What is the big society?

We asked a range of people, including a government minister, a council leader and a business consultant, to explain what David Cameron's flagship policy means to them
Life Centre
The Life Centre, a hi-tech education centre that teaches citizenship skills to the young people of Sutton. PR

Building the next generation of active citizens

One of the reasons why people are sometimes sceptical about the concept of the "big society" is that they feel that a lot of what is being talked about already exists. Britain has always had a strong and diverse charity sector and a rich tradition of volunteering.

I am proud that in Sutton we have always seen high levels of volunteering and a wide range of community organisations. This is why we were happy to become a big society vanguard authority.

But it is well known that across Britain communities and voluntary organisations rely on the efforts of a dedicated few: regular volunteers tend to be the older members of society, usually retired. This is a generation who grew up in a time when notions of public service and good neighbourliness were perhaps stronger than they are today. But it is vital that we invest to build up the next generation of active citizens.

In Sutton we have invested in a unique, hi-tech education centre called the Life Centre, which teaches citizenship skills to the young people of Sutton and beyond in new and engaging ways. The aim is to encourage in our young people a sense of pride in their community and teach them a range of important life skills. This will hopefully help replenish the ranks of Sutton's volunteer army.

Through working together with the Young Foundation to explore the idea of a "citizens' university" we intend to swell those ranks even further.

We have set up a pop-up learning centre called The U in a vacant shop in Sutton High Street. Shoppers now have a chance to take part in quick courses that teach a mixture of citizenship and general life skills. The U is also about getting people involved in civic society.

To us in Sutton, the big society agenda provides an opportunity to build upon the strong civil society that already exists and introduce an active, pro-volunteering ethos to as many residents as possible.

It is also a challenge to be more ambitious in devolving decision-making to our communities.

We are trying to build a big society that really is as big as it can be.

Sean Brennan is leader of the London borough of Sutton

It's about taking time out to help others

At the NSPCC, we believe that the big society has five key requirements which relate to our work:

It should create an environment where everyone takes responsibility for ensuring that children are safe from abuse.

Local communities should be supported and encouraged to look after one another meaning that no child's plight is ignored.

Professionals need the resources, support and freedom to use their judgment, and intervene where necessary, to ensure the safety of a child.

Children must always feel that there is someone they can turn to for help and advice.

Children need to be given a voice. They need to be an active participant in decisions that affect them.

The NSPCC is an example of the big society in action: nearly 90% of funding comes from the public and our biggest source of income comes from people's monthly donations. It's our job to let donors know how they are helping to make a difference to children's lives.

Last year, trained NSPCC helpline counsellors made a record number of referrals of suspected child abuse calls to the police and social services. We need to inspire our donors and the public at large to be the eyes and ears in their local communities. A child's safety could depend on their actions.

We depend on our volunteers, they run fundraising branches covering the length of the country. We also have over 1,000 volunteer counsellors that work on our ChildLine service. They help provide a 24-hour listening, advising and counselling service to 150,000 vulnerable children and young people every year.

For me, the big society means taking some time out of our hectic schedules and recognising that there are some people who are less fortunate than ourselves. These people sometimes need a bit of help and that's where the big society comes in.

Paul Amadi is director of fundraising for the NSPCC

Supporting people to drive change

Nick Hurd
Nick Hurd. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian Felix Clay/Guardian

For me the big society is about more people working together for the common good. At this incredibly challenging time, it must be right to make better use of all the energy, skills and experience in communities across the country. We know that government can't solve all the problems so why not give us all more power and responsibility to improve our own lives, the communities we share and the public services we use?

The last three years have put me in touch with some genuinely inspiring and tenacious people doing extraordinary work to help others. When we talk of the big society, we are obviously not inventing something. It is a case of doing more to value that work and make it easier for more of it to happen. It is also about creating more space for new solutions and opportunities for local people to drive the change they want to see; whether it is setting up a new school or shaping the design and location of new housing.

This is not just words. We have new power in the form of new information. The localism bill gives communities radical new powers to make it easier for them to take on assets and challenge existing services. The first wave of community organisers are already out there listening to what people really want and mobilising them to take action. For National Citizen Service, 8,000 16-year-olds have already completed 250,000 hours of community action. The first social investments are already being made by the forerunner of big society capital – which will have £600m of capital to support social entrepreneurs. The poorest wards in the country can now access a new community grant programme to help them implement their own plans. Entrepreneurs in the public sector are responding to our support for spin-outs and staff-led mutuals. There is a huge amount of creative energy going into making it easier for us to give time and money.

