Cohesion Guidance for Funders Consultation Events for BME, Age, Disability, Religion, LGBT* & Women's Third Sector Organisations

Join the National Equality Partnership in shaping the debate on the Value of the Black & Minority Ethnic Communities and the Equalities third sector.

Held at the Malcolm X Centre, Ashley Road, St Pauls, Bristol.

The community cohesion funding guidance provides a set of measures that should beused by funders when considering awarding financial support. This consultation looks at this guidance and asks what you understand would be the result in your area, if thisguidance were in use in its present form.

The consultation is conducted by, voice for change england, (V4CE) partnership we are concerned that:

The method used to define the guidance focuses overly on ethnic and or faith basedcommunities and that it may provide opportunities, for a racist approach to beadopted, to the provision of support and services.

That the definition of a single group is narrowly focused on race, culture and ethnicity.

The principal circumstance this analysis is based on, has led to a vision of cohesionthat is flawed in that this assumes that cohesion in Bradford is equivalent to cohesionin all areas of the UK. The guidance lack a rigorous approach to context and assumes  that cohesion framing can be fixed to specific sectors and fails to consider that eachlocation has it own set of dynamic circumstance that cohesion is a lived experience.This guidance is therefore dangerous, lacking a sophisticated methodology, to support the analysis of need and allows no room for participation at local level.

Organised by Black South West Network. The event is free but booking is essential.  Transport cost will be subsidised for BME
Organisations traveling over 50 miles, applying before 1st May 2008 - limited
availability. Contact Sado Jirde, tel: 0117 939 6648, email: sado@bswn.org.uk

* LGBT - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender