Creating inclusive ‘Big Society’ communities in the East. Ipswich, King’s Lynn & Peterborough. “CSV Media Clubhouse is supporting BIG SOCIETY FUNDING in its work with hard to reach communities and creating awareness about the disparity of representation and therefore the need for all of us to be working for a more cohesive Community.” “ Despite the considerable changes in Suffolk’s demographics this is not reflected in the makeup of Suffolk’s leadership. Currently there is poor participation by BME communities in public office, from parish to County councils, the magistracy, the boards of QUANGOs and the Trustees of our larger NGOs. This leads to less well informed and unrepresentative decision making and an increasing sense of disconnect between the general population and the leadership of our various bodies.” This is a one-year collaborative venture between ethnic minority and migrant community organisations, groups representing other diverse communities, Big Society Funding CIC and local voluntary sector support agencies. It is time-limited and small scale, but ambitious, as a Lottery project focusing on how we can co-produce solutions to tackle the barriers to participation in civil society by those from diverse communities in the East of England. Commencing with limited social action research, and then moving onto addressing the capacity needs and deficits experienced by ethnic minority and migrant groups, and individuals, the project will target Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Peterborough. Anticipated positive results will lead to possible scaling up of activity designed to promote inclusivity in civil society across other localities. Project targets are: • • To work with up to 10 organisations representing diverse communities in the three selected localities and involve upwards of 50 individuals – helping them to become ‘Fiery Spirits’ who support other vulnerable or disadvantaged community members to attain better life chances and tackle the challenges they face in the difficult current financial climate and cutbacks. Our collaborative work with these organisations and individuals will focus on helping them to improve their skills and capacity, increase participation and enable them to contribute to the Government’s ‘Big Society’ policy agenda. [For more information: [email protected] 07913 818838] The project comprises three main elements: 1. Facilitating social action research and focus group events with people from diverse communities to identify barriers and see how we can collaboratively improve their participation in civil society and local leadership potential – this means working at individual and group levels; 2. Supporting people from diverse communities to take an active role in the governance of inclusive local community projects and services - getting them skilled up and involved in service delivery at local ‘Big Society ‘levels and with the aim of working towards inclusive ‘community hubs’ in the communities in which they live; 3. Providing on-going help, training and coaching to individuals (including young people, women returning to work and refugees, as well as to people from migrant and ethnic minority communities) to become volunteers (and/or then paid fundraisers, Trustees, paid staff) for smaller, local, Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations that lack this representation and support. In the medium term we hope that they will then step forward and become the kind of ‘Fiery Spirits’ that active and engaged communities so badly need. Big Society Funding is a two-year old Community Interest Company set up to support the VCSE sector to build its capacity and encourage people and members of community groups to become ‘Big Society’ activists and fundraisers - finding a voice in shaping local services and increasing their ability to meet the needs of the disadvantaged communities they care about. We are an independent and non-political, not-for-profit organisation. “ Our migrant communities have given enormous new strengths and qualities to our region and those that have been here a while have done most. But one thing is missing: I would love to see men and women from migrant communities in leadership positions in our town and across the region, so we can get some of their entrepreneurial and family spirit rubbing off on the wider community of East Anglia”. Ben Gummer MP, Ipswich In partnership with: The project activities include: • • • • • Research, outreach sessions and focus group meetings to consult and capture people’s experiences and ideas about better representation and social action E-communications, and related publicity, to create ‘communities of interest’ and creation of mutually supportive ‘Fiery Spirits’ networks Bespoke individual and group programmes to skill up and capacity build identified individuals Lots of encouragement and coaching of participants in their local emerging leadership positions and of the service delivery ‘grassroots’ organisations they work with/support Evaluation of what we have co-produced and achieved www.bigsocietyfunding.org @BigSocietyCIC www.pcvs.co.uk www.visionproject.org.uk www.westnorfolkvca.org www.iscre.org.uk www.parcaltd.org Funded by: Company No: 07815137