RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect - 15th February 2012 (pdf)
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Case study: The Dover Detainee Visitor Group continue with core services and it is extending its impact.
We are actively contributing to the Detention Forum in their work on policy making/influencing, for which we wrote a briefing paper for parliamentarians for their meeting this year on issues faced after detention. We have also written a report presented to the Legal Services Commission highlighting the negative aspects of legal representation under exclusive legal firms’ contracts. Examples of our services follow:
A female ex-detainee in London, who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, telephoned us because she was about to be made homeless by her local authority. We liaised with her community care lawyers to ensure continuity of care / A male had been released from detention without enough heart medication - we referred him to Doctor of the Worlds’ ‘Project: London’, who gave him an emergency prescription and helped him to register with a G.P/ A visitor informed us he suspected his detainee had mental health issues, with the detainee’s permission we referred him to Medical Justice and he was diagnosed with brain damage. He is now released.
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 03:10 PM in Case studies | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCOs are often faced with complex challenges when trying to improve their organisational structure and achieve positive change for their communities. There are a number of tools designed to help groups to analyse the different aspects of their problems, discuss potential solutions and plan actions.
Here are two tools that the Basis team has found useful:
Problem Tree Analysis: a great tool to deeply analyse the factors of a problem (for example ‘women are not participating to the activities of the organisation’, ‘refugees voices are not heard’) by distinguishing between its causes and consequences. The tool helps you to understand which are the causes and consequences so that your organisation can address them and better plan actions and projects. Find a short guide to the Problem Tree Analysis on the website of the Overseas Development Institute http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5258&title=problem-tree-analysis
Force Field Analysis: once you know which aspect of a problem you want to focus on, the Force Field Analysis is a good and simple way to understand which are the forces and situations that are supporting your desired change and which are the ones that block it. This will show you if you have more forces pro or against your goal and decide in which activities to put most of your energy. Find a short guide to this tool here http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5218&title=force-field-analysis-decision-maker
Another useful website for tools is the http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_06.htm. It has a lot of interesting tools on decision-making e.g. choosing between options, analysing expected outcomes and making financial decisions.
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 30th January 2012(pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Basis Project team were thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm, particularly from RCO speakers, workshop leads and participants at our national conference on Tuesday 24th January.
Around 250 delegates from RCOs, funders and second tier organisations come together to look at practical ways forward for Refugee Community Organisations.
Donna Covey, Chief Executive of Refugee Council opened the day and talked about the challenges facing refugees and those supporting them whilst recognising the valuable work RCOs do to raise awareness and support vulnerable refugees.
Elizabeth Balgobin, Chair of Voice for change gave her analysis of the current climate including the Big Society and the impact on BME organisations, and Micheline Safi Ngogo of Light Project International and Refugee Council trustee Sirak Berhe of Investing in People and culture shared their inspirational stories of responding to challenges on the ground.
Delegates chose from a wide range of workshops from commissioning to social media. The incredible Women Asylum Seekers Together (Manchester) choir moved the crowd with songs about their experiences, and the day finished with closing remarks from Yvonne Cass , Refugee Council Vice Chair and co-founder of Migrant and Refugee Community Organisation.
You can see an account of the day from a variety of web and social media; more videos from the day and a full report will be available in a few weeks.
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 03:15 PM in Basis Project news | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Download the final agenda for the Basis Project Conference taking place in Birmingham on 24th January 2012
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 17th January 2012 (pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Making your services more effective - FREE course for RCO's
1 Feb 2012 - 2 Feb 2012 This 2-day course is for anyone from a Refugee Community Organisation in London.
Overall aim
Participants will have a clear understanding of how to use monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate, and improve, the effectiveness of their services.
Specific aims
By the end of the two-day course, participants will:
For more information and to book, go to: http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/index.cfm?pg=648&archive=false&offset=1
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Refugee Week team are holding a free one-day conference on Friday 20 January at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from 10am - 4.30pm.
The aim of the day is to provide a forum where those planning to be involved in Refugee Week events this year can develop and share ideas, get inspired and share their experiences with others.
The programme will feature a number of speakers sharing good practice and ideas – but the day will be more about you and your experiences. The event will be participatory and features different workshops covering a range of issues.
Full details of the programme and how to register are on the Refugee Week website.
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 22nd December 2011(pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 9th December 2011(pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 22nd Nov(pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tameside African Refugee Association (TARA) celebrated the end of Black History Month with an event attended by about 119 people, including several local organisations, youth groups and two schools. Audenshaw School had five of their nominated students receive TARA's Youths Achievement Awards' Certificates, and St James Primary School had their pupils perform a dance to entertain their audience respectively. The event was held at Ashton Town Hall on Saturday 29 October.
There were many highlights on the day but one of the most remarkable was a thrilling and captivating drama performance by the TARA Youths. The drama centred on the importance of TARA's Homework Club & the Supplementary School to young people and their parents as it educates both young people and their parents in a fun and safe learning atmosphere created by TARA's staff and Volunteers. There was also an amazing re-enactment of the great Martin Luther King Jr's speech "I Have A Dream" which was the theme of the event.
Young people have been working hard throughout the month learning about the slave trade and other aspects of Black history, including visiting the slavery museum in Liverpool, as part of TARA’s supplementary school activities, and this event was a much appreciated way to celebrate all the hard work.
There was African and Asian food served free of charge and the meat used were Halal for the benefit of our Muslim audience.
The Basis Project would like to congratulate TARA on this event, and the fantastic work they are doing to help young people in Tameside develop their confidence and skills!
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RCO Connect is a regular email that provides an opportunity for you to share learning from your Refugee Community Organisation (RCO), and get inspired by learning from others. Download the most recent issue: RCO Connect 8th November 2011(pdf).
To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
This week (31 October- 6 November) is Trustee’s Week and the Basis Project would like to congratulate the amazing work of Refugee Community Organisation trustees across the country. We are constantly inspired by the work of RCO trustees- we know you play an invaluable role in helping some of the most vulnerable people in the UK to overcome trauma, build new lives and integrate into British society.
One great example is the Afghan Association of Harrow. Their ‘Recipe for Integration’ project is helping Afghan women build their confidence and integrate to the local community. You can see more, and hear their Chair, Karim Shirin, talk about his experience on these short films .
Being a great trustee is an ongoing journey and there are lots of great resources out there to help you develop. The Basis Project governance toolkit is a great starting point; this Good Governance Code for small charities (launched this week!) will be helpful for many smaller RCOs and know-how non-profit has a large and growing range of resources.
Posted by Tom (Basis Project) at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
