Overview
In 2021, we undertook a research project to improve our understanding of the support needs of community organisations led by and supporting people of colour. We wanted to better understand our role in being an ally across the sector, providing more effective support and capacity building, and how we work with specialist infrastructure organisations in meeting these needs. We talked to Locality members and local and national organisations, and then shared the findings with members and developed recommendations for action.
The findings of the research and our recommendations are set out in this report. The title for this report “No More Blank Pages” comes from one of the focus group contributors to this research. It speaks to the frustration felt by participants that organisations led by and supporting people of colour were tired of doing the heavy lifting for the sector, pointing out structurally racist and historic problems only to be shown blank pages when it comes to delivering solutions.
UPDATE:
As actions from our No More Blank Pages report, we are now:
- Developing our policy positions on racial justice in the community sector
- Developing our support for members on how to make place-based working equal anti-racist working
To help achieve this, in 2022 we have begun our Creating Places for Everyone project, researching the strengths and weaknesses of our central, place-based community anchor model in relation to the issue of racial justice.
Related reports
Navigating the storm
A new report released by Locality, Navigating the Storm, shows how community organisations kept going through a global pandemic. Despite being hard hit, community organisations adapted, innovated and thrived, by:
Finding new and more efficient ways to deliver services
Investing in their buildings during lockdown.
Providing completely new types of services in response to community needs.
It explains how the determination and expertise of community leaders helped make these changes. It also recognises the contribution made by funding bodies and policy-makers, not only in the emergency support they provided but also in their increased flexibility.
Power Partnerships: Learning on localism with four local authorities
Over the past year, we have been working in four places, Cornwall, Southwark, Stevenage and Wigan, to test our findings from the Localism Commission and implement our recommendations in practice. Our action research partners included councillors, council officers and community organisations in each area. Our research with Par Bay Big Local, South Bermondsey Big Local and Leigh Neighbours, also involved interviews with residents in these neighbourhoods. Through interviews, roundtables, local and national workshops, we have learned more about how councils can drive forward a radical new localism agenda. In partnership we have sought to strengthen existing practice and find opportunities to go further.