News & Information Roundup

Making Planning and Regeneration Meaningful in Barnet

Building on its project work in Barnet, BNRRN has teamed up with Just Space* to provide discussion groups on planning and regeneration policies. The first session took place at Barnet Multi-Cultural Community Centre on September 25th 2008. The aim was to provide an introduction to the London Plan and the borough's Core Strategy. These are the key planning documents which decide where new housing and employment will be located and how to protect and improve community facilities, parks and open spaces.

The Barnet Voluntary Services Council and Barnet Council's Planning Policy Team attended the session. After the session, help was given to make a written representation on Barnet's Core Strategy.

Of the 12 participants, all from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, none had prior knowledge of the London Plan, but as a result of the session they recognised how big an impact the London Plan has. Further sessions in Barnet on the London Plan and statement of community involvement take place in November.

* Just Space is a network of voluntary and community groups committed to raising awareness of, and involvement in, planning policies in London. Introductory workshops are being held in other boroughs. Contact marian@londoncivicforum.org.uk to find out more.


The Good Trustee Guide

The revised and updated guide is an ideal introductory guide if you are a new board or your organisations has a new board. It is also a refresher if you are a long-serving trustee. It contains information to help you in your role and guidance on how to make your board more effective.£25 (£17.50 NCVO members)
Special offer - order four copies and get a fifth copy free.For more visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/goodtrusteeguide.To order copies of these or any other NCVO publication call the NCVO HelpDesk on 0800 2 798 798 or visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications .




Women and Girls Network (WGN)

Women and Girls Network (WGN) is a Voluntary Sector counselling organisation that has, for over 20 years, specialised in providing holistic therapeutic services to women who have experienced gendered violence (including trafficking, torture, female genital mutilation, childhood sexual abuse, rape, forced marriage, and domestic violence). The service is free, confidential and meets quality standards set by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Women and Girls Network prioritise providing services to women who have least access to them, including women from black, minority ethnic and refugee communities, disabled women, lesbians, older women and women on low/no incomes.

Women and Girls Network can support Forum members who work with women who have experienced gendered violence, in the following ways:

· Organisations can refer women to our counselling service in west London. Women will go onto a waiting list. When vacancies arise, they have an assessment and then be allocated a counsellor. The sessions take place in their west London base.

· Women and Girls network can set up a satellite service in your or a member’s organisation if there is space to house a counselling service for one day a week for a minimum of 15 weeks. This way, women can access the service faster, and more locally to them.

· Women and Girls network have for the past four years run a specific project for women who have been trafficked into prostitution.

If you would like to discuss any of the issues above, or find out more about Women and Girls Network work, please feel free to call 02076104678.




Networking - African Diaspora Alliance for International Development (ADAID)

UK African diaspora organisations have set up a network to coordinate their activities – the African Diaspora Alliance for International Development (ADAID). The network will support the involvement of African diaspora-led groups in the economic, social and political development of the African continent and has already received an invitation from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Development to meet with representatives of DfID in October.

The network, formed by more than 100 UK African NGOs and organisations, aims to lobby the UK government and other funding agencies to make their funds available to African diaspora organisations on the same basis as other NGOs involved in international development.

ADAID will also seek to use its collective clout to put pressure on African governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as well as to establish good governance and fully recognise the human rights of all their citizens.

For further information please contact:
Ernest Rukangira, Chair, Conserve Africa - 020 8803 6161 or 07903221466, ernest.rukangira@conserveafrica.org.uk