Launching our new programme: Bridge Builders!
Since the pandemic started, we’ve been matching people across the city to support one another and build community. One-to-one matches have always been core to our approach: for conversation in Phone Links, and for practical support in Together Neighbours.
We’ve learned loads over the past year and a half: how to make a great match, how to work at huge scale, and even where to get the right lettuce to feed tortoises!
One thing we’ve seen, over and over, is that one-to-one matching can do more than simply connect two people. At their best, these introductions serve as a springboard for deeper community connection. By bringing two people together, we can create change that goes beyond the individuals, and leaves both halves of the relationship more connected, more confident, and with a stronger sense of community than before.
With this in mind, we are launching our Bridge Builders programme. Bridge Builders has been designed to help people develop or regain confidence to connect to their community via everyday things. That might mean helping someone get back something they feel they’ve lost: confidence, community, or mobility. Or, it might mean trying something new.
Our first cohort of Bridge Builders will be made up of those we’ve got to know this year, who’d like to get out and about with some support. Now, we’re looking for Bridge Builder Buddies: people who would like to be matched with them and provide that encouragement.
We are looking for community members who would like to spend some free time helping other local people gain confidence and a sense of community. You’ll be paired with someone for regular meet-ups (about 1–3 hours per week) geared towards supporting someone to do things they enjoy.
Interested in becoming a Bridge Builder Buddy? If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you…
- You’d like to connect with another person one-to-one over a period of time (up to 9 months).
- You have a coaching mentality: rather than doing something for someone, you want to equip someone to act themselves.
- You’re patient, empathetic, and encouraging.
- You recognise the barriers to inclusion and confidence that someone might face, both internal and external (or are willing to learn about them).
- You’re happy to undertake our training and background checking process: references and a DBS check.
