Council Colleagues Attend INFUSE Bootcamp

Recently, colleagues from across the Council took part in the INFUSE Cohort Three bootcamp in Cardiff.

Participants were brought together over two days to start conversations, build relationships and above all ignite their aspiration to innovate.

The Infuse Bootcamp is an opportunity for associates to meet the Infuse team and to get together, develop relationships across the various local authorities and find out what the next 6 months of Infuse will entail.

Over the next 6 months, the cohort will collaboratively tackle some of the biggest issues faced by the region.

The Infuse programme gives public servants the opportunity to learn about and apply new tools and approaches to help deliver successful public service innovations and test ideas designed to help tackle challenges on the themes of Accelerating Decarbonisation & Supportive Communities.

Nicola Sumner-Smith, one of the Vale’s Infuse Champions said: “The INFUSE programme has been an intensive but enriching experience. The programme was a varied mix of lectures, workshops, discussions, group work, and one-to-ones, and it covered a vast range of topics and tools but all within the two topic themes of Communities and Decarbonisation, and all of which have direct links to everyone’s role within the Council, so it doesn’t matter if those themes don’t seem relevant at first.

“Personally, I have taken great value from meeting and engaging with other officers from all the local authorities across the Cardiff Capital Region, there is a lot of opportunity to discuss real challenges that we each face, and discuss possible solutions based on people’s experiences and ideas. Additionally, the speakers and facilitators have vast experience to draw upon. As such, I have been really interested to hear about other areas of the UK and beyond and how they tackle the challenges we also face in the Vale.

Overall the programme has been intellectually challenging, professionally stimulating and personally rewarding. The time investment should not be underestimated, but I also consider time spent in the programme will be a good investment for me and the Council overall.”

Cohort Three includes five from the Vale of Glamorgan Council – Alec Shand, Arabella Calder, Gaynor Jones, Penny Fuller and Steve Davies. The five joined staff from other Councils across South Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, and Cardiff as well as staff from Welsh Government, Public Health Wales & Natural Resources Wales.