What we do We are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of people in Birmingham and we believe that the key to this is found in our communities. By supporting a robust voluntary and community sector informed by the lived experience of local people, we enable organisations and individuals working to deliver social change, to identify and build on existing strengths and to enhance these through volunteering and social action. Our aim is to support a vibrant and resilient sector which in turn ensures that people from across the city feel included and engaged and have access to appropriate support from people who understand the issues and challenges they face. Our strength comes from working in partnership with the voluntary, community, public and private sectors to develop effective responses to these challenges and to engage citizens in an exciting journey towards a better, stronger future. Our passionate and dedicated staff team leads on the three key areas of our work, which are: Being a helpful membership organisation - Providing infrastructure, training, research, consultancy, volunteering, and practical and strategic support to our members and partners. Being a trusted partner - Developing, leading, and supporting effective people-centred collaborative approaches across the public, private and third sectors. Being a values-driven organisation - Offering constructive advocacy and representation services in order to ensure that the unique and diverse contribution of the voluntary and community sector is recognised, valued, and celebrated. Our Values All our work is under-pinned by a commitment to our organisational values, which are: Commitment - Supporting positive change through passion, innovation and social action. Collaboration - Connecting individuals and organisations to work together to improve people’s lives. Inclusion - Empowering everyone to get involved in creating a fair and equitable Birmingham. Integrity - Building trust through transparently working in the interests of our sector and our citizens. Picture: "Workers and volunteers with The Active Wellbeing Society organising the collection and distribution of food and other essentials at Aston Students Union for delivery to vulnerable people across the city during the coronavirus crisis. The students union, at Aston University, was a central distribution hub for #BrumTogether - a coalition of voluntary, community and faith groups set up to respond to the crisis.” Photo: Ian Cuthbert / www.cuthbertdesign.com