THURSDAY 14th JUNE, 9.30am 4pm

Transcription

1 Newsle er Issue 11: April GREATER MANCHESTER BME NETWORK Groups find out about policy issues and overcoming barriers to commissioning at our latest workshop series In the last few months we have held two workshops, led by Ma Jackson from CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies) looking at issues affec ng BME and Refugee organisa ons currently. The first of the workshops looked at the emerging policy issues affec ng organisa ons and the second looked more closely at the tendering and commissioning process and specifically how BME/RCO groups might be able to overcome barriers currently preven ng them being fully involved in this process. We were also able to bring Neil Walbrain from GMCVO along to the workshops to talk about partnerships and consor ums using his experience in leading on the Health & Wellbeing consor um from Greater Manchester VCS groups (CONVERGE). We had 40 people taking part across the two workshops. They were informa ve and led to lively discussions between par cipants which resulted in some possible solu ons to the issues discussed. An example of this was in the overcoming barriers to commissioning workshop where mentoring, collabora on, developing a commissioning Tsar for the VCS (Voluntary & Community Sector), be er informing commissioners of the VCS sector ac vi es and iden fying commissions likely to be accessible to the VCS were all iden fied as possible solu ons to the barriers discussed in the presenta ons. See our website h p:// on/ for workshops info. SAVE THE FOLLOWING DATE IN YOUR DIARY!! THURSDAY 14th JUNE, 9.30am 4pm GREATER MANCHESTER BME NETWORK END OF YEAR CONFERENCE Speakers, workshops, videos, funders, networking opportunities MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!!

2 GM BME Network project receives further funding The Greater Manchester BME Network project has been successful in receiving addi onal funding from the Big Lo ery Fund under its Suppor ng Change and Impact programme. The funding will enable the project to con nue un l Summer 2013 and will help towards iden fying ways in which the benefits of the project can be sustained once funding ends. Several other voluntary sector organisa ons from across Greater Manchester including GMCVO s volunteering project and the TRIO project, a partnership betweem 1NW, Refugee ac on and LGF, have also been allocated funding from the 70 million programme, which was targeted at organisa ons affected by public funding cuts or facing an increase in demand for their services. Na onally, the BLF handed out an extra year s funding, worth between about 30,000 and 400,000, to 214 organisa ons. A further 574 organisa ons have received small grants of up to 10,000 to help them review their work and find ways of becoming more sustainable. The programme was announced in October 2011 and organisa ons had to apply to receive funding. To be eligible, an organisa on must have been awarded a grant of more than 10,000 from the BLF, be in the final 18 months of that funding and have been judged by the BLF to be managing that funding well. The BLF has also just set out its new approach in a new updated strategy framework for called Fresh Thinking The next chapter and follows on from the Cabinet office policy direc ons for the BLF issues recently. See h p:// eryfund.org.uk/index/about-uk/fresh_thinking.htm Groups find out about how to influence local decision making processes The Greater Manchester BME Network, in partnership with local district infrastructure support organisa ons, have run several workshops around the theme of Understanding Local Decision Making. These sessions provide a brief overview of how decisions are made in each local district, how BME and Refugee organisa ons might be able to influence the way in which these decisions are made and also what skills are needed by individuals who might want to act as a representa ve for their organisa on or BME/Refugee communi es within these decision making structures (e.g. LSP). Last month we held two workshops, one in Salford and the other in Rochdale. CVS Rochdale helped us to deliver the session to 7 par cipants, who were informed about changes to the LSP in Rochdale and what it means to be a representa ve within these kinds of decision-making structures including the kinds of skills and knowledge you need to do this type of role effec vely. In Salford we held the event in partnership with Salford City Council s Equali es and Cohesion team. Over 20 people a ended the event and were able to find out about how decision making works in Salford including community commi ees, Partners In Salford (the LSP) and the work being done around Communi es of Interest by the council. Salford CVS also informed groups of the type of support available to them from their own support services. From this mee ng their seems to be real interest in BME and Refugee organisa ons mee ng up together more regularly so look out for news on any progress with this in the future. We are looking to hold a further workshop for groups in Manchester & Trafford in May so we will send out details of this very soon.

