Community Partnership & CSR HR Consultancy in Dorset

Award-winning community partners

We're an independent HR Consultancy with a giant heart and a serious soft spot for doing good in the world. Cash? Not much. Time, brainpower and a truckload of passion? Buckets and buckets!

As HR Gurus, we spend every day staring down the barrel of well-being woes, training tragedies and people-plan pandemonium. But, instead of crying into our coffee cups, we roll up our sleeves and turn that energy into something useful - proper community impact through HR-led charity partnerships, volunteering and CSR support.

This is what community partnership in HR consultancy actually looks like in the real world. Enter stage left: Slades Junior Parkrun, The Parks Foundation, The Boo Charity, The HR Sounding Board and Goal 17. We’re not just talking the talk, we’re walking (well actually, running) the walk. Grab yourself a cuppa and get settled while we toot our horns for a moment.

We are proud supporters of…

The HR Sounding Board

If you’ve ever worked in HR, you know it's not all confetti and cake in the break room. Often labelled the 'party poopers' or 'fun police,' HR can sometimes feel like a one-person island in a sea of teams, especially if you’re in a standalone role. We’ve been there; it’s not fun.

But despite this reputation, HR professionals are actually pretty awesome people (if we do say so ourselves!).

So, we’ve created The HR Sounding Board, a non-stuffy accessible club for HR professionals. It’s a safe space for people to share real stories, ask questions and get advice from other like-minded HR professionals. We know, it’s not revolutionary, but it’s hugely needed within the Dorset and Hampshire HR community.

In true 21st-century style, The HR Sounding Board is a blend of in-person events and an online forum.

We’ve put on a number of events so far, including bigger seminars to smaller peer groups. These events have offered jargon-free advice on tribunals, neurodiversity, employment law updates and employee ‘red flags’ (if you know, you know!). By sounding it out amongst peers, we’ve helped to shine a light on the trickier situations, offering alternative perspectives and de-bunked some HR myths.

Become a sounding boarder

The HR Sounding Board group at Urban Garden, Bournemouth. Employee Red Flags session

Our partnership with The Boo Charity

The Boo Charity is where we put corporate social responsibility into action on a global scale. This low-admin charity has roots in BCP, but its heart is in Kenya, empowering young people with education, empowerment and employment opportunities.

Under the guidance of their chairperson (and our lovely founder and chief), Debbie Cohen, we see a lot of magic happening in the young people’s lives.

Their Nyamache Life Skills Centre is solely funded by The Boo Charity UK and provides free access to the poorest young adults within the community. Nyamache is a vibrant community, but one that’s disconnected from economic hubs and jobs are few and far between. This project tackles job poverty by providing vocational, business and life skills, leading to many graduates setting up their own businesses.

Behind the scenes, Debbie has led and supported a range of fundraising initiatives, such as The Boo Ball, Boat Cruise, Golf Days and Birthday Bases, to name just a few. These activities account for arounf 75% of all donations, making them a critical part of sustaining long-term impact in Kenya.

This partnership reflects our wider commitment to corporate social responsibility, using our time, expertise and network to support meaningful global impact.

Get involved with The Boo Charity

Debbie Cohen, founder of Streetwise HR and Chair Person for The Boo Charity

Our partnership with The Parks Foundation

Where would we be without our green spaces?! There’s a reason green spaces became essential during the pandemic - daily walks, fresh air and nature are proven to support mental health, and overall well-being.

As a group of dog mums, we probably spend more time than most in our green spaces and we’d be lost without them. Come on, what’s better than taking a walk on a sunny day, seeing people come together and nature blossoming? Psst, this is your sign to get out and go for a walk!

Debbie serves as a trustee for The Parks Foundation, where we collaborate in strategic planning and provide pro bono HR support for the Foundation and the staff. Why? Because this role allows us to bring our professional expertise to the community service sector, creating a more efficient and impactful organisation. And more awesome parks mean an even more awesome community!

Get involved with The Parks Foundation

Cherry blossom trees surrounded by flowerbeds with white and pink flowers in a park on a sunny day with a blue sky and white clouds.

