The Basis Project blog

RCO Connect - 22nd November 2011

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

TARA Black History event a great success

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!

RCO Connect - 8th November 2011

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

 

Trustee week- celebrating RCO trustees!

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.

RCO Connect - 25th October 2011

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 25th October 2011(pdf).

To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk

Congratulations to the South Sudan Women in Skills Development

Congratulations to the South Sudan Women in Skills Development (SSWSD, formerly Sudanese Women’s Association) whose amazing contribution to social value was highlighted at an event at Portcullis House in Westminster today. SSWD, along with other women’s organisations, worked with Women’s Resource Centre and New Economics Foundation to conduct ‘Social Return on Investment’ studies of their organisation’s impact. The study of SSWSD’s impact found that each £1 of investment generates a fantastic £11 of wider social value to service users, their families and the wider community. You can find out more about Social Return on Investment here: http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/social-return-investment.

Women’s Resource Centre’s report, ‘Hidden Value: Demonstrating the extraordinary impact of women’s voluntary and community organisations’ featuring SSWSD and other women’s organisations who took part in the study will be available soon- see http://www.wrc.org.uk/.

The project was funded by Trust for London. SSWSD also recently featured in the excellent World in London blog, which showcases the contribution of people from different countries in London in the run up to the 2012 Olympic games.

The Basis Project has worked with SSWSD for several years (see this case study film for more information ) and is delighted to follow their ongoing success!

The Basis Project Suffolk Seminar

The Basis Project Suffolk Seminar 2011: "The trends of funding opportunities and the importance of thepartnerships for the success of the community organisations"

The East of England Basis Project presents The 2011 Suffolk Seminar

Friday 21st October 10:00 – 15:00Council Chamber in Ipswich Town Hall Cornhill

Seminar’s keynote speakers:

• Mr Robert Beard – Improving Local Partnerships Policy Adviser at NAVCA
• Mr Paul Banjo – Chairman at SAVO Board of Trustees
• Mr Fazil Kawani – Head of Development at Refugee Council
• Mr Sandy Martin – Councillor in Ipswich Borough Council
• Ms Sue Wright – The Suffolk Community Foundation
• The Big Lottery Fund – Name TBC

Workshop and case study presenters:

• Ms Mollin Madziwa from ZWRC
• Mrs Mimoza Matoshi from ISS
• Mr Ayodele Daodu from BACC

This seminar will have a close look at the most resent trends onfunding sources and policies. We will try to make sense on the role ofpartnerships for the success of the community organisations in thecurrent funding climate. It will also provide some examples and casestudies of good practise on partnership working from some of the wellknown community organisation across the Eastern Region.

For more details about the event, or to book a place, please contact Shpetim Alimeta on: M: 07908 952 405 or E: odo.east@gmail.com

The Basis Project, East of England.The Refugee CouncilC.c. ICVS, 1 Cornhill, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1DD

RCO Connect - 10th October 2011

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 10th October 2011(pdf).

To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk

Leap CR- bringing together employee volunteers and non profits.

I recently met with Felicity McLean from Leap CR, a platform to link non profit organisations with employees who want to give some time to support causes they care about. They are keen for refugee organisations, including Refugee Community Organisations to benefit from the opportunities arising from employee volunteering.

Here is a quick summary of Leap CR’s work from Felicity:

Who are LeapCR?

LeapCR is a platform that brings together over 700 nonprofits with employees working at the world's leading companies and brands.

We work with UK-Wide companies such as Nationwide Building Society, Logica, Aegis Media, BNP Paribas, Mace and QBE.

Nonprofit Partners share their mission, campaigns, events and fundraising activities with one of the most attractive groups of supporters on the planet: people that work in caring, community friendly companies. LeapCR is totally free for Nonprofits!

Here's how it works:

1. Nonprofit Profile - our partners all have a profile page on the site - a space to add your logo, mission, info and social media . We’ll send you an activation link to get started, then add colleagues from Events, Volunteering, Fundraising and Corporate Partnerships, who can all access and mange the page in future. 
2. Content - add your events, fundraising ideas, individual or team based volunteering opportunities to the site, then all you need to do is sit back and await volunteers! 
3. Extra Mile Service - once your opportunity is ‘live’ on the site, your opportunity and profile page will be searchable by employee volunteers locally and across the country. This means anyone from the graduate, to the line manager to the CEO can request a volunteering experience with your organisation. 

 Register today, for free at charities.leapcr.com. You can find out more at Leap CR’s blog blog.leapcr.com/nonprofits or contact Felicity McLean on felicity@leapcr.com 

RCO Connect - 26th September 2011

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 - 26th September 2011(pdf).

To subscribe to RCO Connect please email development@refugeecouncil.org.uk