Search for Stronger Communities project partners

A search has been launched for organisations that can help enable and facilitate projects that are being developed by Birmingham City Council to bring people together as a result of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games next year.

The Stronger Communities project will utilise an allocation of £500,000 from the council’s £6million Commonwealth Games Community Fund. Following engagement and consultation with our communities on our approach to community cohesion and tackling inequalities, a range of activities have been identified. These activities are brought together under the following five workstreams:

• A city connected by inclusive heritage trails - Development of an interconnected network of heritage trails that navigate through Birmingham’s history
• We made Birmingham - Small grants projects to record and share stories of heritage, community activism and migration from as many of Birmingham’s diverse communities as possible
• Getting Communities Talking - Delivering small community grants to enable women from particularly marginalised communities to forge long-term connections with others in their communities
• Birmingham Peace Garden proposal - The development of a programme of commemoration and celebration events to coincide with the Games and working with the community on longer-term plans for the improvement of the site
• Inspiring future leaders – A development programme to grow and inspire our future educators and leaders from under-represented groups across the range of leadership positions in the Birmingham education sector

Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) have been appointed by the council to project manage the delivery of Stronger Communities, but other organisations are now being invited to step forward and submit proposals to enable and facilitate the five workstreams.

Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities, said: “Birmingham is a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive place - the Commonwealth Games will be a moment to celebrate our distinct identity and personality with the world.

“We want to enable local people and communities to participate in the Games in a way that builds cohesion, inclusion, and civic pride.

“The Games have the power to bring people together in the Proud Host City of Birmingham like never before. We can use this as a turning point in uniting our population and tackling inequalities.

“We’ve engaged with people in the city to shape the programme and will be working with BVSC to deliver the programme – now we need other organisations to join us to help do this and I hope we receive a wide range of submissions to help us achieve one of our key legacy aims from the Games.”

Brian Carr, CEO of Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, added: “The voluntary and community sector in Birmingham is part of what makes our city great. The sector will bring its understanding of how to work with communities to help Birmingham deliver a fantastic Games in 2022 and to go on building an amazing city for everyone who lives and works here.”

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 26 November.