• Mapping the Voluntary and Community Sector
• CEMVO SW Regional Advisory Committee
• Key Achievements

Mapping the Voluntary and Community Sector

Background

Over the last seven years, CEMVO SW has undertaken well over 300 face-to-face consultations with community-based groups, which have contributed towards the development of our organisational database and mapping of the sector. Continuing to undertake visits on a one to one basis, our regional database features information on the organisations’ ethnic composition, geographical location, activities and finances. The database is regularly updated. Over the last 3 years, additional regular face-to-face interviews with over 135 organisations across the SW Region have furthermore enabled us to identify key needs and difficulties facing the sector. These include amongst other things:

• Funding/Resources: lack of capacity to raise funds - particularly core funding - and securing resources in the long-term to enable organisations to maximise their potential.
• Organisational Capacity: lack of resources to create bespoke business development strategies, financial management systems and appropriate legal and constitutional frameworks.
• Support: lack of adequate advice and advocacy support to engage effectively with mainstream agencies.
• Governance: lack of a structured and systematic approach for minority ethnic professionals to access leadership and governance positions through the provision of training and skills.

Policy Work

• CEMVO SW is a member of the Regional Third Sector Infrastructure Development Partnership which consists of all the key strategic third sector organisations from the region. The aim of the partnership is to bring a better co-ordinated and strategic approach to Third Sector engagement, policy development and in particular, co-ordinating resources strategically for front line community groups
• The SW Office is also a key member to the Regional Third Sector Policy Think Tank Group for the region, which has specifically been set up to consider the wider needs of the voluntary sector
• CEMVO SW is also on the Working Policy Group, Workforce development group and Regional Performance sub group of Regional Third Sector Infrastructure Development Partnership
• Another mechanism of CEMVO SW provides a voice through the Regional BME Sub Group which has the key BME infrastructure organisations (local and regional) feeding into the Infrastructure Development Partnership

CEMVO SW Regional Advisory Committee

In 2000, CEMVO SW established a Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) comprising of Chief Executives and Chairs of minority ethnic voluntary and community organisations in the region. The RAC now features approximately 21 organisations representing a host of different groups and backgrounds including the following:

• African Community Initiative Services (Swindon)
• Amana Education Trust (Bristol)
• Asian Health and Social Care Association (Bristol)
• Bangladesh Association
• Black Development Agency
• Black Networking Group Far South West
• Black South West Network
• Bristol Muslim Cultural Society
• Dorset REC
• Fate he (Plymouth)
• Friends of Afrika (Bournemouth)
• Gloucester African Caribbean Association
• Gloucester REC
• HSBC
• Linking Communities (Gloucester)
• Millen Advice Point (Swindon)
• Plymouth REC
• South West Somali Community Association
• Swindon Black History Group
• Turkish community in Bristol And Southwest
• UK Arabic society

Key Achievements

• Regional Community Development Programme: A total of 20 BME groups have been recruited and are participating on the programme.
• Funding Surgeries: A series of funding surgeries have been held in Bath, Gloucester, Plymouth and Bournemouth with presentations from funders including The Big Lottery, Heritage Lottery Fund and local community funders to the BME Groups in the region.
• Enterprise–Rent-a-Car-Roadshow: This event took place between the 30 July and 3 August 2007. CEMVO SW worked in close partnership with local BME groups in Cornwall, Plymouth and Exeter to provide volunteers to assist in creating a community garden, deliver training and design publicity and marketing material for a young people’s event. The Roadshow was funded by Enterprise-Rent-a-Car.
• International Youth Exchange Programme: CEMVO SW had the opportunity to take 4 young BME people to Scilly for 10 days to represent the UK at the European Youth Exchange Project which focused on Cultural Diversity and Youth Inclusion.
• CEMVO's INTERFACE Project: Though a one-year pilot programme, CEMVO SW has recruited 12 front-line BME groups, which all remain on the programme, with Diagnostic Took Kits completed to determine Action Plans. Individual Action Plans (tailored to each group) have been implemented and some groups have tangible evidence reflecting the objectives agreed in the Action Plans. Nearly a dozen funding applications have been completed, most of which are currently in the process of assessment however one grant has already been awarded. PEER-Frontline meetings are taking place, so too are Project Officer progress meetings with each frontline group. A host of useful resources has been distributed to the groups (in various formats) and the feedback received to date from the groups has certainly been positive.