Promoting Leadership: Engaging Communities and Changing Governance across London
TAHA successfully secured funding under London Councils new commissioning programme and criteria specifications 31 on BME Policy and Voice for BME and Refugee and Migrant voluntary sector.
BME Leadership and Engagement
Project funded for 4 years, effective from 1 July 2008 until 30 June 2012,
will focus on:
* increasing BME engagement and participation
in elected and appointed governance , service planning and policy
development
* promoting leadership within diverse BME communities
* connecting marginalised communities, improving civic engagement and
fostering community cohesion.
* breaking barriers, improving opportunities and community capacity to
engage and influence policy.
* skills development for individuals, third sector, second tier and
strategic governmental and non-governmental partnerships, structures and
bodies.
SERVICES & ACTIVITIES include:
Individual and Organisational Skills Development
*
advice information, training workshops,
seminars and other support to individuals and third sector organisations to
help them make effective interventions to shape and influence services,
policy and key borough wide or regional decision making structures.
* improved BME
representation input and voice in governance or planning mechanisms within a
second tier body or strategic partnership
* capacity
building/empowerment of individuals and BME organisations.
Pan London BME Network
* development
of a network acting as a 'conduit bridge' between BME communities and
mainstream bodies.
* fostering multi agency
partnerships and increasing connectivity of marginalised communities with
existing leadership, governance and policy.
* improved networking
between BME leaders.
Breaking Barriers: Women4Change Gender Equality Programme
* seminars to
address barriers facing BME and refugee women in
engaging in governance within both BME communities and in mainstream elected
and appointed structures.
* empowering women into
leadership roles
* improving policy and
governance around gender specific issues.
Older People and Carers
* Community
Leadership & Mentoring programme
* an innovative programme
to support individuals to engage in leadership roles or governance within
community, third sector, governmental and non-governmental strategic bodies
* one to one mentoring to
connect disempowered/underrepresented communities, promote connectivity of
marginalised BMEs and disseminate learning/good practice on
collaborative working and effective community interventions.
Harnessing ICT: engaging in e-governance,
e-lobbying
* training workshops to increase
capacity of individuals and third sector organisations to use ICT to engage
in e-governance, e-consultations etc and use ICT to organise effective
campaigns, lobbying, connectivity with elected councilors, MPs, Local
Authorities, LDA etc.
Improving Race Equality
* support to increase
community engagement and connectivity particularly with 'hard to reach' and
marginalised communities.
* training and support to
address racial inequalities, engagement in implementing local Race Equality
Schemes etc.