November 2007 - April 2008

The Trust Project is a pilot scheme to develop and trial an innovative approach to capacity building for small community organisations.

The project took place from November 2007 to April 2008.

Funded by Capacity Builders, this was a partnership with the Community Organisation Forum, Tower Hamlets Council, Tower Hamlets College and City University CASS Business School.

It is a training programme that aims to help local community groups develop skills to improve their proposals for funding. It also aims to demonstrate to these groups that they should have confidence in their own abilities.

The programme used action learning and group participation and was delivered by trainers Ali Rusbridge and Alice Bigelow with help from business volunteers as mentors.

It consisted of workshop style sessions and each participant was assigned with both a mentor (face to face, 1:1 support) and an e-mentor (email support) with whom there was regular structured communication between each of the workshops.

During the course of the programme each mentee, with support from their mentors, developed a project for their organisation.

A diverse range of community groups in Tower Hamlets took part including Global Bengali Mohila Samiti, Providence Row and Afar Community Association UK.

The pilot is being evaluated by CASS Business School. The Trust hopes the project will become a model for capacity building and to deliver it again next year.