Think Global, Act Local - Original Post Jan 12th 2010

It's a well-known phrase- in fact it's become a cliche. Yet the importance of focussing on local needs is not to be over-estimated. I'm sure we can all think of examples right here in Aberdeen where companies, campaigns or products just don't work - even if they're successful elsewhere. Locally elsewhere, is the Blue coke story (although I'm not entirely sure it's true)

Are we just insular here in Aberdeen (I can hear people saying "we? you're not from round here" as I type), or do we just have different demands? I'd love to hear your views.

Charities are saying that there seems to be a growing trend for people to want to change their own area first, then to change the world. I'm not convinced though that it's a growing trend, or simply a growing awareness of the viewpoint.

While I worked at Sue Ryder Care, someone made a fairly significant donation out of the blue. He told me he did so because he'd just discovered we were helping people in the area. (He added that his wife considered Stonehaven to be 'not local enough'.)

I also encounter people who choose not to support Barnardo's Scotland because we're a national charity. The perception seems to be that if we work across the country, we don't work here. But we do. We are the largest children's charity in the UK because we work in almost every part of the country you can think of.

Wherever there are vulnerable children, we're trying to help. We talk about being a national charity with a local impact, and that's because the needs of kids in one area aren't the same as the needs of kids in another area.

Each child has a different situation, a different background and a different need. In Scotland we run three services called 16+. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeenshire, and while they do the same thing - helping young people aged 15 and above move from local authority care into independent living - they work in very different ways. The Aberdeenshire service - by nature of its geography - simply can't work in the same way. People aren't crossing a city to come and visit us, they can't hop on a bus to come to our centre, we have to go to them.

When a project can be replicated in another area, we do it. Often there needs to be localisation. Always, there needs to be local support. Local support for projects and services is what maintains them, what keeps them helping children now and safeguards their future.

Every penny Barnardo's raise in Scotland, stays in Scotland. Every penny we raise in the North East stays in the North East.

In the coming months, I'm hoping a new campaign will help to bring home the nature of our work here, and the urgent need for the support of local donors, local companies, local people.

For me, though I think there's a more important way to work than "think global act local". It's not about localisation, it's about personalisation. Just as every child we help has a unique need, every donor has a unique reason for supporting us, their own reason for helping, and a personal part of the world they want to change.

If you're looking to work with a charity in 2010 to improve the lives of people in the North East and help your business, Barnardo's Scotland is looking to work with you.

If you want to change a part of the world, we're waiting to help you do it.

That's why I'm here.

Posted via email from mikemuses's posterous