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Refugee Community Event – 28 June 23!

Networking event: with focus on Support to local refugee communities in Milton Keynes


Thank you to everyone that attended our event – it was fantastic to see you and to come together to share experiences and ideas about how we can all work together to support our local refugee communities in Milton Keynes! We will be updating this blog with information, resources and photographs from the event soon. A sneak peak to a few photographs here:

What was the event…

In collaboration with Eden Project Communities as part of their Month of Community and with support from a number of local VCSE organisations, Community Action: MK  is delighted to host a special networking and community event dedicated to the Refugee Community. The event will be on Wednesday 28th June, hosted at the wonderful space at the YMCA in Central Milton Keynes. The aim is to bring together the local Voluntary sector and identify how best to connect with and support our refugee communities in Milton Keynes.

The event will feature presentations from local organisations that have been working closely with and providing support to our local refugee communities in Milton Keynes, including those from Afghanistan and Ukraine. We are delighted to be joined by the Ukraine Appeal charity, who have been galvanising support for the local Ukrainian community in the City, and from the Volunteers at The Mead Centre in Newport Pagnell, who have been supporting the Afghan women and their families staying in one of the local holding hotels in Milton Keynes. We will also be joined by a local/regional team from the British Red Cross, who have been a life-line for many refugee and asylum seekers coming to our region to seek safety and support.

They will be sharing their first hand experiences of providing support to those that seek sanctuary in Milton Keynes and will support some of the refugee community members to talk at the event and share their lived experience stories too. 

We know that there are many more local voluntary organisations (as well public and health sector agencies) that have been providing services and activities tailored to meeting the needs of our local refugee communities. We hope to shine the light on their work too as well as enable networking and collaboration within the wider VCSE sector and other sectors in the City.

There will be a workshop and a discussion of how our local VCSE sector and other key agencies can work together in a joined up way to provide the best possible support to our local refugee communities and give them the chance to rebuild their lives, share their culture and enable them to thrive in our City. 

There will also be the opportunity for the local refugee community members to join us on the day and engage with the local charities and services to find out about their services and volunteering opportunities etc. 

And finally, a very special part of the event will be delivered by the local charity, Middle Eastern Cultural Group, and their special live performance of the “Broken Wings“play. 

Based on real life experiences, the performance follows the journey of a teenage girl fleeing conflict and eventually arriving in the UK. Drawing attention to the trauma refugee children have experienced through their journeys and the challenges they face in their new life in the UK.

More details about the event and its programme will be updated in this blog and through our newsletter, and social media.

You can follow us on @ComactMK/ facebook.com/CommunityActionMK.

We hope to see you there!

A week on before the event, there will also be a gathering at MK Rose – on Thursday 20th June at World Refugee Day. Find out more here.

Reserve your spot here!

Volunteering at the Event

If you’re interested in volunteering at this event, we’re seeking volunteer translators in Ukrainian/ Farsi/ Dari or Pashto.

Or are you a keen photographer? We’re also in need of someone to capture this special event!

Please email volunteering@communityactionmk.org for more details.

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— Comments Off on Our March 2023 Networking Event

Our March 2023 Networking Event

Community Action MK Networking Event

– for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector

It was great to get together!

Thank you to Steve and his Team at the Water Eaton Chuch Centre, who were great hosts (we recommend using the space as a venue! ) and special thanks to the lovely volunteers from the Centre, who helped out with refreshments:

If you have any questions or want to grab hold of any contacts, or follow up on anything you heard at the event, please contact us at networks@communityactionmk.org.

See some of the photos from the event – with huge thanks to all the stallholders!

If you have any questions or want to grab hold of any contacts, or follow up on anything you heard at the event, please contact us at networks@communityactionmk.org.

Thank you!

Blog Post Shaping Decision Making and Policy Strengthening Groups
— Comments Off on Creating the Community Action: MK Five Year Plan 2023-28

Creating the Community Action: MK Five Year Plan 2023-28

You can see our previous Five Year (2018-22) here.

Co-production and listening to feedback

Over the past year or so we have been collating feedback to inform our next Five Year Plan (2023-28) in order to reflect the voices and needs of the Milton Keynes’ Voluntary and Community Groups and Organisations.

The focus has been on how Community Action: MK can best support MK groups to:

  • Access funding and other opportunities for growth and collaboration
  • Develop and maintain a thriving volunteer community
  • Help position the VCSE in Milton Keynes as a strategic partner within the local decision and policy making in the City

With this in mind, we asked two questions for consideration:

  1. What should our priorities in the above areas be? Are there any gaps we have missed?
  2. How can CA: MK share the impact of Milton Keynes’ Voluntary and Community Groups and Organisations?

