The Community Development Hub will be hosting quarterly Sharing the Cake face to face events – food followed by learning and networking - supported by monthly 90 min zoom sessions in between. Read more
As we come towards the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, find out some fun facts about the Queen and Royal Family’s action on the environment at the Environment & Energy Network (as well as some more serious stuff about what the Queen’s Speech has announced about Environment and Energy!) Read more
BVSC Research are keen to hear from senior leaders in the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector in Birmingham to capture examples of how organisations have used a strengths-based approach to work over the past year and how this impacts their organisation, their staff & volunteers and the communities and individuals they serve. Read more
The second ‘State of Economic Justice in Birmingham and the Black Country’, authored by the New Policy Institute and supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, revisits themes and data from the first report, whilst incorporating current concerns and interests of local stakeholders. Read more
Following collaborative work with Birmingham’s Early Help Network, Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) is delighted to launch an Early Help landing page on Route 2 Wellbeing, the online directory of health and wellbeing services in Birmingham. Read more
Join our biggest ever series of free online training, for individuals or community group members in the West Midlands! Read more
Social Enterprise Drive is a week of diverse events curated by social enterprise development organisation iSE (Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs). Social Enterprise Drive 2022 takes place 6th-10th June and aims to raise awareness of social enterprise and celebrate the impact social businesses are creating in Birmingham and beyond. Read more
Midlands Learning Together programme is FREE to join, as part of Thriving Communities, which aims to support community health and wellbeing groups sustain their work for Social Prescribing. Read more
EPIC Futures is delighted to announce the launch of the EPIC Awards - a platform to celebrate and recognise the achievements of young people, especially those who have faced adversity and/or the care of a local authority. Read more
Following the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protest in Centenary Square on 4 June 2020, and the murders that happened in Birmingham City Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities over the last year, organisations across Birmingham City are renewing the call for rapid change in the delivery of racial equality. Read more
After 42 years at 138 Digbeth, and close to 14 years of negotiations, BVSC’s board of trustees has recently agreed an exciting deal with the site’s developer to sell 138 Digbeth, and the charity will soon be on the move to new premises; and an opportunity to co-create a brand new city centre hub for community and voluntary action in Birmingham. Read more
We are now planning next year's Space to Think sessions and have come up with a short-list of topics which we think might be of interest, but we need to reduce this down to our top 4. We would really appreciate your help by taking three minutes to rank some suggested topics in order of preference! Read more
Penderels Trust, the national direct payment support provider, has launched a brand new website just for personal assistants (PAs). The online PA Community Centre is packed full of information and resources which have been tried and tested by the PA Recruitment and Development Team at Penderels Trust. Read more
BVSC is currently working on a project with the University of Birmingham looking at the role of service users in informing the design and delivery of services. We’re interested in finding out from you what you currently do. We’d be grateful if you could take two minutes to let us know how you’re working with your service users. Read more
Leaders from The Polish Expats Association (PEA), together with a partnership of community leaders (CEE) have issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine and their next steps, which include fundraising, supporting refugees in Eastern European and Ukrainian communities in the West Midlands. Read more
At the beginning of February BVSC Members have been offered free access to a user-friendly funding search tool that will enable them to see for themselves what external funding is available to them. Read more
This regional awareness training programme aims to develop and improve our understanding of the threat from County Lines and Criminal Exploitation. Read more
Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG), BVSC and partner organisations from across the Voluntary, Community, Faith, Social Enterprise (VCFSE), public and private sectors are working collectively to tackle racial inequality across the City, and invite you to get involved. Read more
There’s so much knowledge and skill in the community development sector in Birmingham, people who work day-to-day with citizens finding out what matters to them and helping them live a good life. But do you know who to call when you have a challenge? And do others know about the great stuff you’re doing, or are they out there re-inventing the wheel when we could be sharing resources and benefitting our communities? Read more
Ambitious multi-million-pound plans to create a thriving enterprise hub in the heart of Erdington have been submitted to Birmingham City Council. Read more
As part of our response to our survey of Business Development Network members, we are trialing a monthly support surgery which will be a chance for members to discuss in detail issues they are facing around business development or current proposals. Read more
Between now and March development of the Hub will continue, led by Steph Vidal-Hall who will be finding practical ways for practitioners who work with people to get together, support one another and share their place-based working practice. Steph will be reaching out to community organisations to find out what’s been valuable about the Hub so far, what matters to you now, and what’s needed in the year ahead. Read more
Support is available to households in Birmingham over the winter using funding from the government’s Household Support Fund. Read more
A community stakeholder panel is to be formed as part of Birmingham City Council’s Everyone’s Battle Everyone’s Business action plan of work within which we are looking at a new approach to equality, diversity and inclusion in the longer term. Read more
We know it can be challenging for organisations to engage in research. We're therefore running these two FREE sessions to develop an understanding of the barriers you face, and to support you to engage in any future social care research opportunities. Read more