How to support the Black and Minority Ethnic Third Sector?

Free workshops for infrastructure organisations

What’s so special about the BME Third Sector??

Take up of infrastructure support by BME Third Sector Organisations is low – almost 75% of BME third sector organisations in the West Midlands have never received any performance improvement support.  The reasons for this vary:  some groups (especially those from new arrival or refugee communities) are simply not well networked and don’t know what support exists.  For others, the lack of take-up relates more to the support model on offer – it may be insufficiently flexible in terms of time or delivery;  it may be inadequately ‘customised’ (i.e. not reflective of the organisation’s real-life needs or developmental circumstances).  One huge challenge of support agencies is an ability to delivery support which is tailored to circumstances in which BME third sector organisations exist and operate within.

brap have designed two workshops which will help your organisation understand and develop your support more specifically towards the needs of the BME Third Sector organisations.

Workshop 1 – Reaching and supporting the BME Third Sector
• What’s so different about the BME Third Sector?  What is the state of the sector, and what are the infrastructure gaps?
• What skills and knowledge do infrastructure organisations require when working to support the BME sector?
• The mystery of reach – the geography of the West Midlands Third Sector and how to attract the organisations.

Date: Tuesday, January 12th
Start: 9:30am for a 10am start
Finish: 4:30pm
Venue: Gallery Room, The Bond, 180-182 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SE (lunch is provided)

Workshop 2 – Funding advice and the BME Third Sector
• How policy shapes the BME Third Sector and what are the specific funding issues?
• What barriers do BME organisations face in applying and gaining funding and what funding streams are relevant?
• How can you support the sector to think outside of the box?
• How can you support the sector in becoming contract ready?

Date: Thursday, February 4th
Start: 9:30am for a 10am start
Finish: 4:30pm
Venue: Gallery Room, The Bond, 180-182 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SE (lunch is provided)

These workshops are available to any infrastructure organisation based and operating within the West Midlands.  To book your FREE space on either/ or both workshops, please contact Rebekah on 0121 456 7400 or rebekahw@brap.org.uk

Why work with BRAP?
BRAP has 10 years of experience in supporting BME third sector organisations to help local communities and has worked with over 500 BME organisations in this time.  We have recently run a successful £1m AWM programme to support the West Midlands BME Third Sector in accessing commissioning opportunities, as well as providing capacity building support, peer mentoring, networks and a wide range of workshops for community groups on the most pressing issues they face.

Reaching Futures has been made possible by the Big Lottery Fund and runs until August 2011.