fundraising for the local sports club. Rod Aldridge is chariman of the Aldridge Foundation Often though, the very people who most need the help or could do with the encouragement are off the radar, too often missing out on opportunities because of their circumstances or dislocation from local networks. One of the ways we can improve this situation is by making better use of existing community resources, and making better use of resources that have not traditionally been available to the whole community. This is the philosophy that lies at the heart of my foundation's approach, and which is demonstrated through the activities of our academies. Which is the organisation everyone in a community is most aware of? The local school. We are therefore not just about raising education standards, although that is an absolutely critical part of our work. We want to establish our academies as a real community asset, a key part of the local community, building a long term role within the area they serve. The success of students not only represents the long-term future of their communities, but a hitherto untapped resource in the battle for community regeneration. It also provides a way of leveraging the considerable investment made in the academy programme. This week, we opened our Academy in Darwen, Lancashire, in its new building, right at the heart of the town centre. In the run up to this, some of the students decided that, rather than simply show their art at the end of term exhibition, they would do something different for the community. They put together a bid to the Youth Opportunity Fund so they could renovate a boarded up shop in the centre of Darwen, and turn it into an art gallery. They showcased not just their own works, but gave local artists a place to showcase their work too. They've improved the look of the high street, and they sold £200 of art on their opening day. That's the power of entrepreneurship! Such activities do not just provide a valuable educational tool but embed in our students the importance of civic action. In communities such as Darwen, with a legacy of low aspiration and entrenched unemployment, the realisation that change is possible is important not just for students, but the wider community. This is a very small example of what can be done. But I would argue that in reality a lot of small, sustainable actions like these have the potential to deliver the ‘big' returns. As our education system encourages independence in our schools, let's make sure we don't lose site of their important role in our drive towards genuine local empowerment.

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WHITEHALL

Plugged In

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