The Queen's Speech and a plethora of bills show that the coalition government is wasting no time in getting down to business. As expected the Big Society idea of power to the people is a recurrent theme, with the Decentralisation and Localism Bill giving residents the power to instigate local referendums, and the magnificently named Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill aiming to roll back the state.

Whilst a vocal few will always respond to opportunities to participate, many people, indeed a vast majority, will probably not. That's not surprising when you consider the shift we want people to make in their attitudes - from a focus on the individual that has been growing for decades to one of a focus on the wider community. So as well as ensuring that those without the skills to take a role in decision-making receive the support required to allow their involvement (see my last blog entry), how else can we excite people's imagination and passion? How can we help people to feel that sense of ownership over their whole neighbourhood, not just their own back garden?

In our experience the key often lies in the local environment. It's a powerful vehicle for motivating people to act together in the interests of the wider community. Scrappy, tatty pockets of land - everybody notices them, everybody thinks they're a waste of a space. Lots of people are willing to get involved to make them better. If we can learn from this and engage people on an issue about which they feel strongly all our experience tells us that we can direct their motivation into making other changes in their lives and neighbourhoods. And if people start to gain an appreciation of the value of their place in and contribution to their community, then we'll really start changing places, changing lives.