Location
Years
2015-
Activity
The Elephants Trail built on the learning from the original Elephants project in Greater Manchester. This was a partnership with CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies), Creative Inclusion, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Lankelly Chase Foundation, Petrus and Shelter.
The Elephants Trail approach was developed by people with personal experience of multiple disadvantage in Bury and in Rochdale Borough.
In ‘Elephants spaces’, people with lived experience and professionals from very different backgrounds to explore difficult issues, and to learn and make decisions together.
Teams lean into these issues, learn and make decisions together. They test practical solutions to key issues faced by communities and by agencies.
The Elephants Trail then works to change systems that create injustice and perpetuate disadvantage.
The Elephants approach is now being shared and spread with communities and agencies across Greater Manchester.
Impact
Communities organise, take collaborative action and spread their activity with others. For example, in Bury, people set up their own groups and organisations. In Rochdale, the group has worked together with Rochdale Borough Council to improve public services.
Some people have described their Elephants Trail experience as “life changing” and “the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
The Elephants Trail changes how decisions are made and who makes them, and creates space to imagine better systems.
As a result, systems focus on focus on prevention (rather than reaction),
increase power held by communities, build social/mutual ownership of wealth by communities, and work mutually alongside communities.
An independent evaluation reflected some of the learning and impact of the Elephants Trail approach.
There is more learning and resources on the Elephants Trail website.
Funded by
Lankelly Chase Foundation, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Rochdale Borough Council
