Building Connections

After a break over the summer, training has started up again with a bang.

I really enjoy delivering the online sessions; it’s so nice to see so many different staff and trustees from different organisations on the same call.

The variety of different organisations who attend is amazing, from large, regional organisations to small community groups who work directly in their local village. While there are differences between large and small charities (larger charities often have staff for one) there are also many similarities and there is usually common ground to be found.

Networking is a valuable element of the training, and it was great to see people sharing contact details so that they can connect outside of the event.

I think this is the most beneficial part of the Share and Learn Network meetings too. Although attendees get a lot from speakers, chatting in the breakout rooms with other people running similar organisations reinforces the fact that they are not on their own.

The next Share and Learn session are looking to be oversubscribed. I think the timing has helped as the session is about the role of Community Buildings in an emergency; very topical following the recent flooding seen in the aftermath of storm Babet.

Next, I will be planning the network meetings for 2024, building on what we’ve learnt this year and carrying on connecting organisations.