Newcastle Community Bridgebuilders: Join The New Initiative to Create a Stronger and More Connected City

A new initiative is launching to strengthen relationships, bridge divides and create a more connected Newcastle. Will you be part of it?

This initiative takes place over a series of 6 funded workshops starting in May and finishing in July. See below to register your interest and share your availability.

Project Overview

Thanks to dedicated Government funding, Newcastle City Council has partnered with Connected Voice, The Centre for Creative Conversation and The Relationships Project to strengthen relationships within and between communities.

This initiative will:

Celebrate the connections that make Newcastle the friendliest city in the UK
Support those working to strengthen community ties, further developing their skills for meaningful conversation
Create a network of bridgebuilders to foster understanding and collaboration

Over six workshops, it will train 160 community leaders, professionals and volunteers to create new bridges, strengthen existing ones and repair those that have been neglected or damaged.

Join Us

If you believe in human connection, we need you. If you want to strengthen relationships, now is the time to step forward. If you’re passionate about building a united Newcastle, be part of this journey. Let’s build bridges and create a stronger, more connected city.

See below a brief overview of the workshops and the registration form.

Workshop 1 (+ Launch Event) - The foundations of good relationships - and what undermines them.

In this workshop, we will explore the psychology behind why people form "groups" and how relationships are built based on perceptions of similarity and difference. We will explore the impact of emotion and value on these groups, how prejudice can build and escalate and how better communication can help us to build a more peaceful city.

Workshop 2 - Create Connection

In this workshop we will learn how to establish the habits of understanding first and being understood and use them to forge stronger connections.

Workshop 3 - Take Ownership

This workshop will help us to extend our unique network of relationships by developing the power of connection. You don't need anyone's permission to start building better connections. This workshop will look at how we can develop more agency and more ownership and help us to learn how to overcome what may be holding us back.

Workshop 4 - Stay Open, Meet Needs

In this workshop we work on how to understand and – wherever possible – actually meet needs, as the quickest way to get to the heart of things and forge stronger connections.

Workshop 5 - Be Prepared

In this workshop we will become more skilled at challenging and being challenged and put together our learning into a series of creative conversations on the issues that matter to you right now.

Workshop 6 (+ Finale Event) - Shaping the Keystone

In this workshop we will learn about how to shape our shared keystone, the thing that completes a bridge, and gives it strength. We will create action plans so we can continue to widen, strengthen, repair and create bridges in Newcastle together.

Sign up through this form https://forms.office.com/e/8um7FaLTTL

For any queries, please contact Josh Foster at josh.foster@connectedvoice.org.uk