BNRRN has secured funding from the Big Lottery to support BAMER (Black Asian Minority Ethnic and Refugee) organisations to increase their engagement in local decision making bodies and regeneration initiatives.
What is the project?
The project aims to support BAMER organisations to get involved in local decision making partnerships and regeneration initiatives, such as the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and Local Area Agreements (LAAs). The project will target organsiations that are currently not engaging and will place specific focus on engaging hard to reach community organisations.
BNRRN will work with the local BAMER forums/networks (where these exist) and seek to build on the work that has already been done.
The project will:
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Make contact with the local CVS and BAMER forum
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Identify BAME organisations that don’t engage and those that can be supported to engage more effectively
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Make contact with the organisations identified. Find out the barriers to their engagement. Develop an action plan that clearly identifies how they can be supported to engage more effectively and the resources we can offer to facilitate this, (e.g. use of volunteers, mentors, training, one to ones)
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Match them with volunteers who will support the organisation’s engagement work
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Work with key partnership boards in the borough to promote an increased awareness of current barriers to BAMER engagement and how they can engage better with these organisations
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Collate key messages from BAMER organisations that can inform policy at sub-regional and regional levels
How will BAMER organisations benefit from this project?
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Tailored support to develop and sustain civic partnerships
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Raised awareness/knowledge of local decision making bodies and the benefits of being involved
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Trained volunteers to support civic engagement
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Mentoring
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Action Plan (detailing how and where to engage)
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Training
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An opportunity to voice the needs of their communities and help shape local policy and service delivery
Timescale
Organisations will be supported for a period of six months. During year 1, the project will target organisations in the following boroughs.
Feb 08-Sep 08 London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Camden
Aug 08-Feb 09 London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Lambeth
We will work with organisations in 20 London boroughs over a period of five years.
For more information about this project, please contact Abul Helal, Community Engagement Officer on 020 8981 3003 or email abul@bnrrn.org.uk
