The full report is available on The Way Ahead website

We used the proposals here to inform the challenges and ideas that we used in the workshop game. Full game report here.

• Co-production- enabling bottom-up action, cooperation and collaboration
• Led by citizen needs, not organisational requirements
• Operate across all sectors
• Value front line organisations and communities of interest
• Avoid centralised solutions - build peer-to-peer exchange mechanisms
• Create a compelling narrative, and a brand that applies to a common endeavour. For example, Connecting Londoners as a name
• Develop a scenario for the future - digital or otherwise - before establishing a long-term structure

The following will be needed to maximise the chances for success for the Way Ahead initiative in general and the London Hub in particular:

• A compelling story of change: The narrative about the Way Ahead needs to be simple and capable of winning hearts and minds.
• Actions which can make a difference: A ‘Now, Soon, Later’ approach would allow for ‘baby steps’ and early wins as well as long term ambition.
• Working with the willing and the brave: An emphasis on building a positive ‘coalition of the willing’ would be more effective than dragging reluctant partners to the table, and a clearer and more specific ‘offer’ for prospective public and private partners will be needed.
• Building on the best: The Way Ahead will not succeed unless there is recognition that there is good practice to sustain and build upon at local, borough and London-wide levels, rather than adopting a ‘year zero’ approach.
• Championing community expertise: Existing and new models of support and engagement which are grown from within local communities, and communities of interest or identity, should be championed, while avoiding the tendency to segment Londoners into narrow categories.
• Building networks: Creating distributed models for collaboration and leadership will allow insight and skills to be shared and unlikely alliances formed, taking full advantage of on-line platforms.
• Agile working: Small teams, able to adapt and respond quickly, can reduce the ‘diseconomies of scale’ which larger institutions often succumb to.
• A strong and simple brand: A new brand (eg ‘Connecting Londoners’) will be needed which can be applied to the London Hub and also to other activities connected to the Way Ahead ambition.
• Proving and improving: An impact evaluation strategy would be built in from the outset, which includes elements of co-production with London communities, which can tell an honest story of what is being achieved, win allies and investors, and stimulate action as needed.

Develop a shared support system, local to national, for all providers

• Create open-source resources
• Support a range of methods for first points of contact for volunteering, social action, governance support, social enterprise, funding advice etc
• Test peer-based quality systems
• Showcase innovative support systems

In the business model:

• New peer support systems including knowledge and skills exchange visits between groups and organisations and regular meetups
• A ‘Lifeboat’ scheme, where expert assistance with small grants can help organisations in difficulty turn themselves around.

Gather real-time intelligence about London's community life

• Build a far-reaching network of agencies and volunteers
• Use the network for insights, co-design, promoting social integration, and co-design
• Build credibility through the network and report annually

In the business model:

• A ‘co-production offer’ – whereby groups of local residents, service-users etc would be identified and supported to engage in co-production exercises with statutory bodies and others wishing to apply co-production methodologies.

Promote positive change

• Use convening power to increase incubation, innovation, acceleration of civil society projects
• Identify where civil society can play a bigger role - e.g. social prescribing
• Support specialists

In the business model

• A social prescribing London platform through which health and care professionals help people find advice and support in their local communities, and more widely.

Unleash the resources/assets of civil society

• Enhance systems of volunteering, time banking and other forms of mutual aid
• Draw on skills voluntary sector staff and Board members
• Maximise use of building and other assets to benefit community life

In the business model:

• A consultancy pool of the most skilled and respected civil society leaders in London, markets its offer across sectors, and generates income for civil society activities.
• A corporate volunteering brokerage scheme helps central London companies support volunteering by employees who live right across London.
• Meeting rooms and conferencing facilities marketed to voluntary organisations and others with a central booking system.

The Hub “should act as a convenor and enabler, rather than direct deliverer, in effect delivering change through networks and platforms, rather than through traditional organisational and membership delivery methods.

“While it will need resources to operate, it should maintain the smallest possible staff team, funding others to do as much as possible, and encouraging secondments across agencies and sectors. While it will have a ‘leadership’ role, it should be seen to be a model of ‘generous’ and ‘distributed’ leadership. A lot will depend on developing a distinctive brand, as a shared brand which partners can also benefit from. If successful, this approach could pull in additional resources for local and specialist support organisations so that they can be funded to deliver work on behalf of Connecting Londoners, or under the new brand.”