In collaboration with our strategic partners, Power to Change has launched a support package for community businesses as we move forward into the new normal. This support package includes a range of activities, from webinars to short intensive programmes for community business leaders to hone their skills and develop peer networks, helping them to continue to play a vital role in their communities.
Visit our dedicated COVID-19 pages and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates, including information about our funding programmes. All information about activities available for all community businesses will be included in the Power to Change newsletter.
Community Business Online Boost, brought to you by School for Social Entrepreneurs in partnership with Power to Change, is a short, free, high impact programme for community businesses in England hit hardest by Covid-19. This programme is for community businesses whose trading activities have been affected and/or have experienced a surge in demand for their services. This programme gives community business leaders the skills, resilience and peer networks to sustain and thrive.
Participants take part in online peer learning sessions (5 x half day sessions) and webinars, tailored to the current challenges and opportunities. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other community businesses throughout September 2020. We’re particularly keen to hear from BAME led organisations and those supporting the arts, health & social care sectors, BAME community and deprived areas. Find out more and sign up today.
Eastside Primetimers are offering a series of bootcamps to help community businesses get in the best shape possible to navigate the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Bootcamps will be sector-specific, covering community hubs, heritage assets, sports and leisure organisations and health, social care and wellbeing providers.
Each bootcamp will combine online workshops and tailored one-to-one support. Find out more here.
Cooperatives UK are offering free online HR surgeries, with one of their expert HR advisers for community co-ops, sponsored by Power to Change. The free HR surgeries are for Co-operatives UK members, based in England that meet the Power to Change criteria for community businesses and Power to Change grantees. The HR sessions could cover issues such as annual leave, safety, vulnerable employees, business reorganisations and restructuring, furlough, wellbeing and more. To book on, visit: https://www.uk.coop/hrpackage/coronavirus/free-hr-surgery
Coming soon: Locality will deliver a series of virtual knowledge and skills exchange visits to community businesses, focusing on the areas of employment and skills, mental health and social care. In these virtual visits we will see effective solutions and innovations that have been developed as a response to Covid-19. Please sign up to our newsletter for updates on a series of webinars showing the films in September, followed by a Q&A session.
Locality is developing written guidance on Good Governance focusing on the relationship between the Board Chair and CEO, their responsibilities in times of crisis, staff welfare, agile working for the next phase of renewal, financial planning and how to evaluate if your organisation is fit for purpose. This guidance will be shared with Locality members and all community businesses on 14 September.
Locality members will also be able to access various support, sponsored by Power to Change including:
- HR support: Participants will have their skills and knowledge increased around HR, enabling them to make informed decisions about critical high risk areas for their business.
- A review of the participants current position and to support them to take pre-emptive action to identify areas of weakness and develop action plans for remedial action, through the Lighthouse programme.
- Help to understand the detailed data (demographic, needs, trends) for their neighbourhood. With the rapidly changing economic and social climate caused by Covid-19 , community organisations need to understand, more than ever, the area they are operating in so that they can respond to needs and direct resources to where they are most needed.
- Support building capacity in BAME-led organisations to ensure that they have the tools to build resilience and capacity, and that they are offered support in a way that is most meaningful for them.
- Support for coastal communities. Locality has formed a new Coastal Communities Network to bring together members based in coastal communities around England to share best practice, create connection and exchange skills and ideas between communities around our coast.
Plunkett Foundation are offering webinars, available for their members who are community businesses via: https://plunkett.co.uk/events/ and free business health checks to members who are community businesses, sponsored by Power to Change. For more information about the health checks, please contact: membership@plunkett.co.uk