2023 Ripple Effect Residential

In July 2023, we collaborated with nine passionate and community-rooted individuals and small community organisations from across the UK to host a Ripple Effect residential in Wales.

You can read more about those who joined us this year here.

Ripple Effect was about bringing people together, so we looked for people and projects with a passion for your community and the commitment to make intergenerational connection happen. In particular we sought:

• A passion to bring older and younger people together across the UK
  
• A commitment to bringing these connections to life
  
• Time to work with The Cares Family to turn ideas into reality
• An awareness of what's needed to make this activity take place and to last

Ripple Effect offered dynamic individuals and small community organisations an immersive experience to explore adopting The Cares Family's ways of working. This centred around a three-day residential providing dedicated space and time for learning, sharing and building plans for local communities.

In 2023, the residential brought together nine individuals and community organisations to help partners adopt our model to work for their communities. Members of The Cares Family team shared the approaches and methods we use to with neighbours and how we brought people together through Social Clubs and Love Your Neighbour. We also helped partners to create an action plan for their communities, and provided grants of £500 to help these partners start their work.

Following the residential, we provided support for community partners and opportunities to connect with fellow change-makers. During the residential, we:

• Explored the techniques that The Cares Family employed as well as the practical components that made up our model. We worked with partners to translate that learning into tangible plans for their local places.
• Committed to check-ins with partners in the first six months – opportunities for partners seek support from The Cares Family team and the Ripple Effect community.
  
• Built a community passionate about social connection across the UK. We shared quarterly updates and useful resources and celebrated the collective efforts of everyone that is part of nurturing intergenerational connection across the UK.
• Gave Ripplers a grant of £500 each to help them activate the work.
• Shared The Cares Family resources to help partners plan, promote, deliver and learn from our work.
• Profiled partners' work on our website and social media channels.