Over the past 20 months, digital engagement has become a much more important part of how we talk to people and hear from our communities. We have held many Zoom and Teams meetings, run dozens of online surveys, and tried out lots of new ways to engage online.

Now we’re all eager to get back out and meet people in the real world. Nothing will ever fully replace the personal touch of meeting people face-to-face.

But we also want to retain the best of what we have done online, and continue to develop the ways in which we use digital tools to get the richest possible involvement of Southwark’s communities.

As people who regularly engage with Southwark, through our meetings or surveys, we want to hear your thoughts on the best approaches to online engagement. Is there something we have done that has worked for you, or are there tools and techniques that you have seen other people use, and that you think we could take on?

Please give us your suggestions using our new Conversation Hub – you can give your own ideas, or read, vote and comment on other people’s ideas. This discussion will be open until 21st January.

[Then come along to join our workshop on Monday 17th January 6-8pm – we’re planning a full-on, old-fashioned community meeting at the council offices on Tooley Street, where there’ll be a series of exercises and discussions to figure out the best model of digital engagement for the future.]

UPDATE: Sadly, as a result of high Covid-19 numbers and the risk to attendees, we have decided to make this an online meeting, running 6-8 on Monday as planned. The digital link will be sent to everyone who has registered.