Notes from the Strategic Group meeting held on Tuesday 18th July 2005 at Birmingham Chinese Youth Centre 99 Bradford St, Birmingham.
Strategic Group: Dave Boucker, Simon Cottingham, Bruce Kirk, Barry Lockwood, Peter Miller, Rob Sabin, Andy Simpson, Alison Straker
Guests: Mudassar Noor and Gerbrand Oudenaarden
Marcia Blissett, Cathy Clement, Suzanne Everill, Jim Jenkinson
Gerbrand Oudenaarden presented www.growingupinthewestmidlands.info and the Staffordshire sub-site. There was a chance to learn how to register and use the site to work collaboratively, and to discuss the potential there is for development. More detail can be found on the site and in the Change Up bid attached with these notes.
It was reported that the proposal to Change Up had received support in principle from WMVYSF and the NCVCCO regional group.
The group worked together to develop the draft bid and agreed its core content. We worked to meet the core needs identified on 8th July, the priorities of WMVYSF, NCVCCO group and the Strategic Group in so far as we could relate them to the specific elements of Change Up and its focus on the development of infrastructure to improve public service delivery. It was acknowledged that we as a group have a wider vision, which it is important to hold on to and seek support to develop elsewhere.
It was agreed that bayc should act as the accountable body for the bid. The decision was based on the fact that it is the organisation within the group that (without being a national body) covers the largest geographical area of the region, and meets the necessary criteria for an accountable body.
The Growing Up Strategic Group will manage the process, if we are successful, supported by Alison through the Youth Involvement Project. A sub group will be formed to commission work to deliver the outcomes identified.
It was agreed that Alison and Peter should finalise and submit the bid on behalf of the group for 19th July deadline.
Preparation of the investment plan will need to begin as soon as possible. Arrangements for how this will take place will be made over email.
Mudassar Noor is now employed and will be working until the end of August with a variety of groups to engage with children and young people through video consultation. He presented the group with a sample of his work from Staffordshire.
Rob and Dave have made arrangements for him to work with groups in Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Peter and Andy will link him with some groups in Birmingham, and Bruce will investigate the possibility of involving children’s groups in the Black Country. We are seeking further groups from across the region to participate.
The style and quality of the work – both stills and video – was appreciated. The need to ask further probing questions was discussed in order to get away from the simple wish list answers but without directing answers.
Mudassar will collate the information according to the five outcomes of Every Child Matters fort presentation through the Website. Andy raised the question of how this material might be analysed and used.
Mudassar will write up an evaluation of his experience and recommendations for how the work might be continued.
There was limited time to discuss this agenda item, so further plans and communication will happen by email in advance of the next meeting. Progress has been hampered by the need to coordinate with other VCS networks who are also working on this issue, but guidance from RAWM should be available in the near future.
We still plan to hold our regeneration event on 16th September.
One element of the work will be to present case studies. Andy proposed that the young people’s research project he has been working on could be one such example.
Cheryl Garvey of BRAP has expressed an interest in joining the group. Various other contacts are also being followed up.
Reminder: we can all email the whole group through the address growingupstrategic@allplugin.net. Please also feel free to register yourself as a user on www.growingupinthewestmidlands.info and start making your mark.
Tuesday 6th September 2-4 pm strategic meeting, venue TBC
Wednesday 9th November 2-4pm strategic meeting, venue TBC
Friday 16th September (all day, exact times to be confirmed): Growing Up Regeneration Event/ Conference. The Priory Rooms Meeting & Conference Centre, Friends Meeting House, 40 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF.