Tyne & Wear Citizens

22/07/2026

Before he was Prime Minister...

In February 2025, Cameron a young leader from St Thomas More Catholic High School in North Tyneside met then-Mayor Andy Burnham at the Convention of the North and secured his signature on a Citizens UK statement setting out a series of commitments for communities across the North.

Those commitments included tackling poverty, improving public transport, and strengthening democracy and devolution so that communities have a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives.

We believe public leaders are at their best when they stay connected to the communities they serve. As Prime Minister, we look forward to working with Andy Burnham and reminding him of the commitments he made that day.

16/07/2026

This afternoon Sunderland Students' Union officers and student leaders gathered together to explore how community organising can support their priorities for the year ahead.

Together we looked at relationships, leadership, listening and power, and how these can be applied to issues ranging from student representation and engagement through to the campaigns and projects they want to lead.

It was encouraging to see people thinking strategically about how they can build stronger relationships, develop other leaders, and involve more students in creating change on the issues that matter to them.

Looking forward to seeing what emerges over the coming academic year. 💪

10/07/2026

Last week, our Leadership Group gathered for its annual Away Day to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the opportunities and challenges facing our chapter in the year ahead.

As part of the day, we explored Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and reflected on its connections to community organising. As a broad-based alliance of people of all faiths and none, we were particularly struck by these words:

"[Subsidiarity] values the cooperation between generations, peoples, disciplines and cultures as the best way for fostering stability, prosperity and peace. We should not be intimidated by tensions or differences because they can become creative forces when guided by shared responsibility." - Pope Leo XIV, MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS

Building relationships across difference and taking shared responsibility for the common good remain at the heart of how we organise together across Tyne and Wear.

08/07/2026

Last night, more than 200 people gathered at Church House, Westminster, to celebrate 25 years of the Living Wage Movement. Among those in attendance were Living Wage employers from across the country, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and Rev Dr Simon Mason - a leader from Tyne & Wear Citizens who was part of the original Living Wage action with TELCO in East London in 2001.

We are immensely proud to have Simon in our chapter. His knowledge, experience and wisdom have helped shape many campaigns across Tyne & Wear Citizens, including the Living Well Mental Health Commission and our successful campaign for school-based counselling.

In this video, Simon shares a moving reflection on the early days of the Real Living Wage campaign and the journey that has brought the movement to where it is today.

22/06/2026

Brilliant young people from our newest member school raring to go with their Listening Campaign. We look forward to seeing how they will use Community Organising to work closely with their Staff Leadership Team to make a worthwhile difference in school.

We also look forward to working with their Community Prefects and Chaplaincy Team to think about the same questions in their local community in Blyth. 👏

‘Don’t be ashamed to tell your story; one day it will inspire others.’

At Bede, we believe in community and helping everyone to feel that they belong.

In pursuit of this, our new student leaders have fulfilled their first responsibility by learning how to run a student voice exercise. We welcomed Michael from Citizens UK to provide this training, and the buzz in the room told how enthusiastic and involved everyone was.

Michael explained the power of stories for bringing real issues to light and motivating action. He then led everyone through the steps to do this in a way that left them feeling keen and confident.

Tutor prefects are now ready to launch our listening exercise across the wider Bede community, so that, within weeks, every student will have had the chance to tell their story.

Watch out for the next steps as we build an even better Bede together.

28/05/2026

It was fantastic to attend another inspiring Youth Assembly organised by Tyne & Wear Citizens at Kepier Hall .

I listened to students from Kepier and local community representatives speak with real confidence, courage and honesty about the issues affecting their lives and communities - like antisocial behaviour on the Broadway, mental health, and the support of Best Start Family Hubs.

Thank you to everyone who took part, including the Tyne & Wear Citizens Leadership Team and volunteers from Space4. Local voices matter, and it’s always important to hear directly from residents about the changes they want to see.

05/05/2026

Interested in learning more about Community Organising? We have some spaces on our free 2-day training in Newcastle this weekend and next - May 9th and 16th.

Our introductory training aims to equip individuals within
organisations to help lead community organising in their institutions. The training will cover all essential aspects of the curriculum for community organising, including listening, issues, research, action, negotiation and evaluation.

Get in touch at [email protected] if you think you could benefit from the training and would be interested in attending.

09/04/2026

Some brilliant students at Newcastle University - one of our founding and strategic partners - have been busy researching how community organising methodology (specifically 121s) helps to build trust across difference, which is one of Citizens UK's strategic goals.

The students would greatly appreciate it, if you haven't already, if you could fill out this short survey, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete. They are keen to hear your views, particularly if you have been involved in Citizens campaigns at any point over the last 10 years.

The link to the survey can be found here:

30/03/2026

In the same spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech at Newcastle University in 1967, our broad-based alliance of institutions from across civil society gathered together for our Delegates Assembly.

At the event, our member institutions voted to shape our campaign priorities for the next two years, landing on Community Safety, SEND Provision & Young People, and Dentistry.

We’re looking forward to seeing the Action Teams grow and the change they will win together. If you're interested in joining one of the teams, do get in touch with an Organiser who can point you in the right direction!