As advisors to the Office for Civil Society on
Big Society policies and programmes, Voice4Change England would like to work with you to explore how Big Society policies impact your organisation and how we can influence Big Society policies together.
Details of our next Big Society policy roadshow to be announced very soon.
As advisors to the Office for Civil Society on
Big Society policies and programmes, Voice4Change England would like to work with you to explore how Big Society policies impact your organisation and how we can influence Big Society policies together.
Details of our next Big Society policy roadshow to be announced very soon.
David Cameron’s Big Society agenda celebrated its first birthday in July 2011. This presents the perfect opportunity to ask what Big Society has meant to black and minority ethnic (BME) communities and if the BME voluntary and community organisations can play an important part in this agenda.
Starting from July 2011, Voice4Change England are bringing back their popular local roadshows. We will come to a town near you to you to work together towards a Big Inclusive Society. These events are your opportunity to shape and influence the way Big Society policies are implemented in the future.
Leeds Policy Roadshow
We hosted our first policy roadshow in partnership with JUST West Yorkshire on 27 July 2011 in Leeds.
The event was well attended by a mixture of BME VCS, generic VCS and public sector representatives from across the Yorkshire and Humber region.
We provided a platform for BME VCO's to come together and express their reaction to the Big Society policies. We asked people how these policies were impacting on their organisations and the communities they serve. We explored:
What the Big Society means for you.
What challenges and barriers have you encountered within the the Big Society and Localism agendas?
What role can the BME VCS play?
What can national organisations like us provide do to make sure the BME VCS is valued and recognised by the Government in the delivery of Big Society policies?
What were people saying?
Many felt that the Big Society agenda was being used as a veil to mask the spending cuts. They felt the Big Society was a rebranding of policies and initiatives already being delivered by the VCS. They wanted to see Government taking active steps to support disadvantaged communities and for persistent inequality to be recognised and tackled.
Details of our next policy roadshow will be announced very soon. For more information on our roadshows and our work as advisors to the Office for Civil Society on Big Society policies, please contact Arjumand Kazmi on 020 7843 6129.
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