Joining Making it Happen

I am delighted to be joining the Academic Advisory Group for East Sussex County Councils’ ambitious and far-reaching Making it Happen programme, a programme that works through a whole-place partnership and Assets Based Community Development approach to support people in their neighbourhoods who want to take action to create positive change.

Making it Happen runs over 5.5 years, beginning in October 2019 and up to March 2025. Five local organisations are working in partnership to deliver the programme, led by Sussex Community Development Association, who are working with 3VA, Action in Rural Sussex, Hastings Voluntary Action and Rother Voluntary Action.

The aim of the Academic Advisory Group is to act as a sounding board for the evaluators of Making It Happen, offering guidance and advice on the evaluation approach to enhance and maximise its impact:

Challenge: Testing and questioning to enhance our approach to the evaluation.

Outward conversing: Making the most of collective networks to create more conversation and action around the evaluation.

Evidencing the social determinants of health more clearly: Mobilising opportunities to develop bespoke outcome measures.

Dissemination of knowledge: To support dissemination so that it isn’t limited to academic circles.

Evidencing: Recognising and promoting the validity of different kinds of evidence.

Learning: Sharing knowledge and insight from elsewhere to encourage deeper learning.