Civil Society is much more than what we call the voluntary sector or non-government organistions. It is the many thousands of community associations across the country that engage in a variety of different activities.

This Webinar is about these associations and will be presented by David Tyler, the CEO of Community Matters with a contribution from Angus McCabe who has done considerable research on this at Birmingham University.

These associations (often described as beyond the radar) have grown extensively in the last two decades and in his book Blessed Unrest Paul Hawken estimates that there are probably one to two million such groups worldwide. In the UK the estimate has been about 600,000. The growth of these groups has been described as the greatest social movement in history by some commentators and as “a global humanitarian movement rising from the bottom up” or as the “social glue” that holds civil society together.

Such groups are often ignored by established organisations and government or looked upon as a possible volunteer army for such established institutions. Many fear that this would dissolve the social glue that such community associations offer to civil society.

This webinar is about the importance of these associations. How important are they, how can their autonomy be maintained and indeed how essential is that.

We will also look at the impact of current policy/recession/deficit reduction on small community groups and also how the Big Society agenda could make that “social glue” come unstuck if it is handled in a too prescriptive way.

David Tyler has worked for Community matters since early 2000 and has overseen the expansion of its membership to over 1,200 community organisations and local infrastructure bodies. He was Chair of the Community Sector Coalition between 2001 and 2008 and has represented both organisations on a number of key Government committees and steering groups. David has led the development and introduction of performance standards for community centres and associations that are transforming the quality and success of these key organisations.

Angus McCabe leads TSRC’s “below the radar” research, exploring the experiences of small community based organisations, BME and refugee/migrant groups. Angus has a background in community development work, both in inner city and settings on peripheral estates. He is a Board Member of the International Community Development Journal, an Associate of the Federation for Community Development Learning and has been involved in training and development work with non-governmental organisations in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In developing this webinar we are working with TSRC (Third Sector Research Centre), which offers third sector organisations and policy-makers access and input into robust research, aiming to bridge the gap between research and the third sector. They have developed a project around what they term “below the radar groups” the many community associations that form the social glue of our civil society.

You can find more about this on their website here

Angus McCabe has published two briefing papers that are important for this discussion and you can access them here.

Understanding the distinctiveness of small scale, third sector activity: the role of local knowledge and networks in shaping below the radar action

 Below the radar in a big society

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