We will explore how Nether Edge can become a democracy, where everyone is involved in making decisions and where we can grow our own power in a way that helps us all flourish and supports other neighbourhoods and Sheffield as a whole.

Democracy is not just about Westminster. Democracy is meant to include everyone and about changing the world together so everyone benefits. Throughout history and around the world there are many different ways communities have made decisions together. We do not need to just stick with the systems we’ve inherited. We can imagine, then build something much better.

The City of Sheffield is full of people who want to act like citizens. Increasingly people are recognising the city is made up of 147 different neighbourhoods and each neighbourhood can have more power and the chance to make its own decisions. This can help us face some of the big challenges we face:

Inclusion – welcoming everyone and overcoming prejudice and discrimination
Care – helping each other and making sure everyone is connected and can thrive
Justice – sharing our resources fairly so everyone has what they need
Democracy – making decisions together so every voice is heard
Nature – taking care of the natural world and all forms of life

Our hope is that this will not just be theory. We can organise ourselves to make decisions and take action. We can include everyone if we try and we can create a democratic Nether Edge to help us tackle the problems we face and make sure everyone gets to lead a good life.

This event will be run by Kate West of Family Voice (www.familyvoicesheffield.org) and Simon Duffy of Citizen Network (www.citizen-network.org). They will share some examples of democratic possibilities from around the world to begin the conversation.

This event will be a workshop. We will share some initial ideas, but we will be hoping that everyone can help generate practical ideas for creating a democratic Nether Edge and discover who is keen to take these ideas forward.

If you want to get involved or have ideas about we can all work together as a community then this event is for you.

Tickets free donations welcome