Our partnership with Junior Parkrun

Imagine this: Kids sprinting like there's ice cream at the finish line, all because Debbie thought, "Let’s just do it!" Fast forward three years, and we’ve got giggles, jiggles, and fitness wiggles every Sunday. And guess what? Streetwise HR didn’t just cheer from the sidelines; we braced ourselves at the start line and paced ourselves to enjoy the journey!

Debbie, is a co-event director – what does this mean?

Start-up costs, Streetwise HR got it covered! P.A. system, whiteboard, stationary – all necessary start-up costs.
Come rain or shine Debbie helps to get the team together every Sunday. Being responsible for children, it’s vital that we have enough responsible adults to make sure the event goes ahead.
We shout (if you’ve met us, you know!) about Junior Parkrun all the time – we’ve welcomed kids of all abilities from the local community, making it a fun event for the whole family.

Achievements? We've got them by the bucketload:

Considering we started from scratch just a few years ago, we now have 90 regular runners. Seeing them beat their PBs, receive their milestone wristbands, wear the milestone capes and keep coming back makes it all worth it for us! Oh, and 90 kids means 90 birthdays, so there’s always cake.
In May 2023, Debbie received the BCP Chairman’s Community Award, alongside another volunteer, for their active contribution to the local community.

Get involved with Junior Parkrun

Debbie Cohen recieving an award from the BCP Mayor for her work with Junior Parkrun

Our partnership with Goal 17

More recently, Katie has dedicated herself as a mentor for a young adult, part of Goal 17. As young adults leave the care system, they need a big sister figure to call on – be that how to roast a chicken or needing help with a job application. Drawing on her Mental Health First Aider qualification and years of mentoring experience, Katie is well-equipped to help support someone through these challenges. Tapping into Katie’s brainpower and mentor mojo means turning "what the heck do I do now?" moments into "watch me soar" certainties.

Get involved with Goal 17

Seven women, all part of Goal 17, a charity based in Bournemouth

Become a community partner

Speak to our HR Gurus to understand how you can integrate community partnerships into your organisation, as part of your wider HR strategy, employee engagement and social value commitments.

We can help you embed meaningful CSR partnerships that support your people, strengthen your culture and create real community impact.

Contact us

Don’t take our word for it…

“The event is run entirely by volunteers and overseen by two Event Directors, for Slades this is Emily and Debbie, who ensure that the event is run safely each week, recruit the required number of volunteers, train the volunteers on the morning and inject a liberal dose of fun into each event. All of our Event Directors give up their time to ensure the event happens every week and supports the local community. Slades Junior parkrun has been going for three years and is now an unmissable event for juniors and parents.”

Kirsty Weston
Slades Junior parkrun Ambassador
“Debbie has been a trustee at The Parks Foundation since April 2021. She has been a keen and enthusiastic member of our Trustee board, bringing expertise in HR that has been invaluable to us. As our charity has grown, introducing a trading arm and with that more employees, Debbie has been a sounding board for HR related matters, providing advice and guidance. More recently, as our numbers have risen to 27 staff, Debbie has, through her business, Streetwise HR, been helping us set up a new online system, and stepping in with HR matters. Moreover, Debbie is a great support to me in my role at Interim CEO."

John Hanssen
The Parks Foundation Interim CEO
“As a zero-admin charity we are 100% reliant on the goodwill of our supporters and volunteers and we have been so grateful for the advice and support Debbie has given us over the last few years. With her background, Debbie is able to assist us with ensuring our governance is up to date and puts a lot of time and effort in helping organise all of our events and also rallying after the rest of us which can be a challenge in itself.”

Russell Hicks
The Boo Charity Founder
“A great session this morning talking about HR red flags. It was lovely to get together with other people locally to sound out some of the more tricky situations you can find yourself in within the world of HR.”

Jennifer
Passenger HR Manager
“Really fantastic seminar from Streetwise HR Ltd, can't wait for the next one!”

Kate
The Stable Family Home Trust HR Administrator