Our Initiatives
The Connecting For Good team has been organising in Coventry for the last three years. Our goal is two-fold: shifting power back to communities through collective action and sparking community action through connection, creativity, and community-led change. We are building an ecosystem of initiatives that are working together and supporting each other city-wide.
Shifting Power
"My proudest moment was when we sat down with the city council and there was a noticeable shift in power towards us."
Cov Cares Movement
Cov Cares is a network of businesses and organisations that are bringing connection and belonging back to Coventry's Highstreets. The Cov Cares team are currently working to build a city wide network of businesses that have pay-it-forward or pay-what-you-can schemes. The team believe in supporting their communities to invest in their local economies, and they are working to build a network of support for local businesses that care about connection and belonging.
The Cov Cares awards launched in 2023, and they aimed to shine a light and celebrate the businesses and organisations already going above and beyond for the community. The awards received 756 nominations from across the city, 431 of which included a story of when someone felt connected to a businesses/organisation in the city.
Coventry Urban Eden
Coventry Urban Eden (CUE) is a collective of local people committed to promoting green spaces for the enjoyment and benefit of the residents and visitors to Coventry. CUE believe in the absolute power of nature, and they strongly believe that nature should be accessible to all. They bring creativity, passion, and innovation to their work, building connections city-wide with like-minded people and organisations to design, craft, and build more accessible green spaces in Coventry.
Some of their actions have included working with the Herbert Art Gallery to create a community garden and launching a plant and seed swap.
Destination Ball Hill
Destination Ball Hill began in October 2022 when our team of organisers went into the area to listen, understand the challenges, and call people to action (Ball Hill is an area in Coventry). As of 2024, there are now 5 community action groups working together to be at the heart of change in the area: the Environment Team, the Air Pollution Team, the Community Hub Team, the Business Network, and the Creatives. The sixth group is the Destination Ball Hill Strategy Team, who help bring structure and support to the teams on the ground, and keep them aligned to their mission of making Ball Hill a destination again. Destination Ball Hill shows the power of communities creating new transformative structures for change.
Forward Fathers
Forward Fathers is a group of men with lived experience of being separated from their children. Their mission is to help fathers build the skills to navigate this challenging experience, and to work together to help change the way that their story is told.
The Forward Fathers team are using art and creativity to transform the lives of fathers that have experience separation from their children. They provide a safe and supportive environment for men to express their emotions, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and improve their overall mental health and well-being.
Need The Loo!
The Need The Loo team are campaigning for more and better public toilets in Coventry. The team is working to change the narrative about toilets, asking people to engage in conversation about needing the loo. Need The Loo believe that this issue transcends many different accessibility needs: Health & Well-being, Equality, Social Inclusion, and Privacy & Public Decency.
"In an ideal world, we would like to see more public toilets to be provided, but with squeezes on Council budgets, this isn't really likely in the short term. We can however, make the best of what we've got and encourage toilet providers to take a more positive approach and give Coventry people (as well as tourists) a better experience, so they'll feel happy to come into the city centre and use the shops and cafes." - Anne Forgan, Need The Loo Team member.
Roots In Nature
Roots in Nature have a dream: a community woodland that the people of Coventry can be custodians of, created for the people by the people. A woodland where people can come together to tend and care for themselves and the natural world. A space where they can look after the land and build better relationships, community and well-being. Their vision is an outdoor community centre, a short 15-minute walk from Coventry City centre. The Roots in Nature team believe in the power and creativity of nature. They want to bring transformative change for the people of Coventry by working hard to strengthen local connections in order to shift power back to the people, one acre at a time.
Survivor Sanctuary Plus, Trans Campaign.
In late 2023, Survivor Sanctuary Plus reached out to CFG to ask for support to launch and shape a trans rights campaign. The trans rights campaigning team aim to build a local campaign to help support and bring agency back to trans people in Coventry.
SSC+ are currently building relationships with trans people and allies from across the city. If you are interested in connecting with the team please reach out via instagram or email slewis@grapevinecoventryandwarwickshire.co.uk
Survivor Sanctuary
Survivor Sanctuary is a grassroots organisation which began as a core team through Connecting For Good. They are led by survivors, for survivors. They provide peer to peer support for victim-survivors who have experienced sexual violence. At their core they cultivate a safe space which provides connection, belonging and friendship through our shared lived experiences, no matter where survivors are on their journey.
Alongside their mission, their aim is to ensure that survivors of sexual violence are invited to have a seat at the table where decisions are made about policy changes that directly affect them. As survivors, they want to work with systems and organisations to reform the experience for survivors of the reporting process and the accessibility of specialised support.
Survivor Sanctuary also support Survivor Sanctuary Plus - their mission is to build the same kind of support system for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sparking Community Action
Check out the amazing initiatives that were sparked with the help of Connecting For Good.
Sign up to the CFG newsletter as we will send you an updated initiative list and ways you can get involved
Bringing people together with passion for social action through film and filmmaking. Sharing stories of social action to build conversation and understanding.
"Geek Rooms is a virtual meet-up on Zoom (every first Monday of the month) that brings together fellow geeks to explore topics of interest."
This is a walking group with a difference. It is inclusive and accessible for all...at a steady pace; no-one will be left behind.
Coventry OutSpoke is Coventry’s queer collective, working to strengthen the city’s LGBT+ community.
What began as a few people with. dream of crafting for wellbeing has now turned into a movement of people that use creativity to combat isolation. They now have 15 groups running in spaces across the city. Anyone is welcome to join and craft, together.
Make friends and keep Coventry tidy! The Litterbusters meet weekly to litterpick areas of Coventry before going for a coffee or pint to round off their hard work. Taking action and building community.
New Vibes
New Vibes are passionate about making nightlife more inclusive. Bringing people together through the power of sound and visuals & fighting for our right to party!
Resting Spaces' mission is to provide free, quiet spaces, in and around Coventry City Centre, where people who need a resting space can relax for whatever their reason (such as autism, stress, anxiety, chronic pain, etc)
The Curious Club
A growing community of local creatives that want to change the narrative in Coventry and get more men talking about mental health and well-being.
Metalheads of Coventry offers people over the age of 18 the opportunity to join a community of like minded people, join meet up, access local information about gigs and concerts, socialise and make connections.
Coventry sensory library is a free to use library of sensory equipment created by Alex & the Resting Spaces team in collaboration with Coventry central library. It is mainly aimed at the autistic and neurodiverse community but open for everyone.