TECT funding will allow SociaLink's Community Insights to support Western Bay of Plenty community organisations with useful data for another two years.

The website, www.communityinsights.org.nz, provides Western Bay of Plenty community organisations with up-to-date analysis and data based on external national and regional social datasets.

It has secured a further two years' funding through TECT's Catalyst for Change fund.

Community Insights provides evidence-based information for community groups about the communities they serve and the social issues they are facing.

Manager Liz Flaherty says she's very thankful to TECT for its continued support for the initiative that provides a new focus of support for local groups.

'Community groups, though they collect a lot of information every day, often struggle to pull this information together quickly to inform their ongoing work.

'Community Insights works alongside organisations to identify the data they are collecting, and help them harness this for better outcomes and insights.

The TECT grant will enable certainty for core funding of Community Insights personnel.”

Liz says over the coming two years, Community Insights will be extending its support for Western Bay of Plenty community organisations to better use their data through organisational data dash-boarding projects, and supporting community groups who have shared agendas to come together to enable data sharing on local social issues.

'We will also provide training and ongoing support to build data skills through workshops in data visualisation and analytics, and building robust data collection processes.”

It will also build localised data resources to be made publically available through the website in dashboards of public data about particular groups, such as children and young people, and on topical issues such as crime, safety, food security and community wellbeing.

'The funding will enable Community Insights to consolidate on the good work it has been doing with groups so they are equipped with relevant, up-to-date data and resources to inform planning, service development and growth.

'This will allow them to respond proactively to new challenges and use what they know to build relationships across the region that are both responsive to local needs and innovative in design.”

The website is providing a growing resource of sources and links to bring relevant information to groups who need it.