3 Greater Manchester BME Network con nues to meet The last GM BME Network Mee ng in Salford The last GM BME Network Mee ng took place in Salford on 15 th February Salford Link Project provided a case study char ng their development over the last few years, and showcasing the services that are currently on offer. Par cipants provided feedback on what the Network can offer them in the future. To request the Informa on Sheet from this mee ng, please get in touch with us - gmbmen@mccr.org.uk tel: Next GM BME Network Mee ng in Oldham You are warmly invited to the next GM BME Network Mee ng, which will take place on: Date/ Time: Wednesday 25th April, 2012, 10.00am 1.00pm (Registra on/refreshments from 9.30am. Lunch will be provided) Venue: Oldham - The Honeywell Centre, Hadfield Street, Oldham, OL8 3BP These mee ngs are open to BME/ Refugee community organisa ons, networks and support providers from across Greater Manchester. GM BME Network mee ngs focus on a different theme of relevance to the BME and Refugee voluntary and community sector each me. The theme for this mee ng will be: Suppor ng BME Communi es Through Informa on and Advice, and will include a special presenta on from Advice UK. The agenda for this mee ng will also include updates and informa on exchange from local districts and a case study from a local group. The full agenda and booking form can be found on our website: h p:// ng-in-oldham/ For more informa on please contact us via gmbmen@mccr.org.uk or phone: Disability Equality Training: Exci ng FREE Training Opportunity for Organisa ons FREE essen al training for staff, volunteers and trustees of BME/Refugee/Infrastructure organisa ons delivered by Breakthrough UK and organised by Greater Manchester BME Network Date & Time: Friday 27th April 2012, 10am 4pm Venue: London Sco sh House, 24 Mount St, Manchester, M2 3NN By the end of the one day training course you will be able to: Appreciate the life context of disabled people Explain the difference between the Social and Medical Models of disability Review your own organisa on s services for compliance with the legal requirements of Equality Law Iden fy the main barriers to accessible services and steps to their removal Produce an improvement ac on plan for disability equality and accessibility in your organisa on If you are interested in booking a place on this course please contact Liz North of Breakthrough UK via l.north@breakthrough-uk.co.uk or call Alterna vely you can contact the Greater Manchester BME Network team on or gmbmen@mccr.org.uk for more details.

4 Send us your Refugee Week events and ac vi es and spread the word across Greater Manchester. Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educa onal events that celebrate the contribu on of refugees to the UK, and encourages a be er understanding between communi es. Every year during Refugee Week hundreds of events are organised across the UK. In 2011 there were over 500 small and large events, ranging from big music fes vals and art exhibi ons to poli cal debates, film screenings, conferences, school ac vi es, sports and community events. Refugee Week will run from 18th to the 24th of June Running a Refugee Week event or ac vity? Want to promote it to a wider audience? Send us the details and we will spread the word across Greater Manchester: gmbmen@mccr.org.uk tel: Need More Informa on? REFUGEE COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS Refugee Week 2012 For more informa on about Refugee Week, visit: Forum for Refugee and Asylum Issues in Rochdale Update In the last Newsle er, we updated you on the crea on of the Asylum and Refugee Forum in Rochdale. The development of the Forum has con nued apace, with increasing membership and the crea on of a new Terms of Reference and a local ac on plan. The Forum has received development support from Greater Manchester BME Network, Refugee Ac on and CVS Rochdale. Greater Manchester BME Network has also provided a link to the Salford Forum for Refugees and People Seeking Asylum, who have been able to share learning, experience and inspira on with colleagues in Rochdale. For further informa on about upcoming Forum mee ngs, and to play your part in shaping the Forum s development, please contact Estelle Worthington (RCO Project Officer) at: eworthington@mccr.org.uk or call InterACT bringing together refugee and asylum seekers and local young people The InterACT brings together year-old asylum seekers and refugees with local young people. It supports them to iden fy issues of concern to them in their communi es, and to work together to design and implement their own social ac on project to address them. The young poeple will work together to access 2000 to deliver their project. This project will also involve opportuni es to get involved with crea ve arts and media. Union Street is looking to work with 15 young refugee and asylum seekers. The project will take place from mid April so get in contact now to reserve a place. The first 2 sessions will take place over a two week period star ng from Tuesday April 17th. The remaining 7 sessions will take place twice a week and will fininsh around the middle of May. The young people will then have a period of me in which to complete their social ac on project. A celebra on event will follow some me a er the social ac on project is completed in mid July. As part of the project, young people can expect to: Break down barriers to integra on and interac on; Be supported to develop skills and knowledge; Par cipate in local community life; Create social links between groups; Increase understanding of refugee issues; Inspire and mo vate the wider community; Be part of an environment for discussion and interac on with new people; Unlock their poten al; Gain a greater understanding of different cultures; Develop new friendships; Develop a be er understanding of local community issues regarding cultures, race, background

