---

RAISE Adopts New Mission Statement and Business Plan

I am delighted to introduce the RAISE Business Plan, which sets out our objectives for the next three years. In light of these changed priorities RAISE had adoped a new mission statement:

“RAISE exists to champion the third sector’s unique contribution to making South East England socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.”

This mission statement underpins the key themes in the Business plan, which include being recognised by our members and other stakeholders as having led the third sector in significantly influencing policies which affect the people our sector serves. In particular we seek to influence the implementation of the Third Sector Review, the Sub-National Review, and the Regional Economic Strategy. We will enable people, through third sector organisations, to contribute to key regional policies. We also seek to improve access to our services and extend reach so that it will more effectively represent the community for whom we work; ensure that our services are effective and responsive; and share learning from our work to improve public service delivery.

We have a strong, dynamic membership of small and medium sized third sector organisations. These members will be actively engaged in speaking up for the third sector and in influencing regional policy. We will demonstrate that we have equipped these members to survive and thrive in the changing world of the third sector.

We aim to have strong partnerships with the region’s key policy makers (Government Office for the South East, South East Regional Assembly, South East England Development Agency, Learning and Skills Council and Strategic Health Authorities), built upon mutual respect. We will enable partners to recognise and value RAISE’s role as champion of the third sector. In short we will strengthen and enable the third sector by providing a voice in the South East. I look forward to working with staff, members, partners, stakeholders and other groups to make our vision a reality.

You can read our Business Plan here. To find out more call me on 01483 500774 or email: jonathan@raise-network.org.uk

Jonathan Blackburn, RAISE Chief Executive

You can read more articles like this in the April edition of the RAISE newsletter, which is sent free to members. You can also read it on-line here.

---

Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month

June is Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month, the aim of which is to raise awareness of these communities and their valuable contributions to our society and to offset the negative stereotyping and prejudices.

Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are the largest Ethnic Minority community in the European Union with over 12 million people. In the UK, they are recognised ethnic minority communities and number 300,000.

To find out more go here.

---

UNI South East Regional Black and Minority Ethnic Network Conference - Thank You

The UNI Regional Conference, of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) regional network, was held on 12th March, at Baylis House, Slough to officially launch the network. Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you will agree that the event was a great success and certainly something for UNI to build on. We had some great key note speakers and some really good workshops, several of you have requested the slides to these presentations. These are available to download as follows:

Keynote Speaker Jacqueline McFarlane-Fraser, Chair of Black Practioners and Learners' Network talking about The Value of BME Regional Networks here.

Keynote Speaker Vandna Gohil, Director, Voice4Change England, exploring partnership working with UNI here.

Sharing Good Practice Within BME Communities by Gurvinder Sandher, North West Kent Racial Equality Council, Workshop 1 here

You can read about Rethink Sahayak here

BME Representation and Accountability by Jacqui Burnett, Equality and Human Rights Manager for Aylesbury Vale Racial Equality Council, Workshop 2 here.

Voice and Campaigning by Helen Kerridge, Capacity Building Officer for the Campaigning Effectiveness Programme, Workshop 3 here.

Funding by Tunde Bright-Davies, Manager of Portsmouth Race Equality Network Organisation, Workshop 4 here.

You can still download the delegate pack here.

The primary aim of the conference was to introduce UNI to the Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary/community sector (VCS) and local and regional stakeholders. Delegates had the chance to comment on UNI’s three year business plan. The conference also provided the opportunity for key dialogue in the south east on the future role of the BME voluntary/community sector in the third sector arena and begin to visualise what the future may look like.

UNI has developed from the ChangeUp Additional Support Programme (ASP). In the ASP the South East identified 19 local ASP lead organisations (i.e. BME infrastructure organisations, RECs, or other umbrella organisations) that would act as a conduit of information and representation for the BME VCS in the local area.

---

South East Regional Strategic Cross-sector Partnership

The South East Regional Strategic Cross-sector Partnership for the Third Sector is a group that has emerged from the ChangeUp Regional Consortium. A list of members can be downloaded here. Terms of reference can be downloaded here. Minutes of the September meeting can downloaded here. And the December minutes can be downloaded here here. You download the RAISE Briefing Sheet on RSCP from here To find out more call Kathryn Williamson on 01483 470174 or email: kwilliamson@raise-networks.org.uk.