Congratulations to Rob Comber who was awarded winner of LG Challenge 2019 at the LGA Annual Conference in July. After completing six challenges, Rob was awarded £10,000 for his 'Summer Slide' project which aims to tackle the educational impact of child poverty through summer schools. Want to find out more about Rob’s LG Challenge journey? Read below for more.
What were your expectations going into the LG Challenge?
To be completely honest, I had only heard a little bit about the LG Challenge from previous contestants who all told me the experience had a positive impact on their work and I was hoping it would do the same for me. After doing a bit of research, I became excited by the idea of working with others from different councils across the country and learning how local government works outside of Kent. I was hoping there would be opportunities to bring new ways of working into my work and the work of my team.
Thinking back the first challenge in January, how would you say the programme changed you over the six months?
The first challenge didn’t get off to a great start – my alarm went off at 5.15am, it was snowing, and the first train of the day was cancelled. I was slightly regretting what I had signed up to. 3 and a half hours later, I was meeting the other contestants (now friends) at a train station somewhere in Oxfordshire. Another hour later and a quick round of introductions done, and WhatsApp groups set up, me and the other nine contestants were thrown into the first challenge. I can’t speak for everyone, but by lunch I could see that taking part in the LG Challenge was going to be an amazing experience.
Four field visits, three interviews, two hours networking, one very late night and a somewhat questionable presentation later and I was on the train home to Kent with other contestants buzzing about the experience we had all just been through. One by one as we got off the train at different stations, it’s fair to say we were all looking forward to the next challenge!
Five challenges later and I can say the LG Challenge has changed the way I work. I, and my team, work in a much more collaborative and creative way, helping us to deliver better results. I am better able and equipped to deliver presentations, although I have not yet plucked up the courage to deliver a role-play in any presentation! I am more confident in working with senior managers and leaders to explore new and different ways of working.
In local government, with the pressures we face every day, it is very easy to always look internally. The biggest change for me is that I am now connected into a wider network which has opened-up a much more diverse conversation for me when looking to address challenges within Kent. This has been invaluable to share ideas across a network and is already making a difference to the way I work and deliver services in Kent.
How were you feeling on the day of the final? Did everything go according to plan?
Myself, and the other finalists put in a huge amount of work leading up to the final and whilst there were a few nerves, I felt confident and well prepared. I am very competitive, and this was driving me to do well against three very strong and inspiring finalists, Hollie, Matt and Sarah. I had gained a lot from discussing my project before the LGA Annual Conference and with delegates and I was getting some good feedback and challenge which really helped my preparation.
At the first challenge I was told my presentation style was not engaging so this had been an area I had been working hard on during the challenges and in my spare time! Having the experience to present to senior panels throughout the challenge was good preparation and I took confidence from learning from other contestants throughout the process as well.
The team I worked with on the day, Adam and Celia, were a great support in getting engagement around my project and they gave me an opportunity to practice my presentation – their feedback helped shape my presentation into something I was really proud of. My presentation would not have gone as well as it did without their support.
Your project is called Summer Slide and looks to improve educational knowledge retention of young people during the summer holidays. How did you develop your proposal and what was the inspiration behind it?
Having worked in children’s services for eight years, the wellbeing of children is at the heart of everything I do. I had heard about the concept of summer learning loss and felt passionate about creating a solution that meant children did not need to be disadvantaged by the summer holidays break in learning.
The way I developed the proposal was a mix of desk-based research and engaging with young people and teachers around the issue. The feedback I got from speaking with young people was fundamental to my proposal and will remain fundamental as the project progresses.
If you could offer any advice to someone considering applying to the LG Challenge 2020, what would it be?
For anyone considering applying to take part in the LG Challenge to help you to develop, my advice would be absolutely go for it! It is by far the best development opportunity I have been involved in during my career.
But, be prepared for incredibly hard work, late nights, early mornings, moving completely out of your comfort zone, pressure and delivering some of the most demanding work you’ll ever deliver. There were moments where I felt “why have I signed up to this?” But, if you’re prepared for that, what you will get is; an opportunity to deliver genuinely transformational work for other local authorities in a collaborative and innovative way, an opportunity to work with and build a network of inspiring individuals across our sector, and an immersive personal development opportunity that will enhance your career in the public sector.
If you could sum up your experience of LG Challenge in five words, what would they be?
Collaborative, Dynamic, Creative, Inspiring, Impactful