5 Check out our facebook event: h ps:// Please contact Natasha directly on / or natasha@unionstreetmediaarts.com to find out more, for referrals or to book a place. We are available to come down and speak to your young people at any me. Our partner organisa on is Fairbridge and Princes Trust in Salford. Any LOCAL young poeple (16-25 years also) wishing to take part should contact Gary George at gary.george@princes-trust.org.uk What are the Achieve Pilots? NOTICEBOARD Opportunity for BME Organisa ons: Achieve Pilots Helping Ex-Offenders into work Achieve is a Ministry Of Jus ce scheme, to help ex-offenders into work, especially those with addi onal disadvantages. Par cipants in the scheme are either on community orders, released on licence, or released from a short sentence. Who is delivering it? What is it achieving? Greater Manchester Proba on is delivering the scheme for the North West region. They are just finishing delivering the first contract and will begin a second one in April Where are the gaps? What is being done? There are some iden fied needs gaps for people from BME backgrounds and people over 50. Achieve North West is working with GMCVO on two pilot schemes targe ng these groups. The purpose of the pilots is to test whether local voluntary organisa ons can successfully assist these client groups. If the pilots are successful we expect further commissioning. What are we looking for? We are not necessarily looking for organisa ons with a specific remit to assist offenders. We are more interested in those that work with those general client groups i.e. with one or more par cular BME communi es and/or with older people, and which have the ability to assist them into work. The requirement is for hard outcomes whether that is evidence of a job offer (minimum 16 hours per week), or of establishing the ex-offender as self employed. We are looking for organisa ons to support a total of 40 people, 20 people from BME backgrounds and 20 people over 50. Organisa ons should commit to achieving outcomes for between 5 and 10 individuals. The selec on process The programme is voluntary so any par cipants have chosen to engage. Referrals can be made to you by Achieve, or if you are interested in delivering to a par cular group of people (e.g. in a par cular locality), Achieve can ac vely recruit clients to your programme. Organisa ons can also reserve the right to refuse to take on an individual following ini al interview. Pilots can commence from April 2012 with end dates to be nego ated but we would like to complete the pilots by summer. For the pilot projects, payment of up to 950 per job secured will be made. If organisa ons require addi onal help with access to or contacts with poten al employers, GMCVO can assist, but the placement fee may be reduced slightly in recogni on. Where to find further informa on To access a more detailed briefing about this opportunity, visit: h p:// ons-achieve-pilots-%e2%80%93- helping-ex-offenders-into-work/. If you are interested in taking part please contact Neil Walbran on or neil.walbran@gmcvo.org.uk for an ini al discussion.

6 How will climate change affect BME communi es in Greater Manchester? Our climate is changing. Here in the UK we re facing warmer, we er winters and ho er, drier summers, with increased risks of heatwaves, heavy rainfall, floods and drought. Meanwhile, other countries across the globe are facing their own climate change challenges. What impact will all this have on the BME communi es you work with? Manchester BME Network, One North West, Voice4Change England and the Black Environment Network are working with the Na onal Council for Voluntary Organisa ons (NCVO) to find out. Take part We re looking for BME organisa ons to take part in our project. This is a unique opportunity to explore how climate change will affect your beneficiaries and the work you do. You ll have the chance to work with climate change experts and other local BME organisa ons to get to grips with this major societal challenge and prepare for the future. And there s 150 available for par cipa ng organisa ons. The project starts on 1st May. To find out more, contact Kate Damiral at NCVO, tel , or visit climatechange Success for GM organisa ons in Transforming Local Infrastructure bids In January 2012, eight voluntary sector support organisa ons in Greater Manchester were awarded a share of the Cabinet Office s 30 million Transforming Local Infrastructure (TLI) fund. The partnerships supported by the TLI fund focus on bringing together different voluntary sector support providers to offer high quality local services at lower cost. The organisa ons will also seek to forge be er links with local businesses, develop stronger partnerships with local public sector bodies and for people to volunteer. In Greater Manchester, the following organisa ons have been awarded funding totalling over 2.75 million. Bolton Community and Voluntary Services Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisa on Manchester Alliance for Community Care Voluntary Ac on Oldham Salford Community and Voluntary Services Tameside Third Sector Coali on Voluntary and Community Ac on Trafford Wigan and Leigh Council for Voluntary Service The TLI fund is being managed by Big Fund, the non-lo ery funding opera on of the Big Lo ery Fund and ac vites delivered through this funding should begin to roll out from April 2012 onwards. See individual organisa on websites for updates.

