Community Participation Activity and Impact

Trends and Analysis

While there is no data on this indicator, we have some excellent examples of community led development, involvement in future planning and community participation and the impact this is having.

Shetland Islands map blue outline, with the small Islands filled in blue.

Islands with Small Populations Locality Plan

The Islands with Small Populations Locality Plan was developed in consultation with island communities and service providers throughout 2020. Communities were consulted on a regular basis and directly informed the priorities which were identified within the plan. In October 2020, the plan was approved and published.

In January 2021, a strategic delivery group was formed to oversee the delivery of work towards the plan, and ensure that good conversations are being held between members. This group comprises of representatives of all the islands, as well as key stakeholders and service managers. A range of topics are discussed at these meetings, including; Health Care, Transport, Connectivity, Transport, Housing and Tourism. 

You can read more about the work being done through this Locality Plan in our Annual Reports.

The Nort Natters logo (two interlinked speech bubbles with Nort Natters written in one and a '!' in the other.

Nort Natters

‘Nort Natters’ is a good example of partners across public services, voluntary organisations and community members coming together to better understand what communities need. In Shetland’s North Mainland, a range of events took place and reached more than 500 people in November 2022. This was an opportunity to shape the future of the North Mainland. A wide range of people’s thoughts were crucial to help create a vision for the area.

Listening Events

Support was given to young people to participate in listening events, on behalf of NHS Shetland. These events helped to determine support around health and well-being.

Community Conversations

Another example is the delivery of a series of Community Conversations with 21 communities across Shetland, with participation from 166 individuals. Held between October and December 2020, questions structured around three questions:

  • What has changed for you and your community during lockdown?
  • What worked and what did not?
  • What does a good life look like to you?

This resulted in a number of common themes arising through discussions, including; reopening of communities and how to do it safely, the impact on people’s personal finances and mental health and the ongoing concern about the impact of loneliness and isolation.

Voices For

A further example is the ‘Voices For’ project, which recruited people from different parts of the community and paired them with the people who influence and have responsibility for making decisions. This resulted in people experiencing inequality being able to share their knowledge directly with those with responsibility for Shetland’s resources. It is difficult to establish a direct causal link between discussions and specific actions, particularly as a change in actions can take time. However, civic participants all reported using their newfound insight and knowledge in their workplace and amongst other departments and policy influencers.

You can read more about this and the above examples in our Transforming Participation project pages.

Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-2024

Participation is identified as one of the key priority areas in the Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-2024. The plan lays out a desire to target resources to support individuals and families to build connections, relationships, and the skills and confidence to take part in community life. To help achieve these ambitions the Shetland Community Learning and Development Partnership will involve communities in decision making and project delivery. 

Last updated: February 2022