Strengthening Voices

The Strengthening the Voice of the Black and Minority Ethnic Third Sector project aims to develop, strengthen and integrate the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Third Sector across England. The project is funded under the
Big Lottery Fund’s BASIS programme, with additional support from the Commission for the Compact.

The project will:

• Improve collaboration, communication and peer support between BME infrastructure organisations and specialist support agencies, ensuring better support for BME Third Sector organisations and social enterprises.
• Increase access to, and effectiveness in, policy making processes that affect BME communities throughout England.
• Improve the understanding, awareness and use of the Compact.
• Strengthen relations between BME-led infrastructure organisations and mainstream infrastructure organisations, leading to better support for BME groups and social enterprises.

Key Achievements

• In 2011 we collaborated with three national support providera to launch the first national BME-led membership programme in England.
• Since 2008 we have trained over 215 voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) in using public law and the Compact.
• With KnowHowNonProfit we trained BME VCOs with limited resources to promote their impact, communicate with stakeholders and engage the media.

The Project Team

Networks and Communications Officer
Heather Kennedy will work to strengthen relations between BME infrastructure organisations and the wider range
of Voluntary and Community Sector infrastructure organisations. Heather will develop and co-ordinate a national
network of BME Infrastructure Organisations to develop links and exchange information with key mainstream infrastructure organisations.
Heather@voice4change-england.co.uk
020 7843 6131

BME Compact Officer
Ravi Chauhan will work to raise awareness and increase use of the Compact in BME Third Sector organisations and the statutory organisations they work with. He will ensure BME organisations have the skills and knowledge to effectively use the Compact and will direct them to help and advice when Compact breaches occur.
Ravi will share learning to inform Compact developments at all levels to ensure it meets the needs of the BME Third Sector.
Ravi@voice4change-england.co.uk
020 7843 6124

Senior Policy Officer
Black Training and Enterprise Group
Katalin Halasz will develop and coordinate a BME Policy Forum for the regional, sub regional and national BME
Third Sector infrastructure organisations, in collaboration with Voice4Change England.
She will monitor developments in public policy and assess the implications of these for the BME voluntary and
community sector, as well as undertake a gap analysis of BME infrastructure organisations.
Katalin@bteg.co.uk
020 7843 6110