7 MACC seeking new board members par cularly from BME organisa ons Manchester Alliance for Community Care work with the voluntary and community sector in Manchester and are looking for up to 4 new board members to strengthen the diversity of their membership and bring a fresh approach to their work. They are par cularly welcoming applica ons from people with a background in working with BME communi es and organisa ons. MACC can offer an opportunity for personal and professional development; chance to influence sector; share good prac ce; travel & subsistence expenses available with flexible mee ng arrangements. Commitment of one day per month needed and exper se in marke ng/accountancy/law/human resources are welcome. To have an informal discussion about the posi ons contact Mike Wild on or for an applica on pack contact Pauline Clark on or Pauline@macc.org.uk or visit Pledge your support to key campaigns for your organisa ons Give It Back, George: Give It Back, George is a joint campaign by NCVO, Chari es Aid Founda on, Philanthropy Review, Charity Finance Group, Ins tute of Fundraising, NAVCA, Charity Tax Group, and the Community Founda on Network. It currently has over 1700 supporters and you can get involved by becoming a supporter, using Twi er or ing your comments. For more informa on, please see: h p://giveitbackgeorge.org/ Support the campaign for a race equality strategy The Government s integra on strategy, 'Crea ng the Condi ons for Integra on'was published on Tuesday 21 February. It does li le to address racial inequali es.we want the Government to produce, publish and put into prac ce a cross-government race equality strategy with clear, measurable outcomes For more informa on, please see:

8 Date/ Time: Tuesday 1 st May, 7.30pm Venue: Nexus Arts Café FREE EVENTS & TRAINING Big Wri ng for a Small World - Book Launch You are invited to a special book launch of Big Wri ng for a Small World, a collec on of wri ng by people from across the world! Some of the authors will be reading extracts from the book. Light refreshments will also be provided. The book is the result of crea ng wri ng workshops that have been running across the UK from October 2011 to March this year. In Manchester, a group of adults from Iran, Zimbabwe, China, Rwanda and beyond have been working alongside acclaimed poet and author, John Siddique to produce their contribu on to the book. Big Wri ng for a Small World in Manchester is organized by English PEN with partnership support from Community Arts North West as part of their Exodus Greater Manchester Refugee Arts programme. The project was funded by John Lyon s Charity and the European Commission Representa on in the United Kingdom. Call to groups to a end your local district network mee ngs! Bury BME Community Forum: Thurs 24th May 2012, 10am-12pm, Mee ng Room A, Bury Town Hall, Knowsley St, Bury The aim of the Forum is to reach out to those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds in Bury. This is to ensure they are receiving appropriate services, link people up with one another and help groups evolve to engage with exis ng groups and associa ons. To book a place at the mee ng, please contact leanne@b3sda.org.uk or call Support Group for Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Bury This is an informal group of interested people, both from the voluntary and statutory sectors who for one reason or another have an interest in furthering the welfare of the asylum seekers and refugees living in the Bury area. The group has been mee ng regularly for over five years. The group Secretary is David Bevi of Ci zens Advice Bureau, and the Chairperson is Sue Arnall from Solidarity and the Eagles Wing group that meets at the Mosses Centre. Other members are from faith groups, other agencies with concern for refugees, such as Re>Build, Porch, CLAS, the Law Centre, Members of Parliament, the ROC Centre. The groups welcomes anyone to a end either for interest, or to take part regularly, and our aim is to be well informed about the situa on for asylum seekers and refugees in the town, and to share our informa on so that we can work be er in their interest. If anyone is keen to a end, please either sue@arnall.co.uk or phone the Mosses Centre on and ask for Sue Arnall. Bolton Voluntary & Community Sector Forum: Wed 23rd May, The Bolton Hub, Bold St, Bolton, BL1 1LS. Contact Diane Bolton CVS for more informa on diane@boltoncvs.org.uk or Salford Forum for Refugees & People Seeking Asylum: Regular mee ngs every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the Pendleton Gateway Library see for more informa on Tameside BME Network & Womens BME Network: Thursday 19th April T3SC 131 Katherine St, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 &AW. This is a joint mee ng with the Health & Social Care Network looking at NHS changes and reform. Contact Derin T3SC for more informa on derin.adefajo@t3sc.org or

