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=** CLICK HERE FOR LATEST LOCAL NEWS!!! **=

= = =**LET’S CREATE STRONG AND ACTIVE RESIDENTS’ GROUPS**=
 * IN EVERY STREET AND NEIGHBOURHOOD IN HARINGEY...** //View our Community Action leaflet!//

**LOCAL COMMUNITY ACTION: WHAT WE CAN DO AS RESIDENTS**
= = · Would you like to meet people, and to share ideas, local information and experiences? · Would you like to see people supporting each other, and more community spirit in your neighbourhood? · Do you want a safer, better environment, better conditions, more facilities & social justice for you and your neighbours? · Do you believe people should speak up for themselves about what they need and want?


 * If so, why not set up a residents’ group in your street, block of flats or local area - or join one that’s already active?**


 * WATCH THIS FILM!** Our film of activities and issues of residents associations in Haringey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cxndtyMBhA (Part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viVdedjc1yk (Part 2)

=**Local community action: what we can do** - A DIY GUIDE=

**How can we, as local residents, make a real difference to our communities and neighbourhoods?**
In any community a whole range of positive, practical things can be organised and encouraged which bring people together, build up community spirit and improve our local neighbourhoods. Some examples of things you could do that are already going on in local areas around the borough:

· encourage **informal discussion and communication** in your street, block and neighbourhood · do local door-to-door **leaflets and newsletters** about local issues · hold **public meetings** on topical local issues · organise **street parties and other social events** · set up **skills and resources sharing** schemes · campaign for **play and** **youth facilities** and activities · demand **traffic calming** · take up people’s **housing** problems and conditions · resist obnoxious or inappropriate **development schemes** · defend **useful community facilities** threatened with closure · make sure the **streets** are kept clean - and **pavements and lights** are in good repair · promote **recycling** projects · get the council to plant more **trees** in local streets · organise **picnics and other activities** in local parks · start a **‘park friends’** group, and protect and improve all local **green spaces** · set up and support **parents’ groups** in schools and playcentres · do local residents’ **opinion surveys** · organise local **art and creativity** exhibitions - and plan **community murals** · find positive ways of reducing **anti-social behaviour** · make sure local **historical sites and buildings** etc are protected · support and set up **local clubs / interest groups** (gardening, music, sports, local history etc)

//The possibilities are endless… with an active residents association you could start to do them all!//

The trick is to get organised and active. By encouraging neighbours to get involved, and being as positive and friendly as possible with everyone, it is amazing what people can achieve. Why not get together with two or three neighbours you know and start meeting regularly in each other’s homes or in a friendly local neighbourhood centre? Give yourselves a name. Call a meeting of local residents to publicly launch a residents association. We can attend (see below) to give support and answer questions.
 * Kicking things off**

Discuss what people feel are the important issues, and things you can start to do together - deliver reports of these discussions to all interested neighbours. Contact the authorities to find out what’s going on about various issues when ready, lobby them and take action for the improvements your community wants. It’s all about taking ‘ownership’ of our own neighbourhoods and our own lives.

Encourage local initiative. Gradually build up a list of more and more members/contacts. Organise public meetings and events, local campaigns and so on. Leaflet door-to-door. Start an e-list for members. Most importantly, stick at it and you and your community will be stronger for it…
 * Stick at it!**

There are over 180 local residents associations in all corners of the borough. The Haringey Federation of Residents Associations is our umbrella organisation - we meet bi-monthly to discuss and pursue issues of common concern and to support each other. Those setting up new groups are welcome to attend.
 * You’re not alone!**

Please contact us for advice, more info, or for a copies of our literature.

HFRA, 7 Carrick Gardens, N17 7AX __info@haringeyresidents.org__ 0208 216 9651

More details below....




 * WHAT WE WANT**

The Haringey Federation of Residents Associations is the umbrella organisation for local residents’ associations of all kinds around the borough - there are over 180 such groups.

The Haringey Federation of Residents Associations aims:


 * To promote and encourage residents throughout all local areas of Haringey to organise themselves into diverse local residents’ groups and associations, and to speak out and take action on matters of common interest and concern. By supporting each other and taking action together, as residents and as RAs, we aim to build up a strong residents’ movement throughout Haringey.


 * To promote and encourage the participation in the life of the local community of every resident in Haringey. In particular:

- to promote community spirit, communication, co-operation, solidarity, mutual aid and awareness throughout local communities - to oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression or injustice


 * To ensure that all residents and also local RAs are consulted regularly and that residents have the opportunity and ability to speak out, to influence, to challenge and to eventually make the decisions which affect them or their neighbourhoods and communities.


 * To promote residents’ rights and collective interests, and to improve the quality of life for local people including:

- a safe, pleasant, friendly, and green local environment in every corner of Haringey - a wide range of publicly-accountable community facilities, resources and services - decent, adequate, affordable and secure housing for all


 * WHAT WE DO**

Through the Federation's bi-monthly general meetings open to all RAs, monthly mailings and regular internal communication channels, associations can:

- find out what’s going on that affects local communities - hear reports from residents’ organisations around Haringey - discuss key issues and what they can do about them - get support for their own concerns and campaigns - take action together to improve things for local people

Some of the key issues are: street scene, traffic calming, rubbish and waste collection, urban development projects, parks, planning policies and controversies, local community facilities and services (including the NHS), housing concerns (especially social and Council housing), and anti-social behaviour.

We also discuss how to build up community spirit in every neighbourhood and locality, including encouraging local mutual aid, public meetings and social events (such as street parties).

Recent borough-wide campaigns include opposition to cuts to local public services (including Council and NHS), to protect and improve local parks, to improve the local street scene and ensure 'living streets', and to promote pro-resident planning and development policies.

Such activities by RAs are contributing to the regeneration of local neighbourhoods throughout Haringey, and to the tackling of deprivation and exclusion.

We’ve also organised a number of very successful residents’ conferences in the last 10 years: for example on Traffic Calming & Safer Streets; on Planning & Development issues; and 'Keep It Local!' about local services and facilities for all neighbourhoods.

We are increasingly working in partnership with other community networks to achieve common aims of benefit to Haringey residents eg supporting the Sustainable Haringey network to promote long-term social and environmental sustainability, and the Haringey Alliance for Public Services to defend vital local services.


 * www.haringeyresidents.org**