What: The Community Development Practice Hub aims to connect, inspire, and upskill community development practitioners in Birmingham. Its mission is to 'advocate for a practice of community development in the city that focuses on 'doing with', not 'doing to'. We provide opportunities for professional development, peer support, networking, and more support to enable strengths-based approaches to community development to take place in the city. We work with practitioners in paid or volunteering roles, which might be called e.g. Community Enabler, Connector, Helper, Builder, Guide, Networker, Liaison or Development Worker.

Why: Community development happens in communities across Birmingham, with practitioners predominantly located within third-sector organisations. There is little specialist support or training to articulate or define what intentional community development practice looks like and few opportunities to develop practitioner skills and networks.

Who: The Community Development Practice Hub has been developed by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and an advisory board of community development practitioners. We'd like to thank them for giving their time and experience to support the development of the hub; Paul Wright, Open Door Community Foundation; Jo Bagby, Thrive Together; Rashta Butt, St Margaret’s Community Trust; Maria Hughes, Birmingham LGBT; Carol Hebden; The Outcomes Unit; Conrad Parkes; CLES; and Miriam Aslam. 

You can get in touch with the hub by emailing [email protected]. 

The Community Development Practice Hub is funded by Birmingham City Council until March 2025, with the option to extend until March 2027 It aims to develop creative ways for people to be actively involved in their local communities, to test and learn from new approaches to designing services which aim to make people’s lives healthier and happier.