9 FUNDING NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES Hilden Charitable Trust: The Fund has allocated a small budget to help community groups run summer play schemes for disadvantaged communi es. Some priority will be given to projects which show they are inclusive of children from refugee families, and show BME involvement. Trustees look to fund: * Projects for children aged 5 to 18 years * Locally based schemes las ng from 2 to 6 weeks * Schemes with strong volunteer support Applica ons are accepted from voluntary agencies with an income of less than 120,000. Trustees will accept applica ons from across the UK. Trustees WILL NOT SUPPORT: * Play schemes with a budget of over 10,000 * Club or family holidays * Day care costs * Agencies with an income of over 120,000. What we need from applicants: The completed applica on form sent to us by post with: A brief plan of ac on/ me table for the scheme A copy of the applicant's most recent annual report and accounts which must include details of their management commi ee. Applica ons must be received by Friday 18th May 2012 See informa on and download an applica on form using the below website link: h p:// Comic Relief UK Grant Funds: Comic Relief has a variety of different UK Grant programmes that might be of interest to BME and Refugee organisa ons. They offer both capital and revenue funding of between 25,000 40,000 a year for between 1 and 3 years however organisa ons can only submit one applica on to one programme at any given me. Below is a list of the different funds they have on offer; Young people and mental health Young people and alcohol Sexually exploited & trafficked young people Domes c & Sexual Abuse: young people Refugee & Asylum Seeking Women Mental Health These funds are now open to applicants in April 2012 with the applica on deadline for all being 29th June 2012 Two other funds have a two stage process and a slightly earlier deadline of 8th June 2012 for Stage 1 applica ons. Those funds are: Managing Money Be er NEW Older Peoples Programme and the Sport for Change fund. Larger amounts of funding will be available under these programmes, with a maximum of 100,000 a year available. See their website: h p:// for applica on informa on or contact them directly via ukgrants@comicrelief.com or phone:

10 Localism Act funding available for small groups to use new powers Funding will be made available to help three larger groups assist smaller organisa ons that want to use Right to Bid, Right to Build and Right to Challenge provisions The government will award about 33m to voluntary organisa ons that will offer grants and other support to community groups that want to use new rights in the Localism Act. The Localism Act introduced a range of rights for local voluntary and community groups, including the right to challenge local decisions about who should deliver public services, to bid for assets of community value and to have more say in neighbourhood planning. The Communi es and Local Government department has set up three contracts under which larger voluntary organisa ons will be funded to help smaller local community groups use these rights, by giving grants and offering advice and informa on. Each of the contracts will last for three years. The largest of the three contracts, worth about 19m, is to support groups using the Right to Bid, under which community groups can bid to take over buildings and ameni es deemed to be "assets of community value". These can include local shops, pubs, community centres and libraries. Another contract, worth about 14m, will support local groups using the Right to Challenge. This allows voluntary and community groups, chari es, parish councils and local authority employees to submit an expression of interest in taking over the delivery of a local public service. The third contract, worth between 500,000 and 750,000, is to support the Right to Build, set up to make it easier for local communi es to decide what is built in their area by using a "community referendum". CLG is in the late stages of deciding which organisa ons will win the three contracts, but has not yet awarded any contracts. Keep up with informa on about this via the CLG website: h p:// es.gov.uk GREATER MANCHESTER BME NETWORK MCCR, Princess Road, M14 4RE Hakeel Qureshi Project Co-ordinator: hqureshi@mccr.org.uk Nathalie Long BME VCS Project Officer: nlong@mccr.org.uk Estelle Worthington RCO Project Officer: eworthington@mccr.org.uk General Enquiries: gmbmen@mccr.org.uk CONTACT The Greater Manchester BME Network Newsle er includes the latest news and events from across the region as well as news relevant to stakeholders and organisa ons, including informa on on training opportuni es. The Newsle er is quarterly and free to subscribers. If you would like to subscribe please gmbmen@mccr.org.uk. If you would like an ar cle to be included in the next Newsle er please forward on to gmbmen@mccr.org.uk. Ar cles should be around words maximum and preferably contain a picture or logo (a ached as a jpeg). This newsletter is available in large print. Please gmbmen@mccr.org.uk or phone for a copy.