In 2018 Octopus Community Network attended 2 of the one-day training courses “Introduction to Community Organising” and “Listening Skills for Community Organising” delivered by Community Organisers. This led to them becoming a Social Action in 2020 with 2 of their previous trainers undertaking the Community Organisers “Train the Trainer” scheme shadowing 2 experienced trainers.

As a Social Action Hub they use the founding principles of community organising to reach out, listen and connect with their community and deliver the “Introduction to Community Organising” training course.

They are currently working on a variety of projects, with their first, in partnership with Holloway Neighbourhood Group, starting to take action. They have door knocked along all of the local shops in the area and are working within the Nags Head Town Centre to listen and engage businesses and residents in taking action to make some long-term local changes.

They are planning a litter pick with a local school to raise awareness of the lack of bins and high levels of litter in the area in the hope the local council will provide bins.

Their second project is in partnership with Whittington Park Community Centre. Whilst the majority of those engaged via recent door knocking report feel satisfied with the area in which they live, with two local pubs having closed in the last decade, residents felt a loss in places for the community to come together to connect, and therefore a reduction in ‘community feel’. Octopus Community Network is working with the Community Centre to engage more local people, explore how the centre can continue to play this role, and involve those not currently using the space.

Octopus’ work with the Centre continues with the Youth Club, supported by Islington’s Safer Neighbourhood Board, and as part of Arsenal/Adidas’ No More Red campaign. They are running a series of workshops through November-February where young people talk about home and their feelings about home, culminating in an assembly focused on youth experience and safety.

The youth club started months before the London Riots with the idea being to integrate these young people into their community offering them positive experiences through volunteering.

Alongside the hyper local work that Octopus Community Network are doing that focuses on place, they are also working on tackling the wider issues that are common across all the communities they work with.

At present they are focused on cost of living and food poverty which relates to that. To help tackle this they are working with the Islington Climate Centre and Islington Food Partnership to organise a Food Assembly in January.

They are a key partner of Humanity Project and this popular assembly is a way for people to come together listen, speak and decide on the issues that affect them.