Published 13th September 2019

Communities Week 2019 – Social Action Hub Framework Launch!

In honour of Communities Week 2019, Community Organisers is launching our new Social Action Hub Framework; celebrating the success of our unique network of local ‘Social Action Hubs’ – locally rooted community organisations supporting grass-roots social action that also provide training in the practice and principles of community organising.

The Social Action Hub Framework is adapted from our Community Organising Framework and shows how local community organisations can adopt the principles and practice of community organising in their work in order to catalyse social action, build community resilience and shift power locally.  Social Action Hubs are all unique and different but this framework shows what they have in common.  It can be used as a self-assessment tool and as the basis for a social action strategy.

To open a downloadable copy of the framework, please click the image above.

Social Action Hubs

There are currently twenty-two Social Action Hubs across England, and together they form the ‘National Academy of Community Organising’ – the training body of Community Organisers – which provides quality assured training and Qualification courses in community organising.

Since April 2017, as part of the Community Organisers Expansion Programme, the National Academy has trained over 2,500 people in community organising – from one-day introductory courses through to National Qualifications in Community Organising, as well as informal and ‘in-the-field’ learning opportunities.

In addition to training, the Social Action Hubs actively organise in their areas: collectively listening to an average of 900 local people per month, enabling over 700 people to be involved in place-based social action, supporting the growth of Community Organisers’ membership to over 1,000 people, encouraging over 600 people to access and participate in the online membership community, and raising over £750,000 to support community organising and training at a local level!

Our aim is to bring together people with shared interests, facilitate them to develop their confidence and sense of collective power, identify common goals and develop a strategy to achieve them – and motivate them to act together for a stronger community and for social justice.
Nick Gardham, CEO Community Organisers

Social Action Hubs are Community Organisers’ key driver for change at a neighbourhood level. The Hubs embody the principles of community organising – people, power, and place – and locally are the catalyst for people to come together if they want to create change in their neighbourhoods.

Now, Community Organisers want to give more people access to the tools of community organising in more areas by expanding our existing network of Social Action Hubs to 50 by 2026; increasing our geographic spread to ensure that we extend the reach and depth of the community organising network across the country.

We will do this by building on what already exists, working with existing locally rooted and accountable organisations with a track record of listening and supporting local people to make change using community organising.  Where there is interest in an area but not an existing suitable organisation, we want to invest in that area by facilitating an organising process, out of which a new Social Action Hub can be developed.  We will draw on the expertise of the current Social Action Hubs to support and mentor new hubs.

Which organisations currently form the Academy?

You can find the location of your nearest Social Action Hub through our interactive map.

Framework Focus

Learn more about community organising and our Community Organising Framework through our self-directed online learning series called 'Framework Focus'. The course consists of over 7 hours of learning split across 70 videos and the first module on 'Reach' is free!

Find out more