During Covid many new and existing groups told WCA they valued the opportunity to come together to share and learn from one another, as well as access support as they grew / faced common opportunities / challenges?
The key themes that emerged included:
- Working together: Working as a team rather than in isolation & embracing and enhancing mutual cooperation.
- Learning, Knowledge & Creativity: Capturing what was being learnt & using new knowledge and sharing with each other.
- Networking: Finding a flexible structure to respond to changing circumstances together & to continue online gatherings so that groups could talk and see what each other are doing and explore together more flexible ways for ad hoc, informal communications between groups.
Wessex Community Action is currently hosting the Voluntary Community Sector Emergency Partnership, and we’d like to extend an offer of support by hosting networking events for those in our communities who have set up and are organising / co-ordinating Refugee Community Hubs in their local areas.
This networking sessions for Refugee Community Hub organisers / co-ordinators provides an opportunity to come together with other community hubs in Wiltshire, to help build on connections and relationships that have already started to emerge.
It’s an opportunity to gather in one place (albeit on-line) and find out what others are doing, what can be shared and offered (to reduce duplication of effort and time) and to form a support network of good practice. It will also offer the space to raise any issues or needs that maybe emerging on the ground for both community hub supporters, host families and refugees, so that we can begin to prepare and get response ready.
If you would value working with other Refugee Community Hubs across Wiltshire to create a sense of solidarity and desire to help and support the refugees arriving here, then please join the networking session.
(NB: we do not encourage at this point that you bring host families or refugees themselves – this is a networking session to support community hub organisers and volunteers).
We look forward to you joining us.
Warm wishes
Wessex Community Action