This is a big culture change that will need time. However, the cynics underestimate the momentum and importance of this movement.

The opportunity to influence the world around you, to feel connected, to be able to make a contribution, and to trust those around you – these are some of the most important contributors to our wellbeing. They form the foundation of both our society and economy. A lot of us want to see that foundation strengthened.

Nick Hurd is the minister for civil society

It's about getting involved

In 2007, my house in Kensal Rise, London was hit by a tornado. The roof and back wall were thrown into the air and landed neatly (ish) on our car. But this catastrophic natural occurrence started off an incredibly positive chain reaction.

It began on the night of the tornado itself. We weren't allowed to go into our house so one of our neighbours, whose house was relatively unscathed, invited us to stay with them. Lots of other people from the street offered support, lending us clothes and stuff for the kids. As the reconstruction was going on, and because we'd had to move out, our neighbours helped oversee the works and made sure we got our house back in shape.

Then, when everyone's houses were back together again, we all decided to hold a street party to celebrate. At the party I saw a neighbour, who I had seen on numerous occasions picking up litter on the street. I'd never spoken to him before, so thanked him and asked him why he did it. He said it was because he wanted to live in a nice neighbourhood. He did it because it made him feel better. But what was great is that it made my, and everyone else's life in the neighbourhood better too.

And to me, all this gets at the heart of what the big society is really about: choosing not to sit back and assume that it is someone else's job to do whatever it is you think needs doing, but instead trying to do it yourself or with others. Rather than the government deciding what they want to do on our behalf, we as individuals or as groups of people do it ourselves. We make a difference for ourselves, and in doing so we make a difference for everyone.

It's not volunteering. It's about getting involved. If you don't like the park, get involved; if you think the library is not being used enough, get involved; if you want your street to be prettier, get involved. Don't wait for someone else to do it. Chances are it won't get done.

Giles Gibbons is chief executive of Good Business

Help in the bad times too

The Growing Zone
The Growing Zone in Kippax near Leeds. Photograph: PR

It began life as an idea to make a place where people with learning disabilities would have the chance to get involved in creating a community garden, grow food, mix with other people from the community, make friends and enjoy the open air.

When we began to create the Growing Zone, which now has a specially equipped log cabin for people with all types of disability and offers a range of activities for children and adults, nobody had ever heard of the big society and we had to rely on time donated by local volunteers and our service users.

Since the government began to push the idea of the big society, we've really felt the difference. The benefits have been immense, not only from voluntary sector and community interaction but from the business and private sector who have helped us not only financially but with advice, support, work days and, most of all, their friendship and willingness to be our partners.

When our project was burgled, we were offered help and support. People don't usually want to help in the bad times and I do think that the fact the government keep pushing the idea is part of why things have changed. Along with many a sleepless night, it has been hard but very pleasurable work putting our special place together, but without the willingness of everyone who has helped us we would not be where we are today.

I admit I was sceptical to start with, but the big society has worked for us. We have been amazed at the reactions and the loyalty that has come our way from people from all walks of life, and that community spirit shown at the start of the Growing Zone's life has been extended as our private sector partners have become part of the community. It has meant that we can scale up both the project and our ambitions and we hope it continues to do so.

June Perkin is director of the Growing Zone, a voluntary initiative based in Kippax near Leeds

The big society is with us already

First Direct has been partnering with the NSPCC (and ChildLine in particular) for the last two years, and so, as the debate has intensified around the big society it has been fascinating to see how the idea has come to mean different things to different people.

In terms of what it has meant to First Direct, this is what industry already recognises as good practice in social leadership.

The idea that businesses and communities can find win-win situations is not new. We need well-trained and highly motivated employees and we found very early on that our people were more motivated and loyal if they were also working together to achieve something outside of work. Again and again we find that giving employees the opportunity to do something out of the ordinary means they stay with us for longer and work harder.

The government has put a lot of emphasis on trying to get companies to help out in ways that are more than just cash giving. Companies make profit from either goods or services, and by donating those goods or services directly, they can sometimes do more to help than they could by donating money alone. So, for example, we were able to offer our expertise to improve the efficiency of the NSPCC's call centres and bring experience and insight to their teams. Another initiative has been to allow our employees to answer NPSCC "Letter from Santa" calls in between normal banking calls.

The big society is a good idea and the focus that the government has placed on getting big corporates to engage with the communities that they rely on is very welcome. Maybe perhaps we should all stop searching for what the big society is and realise that it's with us already. What we need to do is highlight good practice in organisations and amplify these examples to bring about more widespread support.

Mark Mullen is the chief executive officer of First Direct