Welcome
Welcome to the August edition of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) newsletter, with the latest funding news, events and opportunities for the sector.
News
Share Your Thoughts on the Next Phase of Our Voluntary & Community Sector Strategy Development
The council is developing a new strategy for our work with the VCS and we need your help to develop it!
In April and May we engaged with the VCS and other partners to find out what the vision and objectives of the strategy should be.
We now want to get feedback from you on the draft vision objectives and hear your ideas on the actions we can take to achieve them.
How can you have your say?
To develop the strategy, we want to engage with VCS organisations and other partners from all sections of Tower Hamlets.
From 18th July until the 19th September 2024, we are talking to our communities and partners. We will do so in the following ways:
Filling in our survey – our survey asks questions and will take around 10 minutes to fill in. To fill in the survey, visit the Let's Talk Tower Hamlet's using the link below.
Partner workshops – we are organising online and in-person workshops for partners from the voluntary and community sector, public sectors services, and local businesses. If you would like to attend please use the sign-up links below.
Online workshops
Tuesday 17th September
5:30 - 7.30 p.m
Sign up here
In-person workshops
Monday 9th September
10:30 a.m -12:30 p.m
Location - The Reach Community Hub, 11 Oliphant Street
Sign up here
Thursday 19th September
10:30 a.m -12:30 p.m
Location - Brady Arts & Community Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street.
Sign up here
How will my involvement be used?
After the engagement process, we will go through the information collected from the survey and workshops to identify what people have said and use it to write a draft strategy.
After we’ve developed the draft strategy, we will contact the people who have taken part to get their feedback on the draft strategy.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or would like to talk to a member of the team, please contact vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk
 Council Launches New Community Engagement Strategy 2024–2028
The council’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026 has a priority to create a council that listens and works for all communities.
We've launched a new Community Engagement Strategy for 2024-2028. It outlines our vision and how we will achieve it.
328 residents, staff, partners and Councillors developed this strategy.
Our vision and objectives
Our vision is to create ‘a council that listens to communities to build a borough that works for everyone.'
The Strategy has six objectives:
- A joined-up approach to coordinating and planning community engagement leads to better outcomes.
- We work together with the community to make decisions that improve the borough.
- We know how to reach the community and make sure seldom-heard groups can fully take part in community engagement.
- The community understands how their involvement has influenced decisions.
- Our staff have the knowledge, skills and resources needed to engage with the community effectively.
- Residents get more involved in their community.
Key actions in the Strategy
Some of the exciting actions in the Strategy for residents and VCS to look forward to include:
- Create a directory of local services and groups
- Develop a policy for recognising and rewarding VCS participation
- Strengthen the work of the Equalities Hub and Community Equality Networks
- Engage with faith communities through the Interfaith Forum and other faith networks.
Use the link below to download the Engagement Strategy, which includes the delivery plan.
The Kings Fund Community Health Programme
Up to 15 charities will receive up to £10,000 in unrestricted funding, plus access to training and development valued at £3,500.
About The Programme
Health inequalities are differences in care access, quality, and experience. They also include factors like environment and housing. The UK's poorest areas have much worse health than richer ones. Small charities tackle health inequalities, but struggle to get funding and leader support. The GSK (GlaxoSmithklien) Community Health programme helps these leaders develop their charities. It combines funding and support to make a difference.
Eligibility
- To be eligible charities must have an income of £20,000 to £150,000, as per its latest accounts.
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Be able to demonstrate how they are tackling health inequalities in their community (this can be defined as a geographical community or a community of interest)
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A registered charity by the deadline for applications 5.00 p.m on Monday 12 August 2024 – the organisation must also have existed for a minimum of one year by this date
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Charities must be working, located and registered in the UK
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Organisations must be independently constituted from any national umbrella organisation.
Deadline for application is 5.00 p.m on Monday 12 August 2024
For more on the guidelines and application, see the link below.
Tower Hamlets CVS Development Worker Training
 Tower Hamlets CVS is offering Development Worker training in order to give VCS workers a grounding in the legal structures and responsibilities involved in supporting community groups to form, develop and sustain charities and Community Interest Companies.
This training is aimed at people working within local or national infrastructure organisations who will be supporting small and medium sized community groups, charities and Community Interest companies to build their capacity and thrive.
Session 1 : Governance and Organisational Structures – This session will focus on how community groups form and the structures that they can operate under - Monday 23 September.
Session 2: Legal and Operational Issues – This session will focus on the legal and operational requirements that community groups need to consider - Monday 30 September.
Pricing: £170 for the two sessions.
For more information, please contact sam.crosby@thcvs.org.uk.
 Does your charity want to strengthen and diversify your trustee board?
Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets (VCTH) is delivering the Minoritised Ethnic Trustees (METs) programme. The programme recruits Tower Hamlets residents from global majority communities. It trains them in charity governance to empower them as potential trustees. VCTH connects these volunteers with local charities to create impactful trustee matches.
This is FREE course, to be eligible organisations must:
- Be registered with the Charity Commission. Charities of all sizes can join
- Be committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, with a genuine intention to fully involve trustees from minoritised ethnic communities
- Have at least one general trustee vacancy and be able to appoint any new trustee(s) between December 2024 and January 2025
- Expect to be financially solvent for the next 12 months
- Identify two senior people to represent your organisation and participate in the programme between now and January 2025.
For more information on the METs programme, please email Cath Bavage at cath@vcth.org.uk.
Training for Volunteer Managers: Dealing with Difficult Situations with Volunteers
VCTH is providing this FREE practical training aimed at experienced volunteer managers as well as those who are new to managing volunteers and will cover the following:
- Identifying common problem areas and considering underlying causes
- How to prevent problems, including what policies and procedures to put in place
- Practical approaches to dealing assertively with problems when they do happen, including effective use of supervision sessions
- Preparing for and having difficult conversations
- Making decisions about when/whether/how to ask a volunteer to leave.
For more information on this training email evelyn@vcth.org.uk.
To book your place use the link below.
Events
Four Corners Exhibition; I am Who I am Now
Selections from the Bengali Photo Archive offers a unique insight into the everyday life of the Bengali East End of London
 Exhibition Opening Times:
Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 a.m - 6:00 p.m, Thursdays 11:00 a.m - 8:00 p.m Extended to 10 August by popular demand.
For more information use the link below.
Useful links
For information on infrastructure support to VCS organisations in Tower Hamlets, please visit Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service.
For information on volunteering opportunities in Tower Hamlets, please visit Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets.
They are offering VCS organisations high-quality training, workshops, courses and events to help organisations grow stronger and more resilient.
Thank you for reading
We hope you found this bulletin useful. Contact us for any feedback or if you would like anything to be considered for inclusion in future newsletters.
Please note, the next issue of this bulletin will be published on the 5th March 2024.
Please contact us if you wish to unsubscribe from the Tower Hamlets VCS newsletter.
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