What has the feedback been?

You can see the answers gathered through the Google Jamboard, a virtual flip chart, where you can add ‘sticky notes’ using the menu found on the left hand side of the page.

We engaged with a range of groups that attended our AGM in October 2022 and gathered their feedback. See the jamboard with all the feedback collated here.

Many thanks for taking the time to complete the board, your insights will be invaluable in ensuring we can continue to strengthen groups, communities and the VCSE sector in Milton Keynes.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics in more detail, please email support@communityactionmk.org to arrange a support session with a member of the team or book an online session on: bit.ly/CAMKSupportSessions.

Next Steps:

We are in the process of bringing all the feedback together and finalising our next Five Year Plan, which will be shared through our website and the newsletter shortly – watch the space!

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— Comments Off on Trustees’ Week 7-11 November

Trustees’ Week 7-11 November

We’re in the midst of Trustees’ Week, an opportunity to highlight the vital role trustees play in  charities. This year’s theme is ‘making a difference in changing times’, a reflection of the uncertain and difficult landscape faced by the sector and society as a whole. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and impact of trustees;their voluntary commitment ensures charities and groups can continue to support communities in Milton Keynes and beyond.

You can read more about the Community Action: MK trustees here. Their dedication, knowledge of Milton Keynes communities and wealth of experience provides invaluable support for the work of Community Action: MK, we’d like to thank them for their year-round efforts, including appearances as Easter bunnies (!), representing Community Action: MK on national news, supporting events, and the behind-the-scenes diligence that ensures we can strengthen the Milton Keynes community and VCSE sector. 

Thinking of becoming a trustee?

If our trustees have inspired you, and you’re interested in finding a trustee role, you can join our community on the volunteering platform DoIt. life, where you can browse opportunities by searching for ‘trustee’. You can also book a support session with our Volunteering Coordinator, who will help you connect to a role, email support@communityactionmk.org if you’d like to find out more.

Becoming a trustee has many benefits, it can provide connections, it’s also a valuable CPD opportunity. Read more about the positive impact of becoming a trustee here. 

Are you looking for a trustee?

If you have vacant trustee roles and would like our support getting to word out, we can promote the opportunity across our social media channels, on our website and in the weekly newsletter which reaches 1300 inboxes. Email support@communityactionmk.org with the role description and contact details.

Getting on Board supports the diversification of boards, providing guidance and empowering individuals from all sectors of society in becoming a trustee. They also provide guidance for organisations in their commitment to recruiting a representative board.

Their Festival of Trusteeship offers a programme of online events this Trustees’ Week, with info and panel sessions demystifying trusteeship.

Are you already a trustee, looking for resources to help you in your role?

Trustees’ Week has compiled a comprehensive compendium of resources, including links to the Charity Commission’s 5-minute reads for potential and existing trustees.

The National Council for Voluntary Action (NCVO) offers a concise run-down of the legal duties of trustees, with the Resource Centre providing a checklist of the responsibilities of management committees.  You can also find further guidance in our Information Sheets. 

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Guest Blog: The Vision for Volunteering

Our guest blog is written by the Vision for Volunteering, an exploration of how volunteering must adapt and evolve in the future:

Volunteering needs to embrace experimentation, actively encourage collaboration, and ensure that it is more diverse and inclusive, in order that the impact volunteers make across the country can continue to grow, according to the recently-launched Vision for Volunteering.

The Vision also urges organisations to recognise the power of volunteers and communities, and to ensure that everyone is able to engage with their community and build the future they want to see. This requires power to be devolved to individuals and communities, it argues. The Vision is set out in full at VisionForVolunteering.org.uk.

The Vision for Volunteering movement is led by NAVCA, NCVO, Volunteering Matters, the Association of Volunteer Managers and Sport England. It began the next stage of its conversation on what volunteering needs to look like and how this will make volunteers feel about their roles by 2032, when it launched at Volunteer Expo Live in Birmingham in May.

Ruth Leonard, chair of the Association of Volunteer Managers, told attendees at the launch event: “The Vision for Volunteering is, very deliberately, not a finalised action plan. Instead, this is the start of the next chapter in a conversation about what is needed to create that diverse, innovative, ambitious and person-centred future, by 2032. We’d love to hear your voice in that continuing dialogue – please go to the Vision for Volunteering website and sign up to hear more.

Blog Post Shaping Decision Making and Policy Volunteering
— Comments Off on Help us ask the Government for urgent help

Help us ask the Government for urgent help

In light of the huge impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is posing now and in the future for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in Milton Keynes and across the UK, we want you to join us in writing to the Chancellor to speed up and improve the Government’s financial support for the charity sector. 

Blog Post Shaping Decision Making and Policy