Engage is Glasgow Community Planning Partnership’s online resource that supports engagement with and between Community and Voluntary groups in the city. It is managed on behalf of the Partnership by the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS).

The number of community and voluntary groups registered on the Engage database has hit 1,900, the highest level since the resource was launched in 2007. This figure has been swollen recently thanks to efforts by the GCVS collection team to gather further information about faith or belief-based organisations across the City.  

Faith Data Collection
A broad spectrum of faith organisations deliver a diverse range of vital services to communities across Glasgow, but there is no single comprehensive directory of all such groups.  GCVS are currently working with organisations to ensure that Engage captures information about as many as possible of these faith or belief-based groups operating across the city. 

The data collection exercise will provide valuable data about the size, scope and contribution that faith organisations make to communities across Glasgow, and will enable other public, voluntary or community based bodies to engage more effectively with faith organisations.  Inclusion on Engage will also benefit faith groups themselves from having a visible online profile and inclusion in listings for consultation on a wide range of issues.  

Already, some 170 faith-based organisations have their details captured, with a final target of around 200 set for the end of the year. Data collection is carried out via a combination of face to face interviews, telephone interviews and postal questionnaires.

For further information on getting your community or faith organisation on the database, please contact Samira Adris at GCVS on 0141 271 2338 or samira.adris@gcvs.org.uk.

Training Sessions

Engage is an extensive database that contains an impressive depth of information. To help users get the most out of it, GCVS run regular training sessions. The next round of training will take place in Summer 2011, and both new and existing users will be encouraged to attend one of the available training workshops. Further details will be available from the engage website at: www.engageglasgow.org , or by e-mailing engage@gcvs.org.uk