February Update: Getting to know you

February to us is all about building relationships with you, our community, and finding ways to enable everyone to fully participate in what we do. That’s why in this Update, as well as giving you the latest news about what we are up to and how you can get involved, we are also asking you to fill out our Join the Community form

What we’ve been up to

Our new website is live – Please fill in our ‘Join our community form’

As many of you know, we recently launched our new website which features lots more information about what we offer, how we work and how you can get involved.

You may have noticed our new ‘Join the Community form’ on the website. We would love for as many of you as possible to fill it out, as it will help us understand:

• What your interests are in relation to being a member of the Co-Production Collective community.
• The type of things you would like to get involved in at the Collective.
• How we can best provide you with relevant opportunities and support you with your involvement.

After you complete the form, we'll send you some key information about how we work. This will be helpful to you, even if you've been involved with the Collective for a long time. So please spare us 10 minutes to do this.

Unlock the potential of LinkedIn: A beginner-friendly session 2

This month, Tu, Krisztina, and George hosted our second LinkedIn training session. This allowed those who were on the waiting list from our first session in October, as well as others, to participate. We covered essentials like setting up a profile, making connections, posting engaging content, and championing co-production on LinkedIn. The session sparked discussions on a variety of topics including how to talk about what you have learnt from co-production projects on LinkedIn. If you are interested in taking part in a future session, please email coproduction@ucl.ac.uk and if there is enough demand we will arrange another session later this year. To find out more about what the session covers and how it was co-produced, read our blog.

Peer Worker Community of Excellence funding application

We are continuing to support the Peer Worker Community of Excellence programme. In 2024, we submitted an expression of interest proposal for a possible funding stream together with various partners. We had an interview in January and are waiting to find out if it was successful. Our long-term goal is to sustain and develop opportunities for Peer Workers in healthcare and research while encouraging and embedding compassionate lived experience leadership and co-production in research. We are finalising two projects over the next few months, including developing podcasts describing some journeys and challenges in Peer Working, and mapping career pathways and opportunities for Peer Workers. Stay tuned to find out the outcome of our proposal and visit our web page to find out more about the project.

EndoVoices training

In January, Natalie W. and Nicc held an introductory session about co-production for EndoVoices which is a project funded by UCL Grand Challenges. They also helped the team to co-produce the values that underpin their work and to develop their ways of working together.

Measuring Success

This month in the Measuring Success in Co-Production: Learning by Doing team, we have been busy preparing to share the findings from the programme in various ways. We are excited about sharing these findings in early March!

Moving forward, we are planning a co-production session to bring our learnings to life and to explore how to make the resources we have developed as accessible as possible. Keep an eye out for updates. We'll be announcing this session when we release the Measuring Success Report and Resource in early March.

Get involved

Amplifying Voices 2025-2026

We are launching the Amplifying Voices 2025-2026 project, a new changemakers programme co-produced with People’s Voice Media and funded by The National Lottery Fund. Specifically designed for individuals from the global majority who are passionate about social justice, this opportunity will equip participants with essential tools and skills, such as facilitation and digital storytelling, to take ideas forward and make a real impact in their communities.

We are looking for 10 changemakers to take part in this journey.

You can also apply online using our application form. Further helpful information can be found on our information sheet that is available in Word and as a PDF. The deadline to submit your application is Sunday 23 February.

Commissioning with Communities

We're excited to announce the launch of the next Commissioning with Communities programme, co-produced by Collaborate CIC, Co-Production Collective, and Ideas Alliance. This six-session online programme is designed for commissioners from various sectors, including health, local authorities, and police and crime commissioners, who want to develop more collaborative and adaptive approaches. Participants will explore topics like co-production, collaboration, and systems leadership, with a focus on practical application. The programme includes peer learning and support to help commissioners implement these new approaches in their work. If you're looking to innovate and make resources work better for communities, this is the perfect opportunity.

See this programme summary for more information including details of costs and how to book your place. Please note the deadline for booking is Friday 7 March. If you have any questions, please email commissioning@collaboratecic.com.

Co-Pro Cuppas

Thank you for coming to our February Co-Pro Cuppa! It was great to see many of you there and great discussions on a variety of topics including the importance of building relationships and maintaining connections with co-producers during and after projects, selecting the right engagement tools, and ensuring fair remuneration for organisations contributing to co-production projects.

Our next Co-Pro Cuppas will take place on:

• Wednesday 5 March at 13:00 (UK time)
• Tuesday 1 April at 13:30 (UK time)
• Wednesday 7 May at 13:00 (UK time)

If you have any questions or would like to know more about our work, please get in contact by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk.

Cover Image credit: Canva

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