Community Empowerment

Community empowerment is the outcome of effective community engagement. It’s about shifting power, influence and responsibility away from existing centres of power and into the hands of communities and individuals. It is about re-energising communities and building on their desire to participate. Community empowerment is about fostering the conditions that convince people that making a difference is both possible and worthwhile.

Our focus on Deaf Community Empowerment is based around our four community activities:

Community Advocacy;
Children, Youth and Family;
Community Development; and
BSL work

The BDA’s Community Advocacy Team works with Deaf Communities and Individuals when they are seeking resolutions to any issues that are of concern to them, by ensuring that their views are understood and that they are aware of their civil and human rights. The BDA Advocacy Team is guided by the principle that every person should be valued, and ensures that people are not ignored and excluded because of the prejudices they face, that lead to lack of respect from others.

The Children, Youth and Family Team works with young Deaf people and their families to create exciting and rewarding opportunities for them to share experiences with other young Deaf people and have access to positive role models. The Team achieves this by working in partnership to support Youth Clubs, Youth Groups and Youth Camps for young Deaf people throughout the UK.

The Community Development Team supports local Deaf groups with their events, campaigns and other social activities. The Team develops relationships within the local Deaf communities and researches how the BDA can improve local opportunities for Deaf people. They work with local authorities and service providers to enable them to sign up to the BSL Charter. They are the public face of the BDA at a local level and are the all-important link between local Deaf groups and the national campaigning work of the BDA.