When considering future challenges it is easy to focus on the looming financial constraints facing the sector. However, the bigger challenge for us isn’t how do we plug the funding gaps but how do we get smarter about delivering our influencing roles in the future.
The key to this has to be collaboration. Taking the future of regional planning as an example there is enormous opportunity and potential benefit for communities across England in the drawing together of geographical and economic planning with social and environmental considerations. However, to get it right there is an equal need to ensure that the voice of the ‘social purpose’ sector is embedded in the design and delivery of this ‘brave new world’ approach.
If we can stop thinking in silos of VCS, social enterprise, regeneration etc and start thinking about people, places and dynamics then collectively the ‘third sector’ in its widest definition can have an enormous impact. However, it’s the definition of Third Sector that throws us most. As a VCS network we work closely with other networks such as Social Enterprise to gain co-ordination of views but if we are talking about where people live and work we then have to include the perspectives of housing, culture and leisure, trade unions and many others to get a balanced and sustainable perspective of the future.
In the East Midlands we are exploring what it means to be ‘third sector’ at regional level and how collaborating might ensure a powerful voice to offer more consistent challenge to the public sector. Clearly, with the growing role of Local Authorities, there is need for similar coordination of views at local level too.
However, organising ourselves to enable this is our problem to solve and the clock is ticking. We can blame no-one else if we one day raise our eyes from the task of plotting our future course to see that the boat has already sailed away without us.
Rachel
When considering future challenges it is easy to focus on the looming financial constraints facing the sector. However, the bigger challenge for us isn’t how do we plug the funding gaps but how do we get smarter about delivering our influencing roles in the future.
The key to this has to be collaboration. Taking the future of regional planning as an example there is enormous opportunity and potential benefit for communities across England in the drawing together of geographical and economic planning with social and environmental considerations. However, to get it right there is an equal need to ensure that the voice of the ‘social purpose’ sector is embedded in the design and delivery of this ‘brave new world’ approach.
If we can stop thinking in silos of VCS, social enterprise, regeneration etc and start thinking about people, places and dynamics then collectively the ‘third sector’ in its widest definition can have an enormous impact. However, it’s the definition of Third Sector that throws us most. As a VCS network we work closely with other networks such as Social Enterprise to gain co-ordination of views but if we are talking about where people live and work we then have to include the perspectives of housing, culture and leisure, trade unions and many others to get a balanced and sustainable perspective of the future.
In the East Midlands we are exploring what it means to be ‘third sector’ at regional level and how collaborating might ensure a powerful voice to offer more consistent challenge to the public sector. Clearly, with the growing role of Local Authorities, there is need for similar coordination of views at local level too.
However, organising ourselves to enable this is our problem to solve and the clock is ticking. We can blame no-one else if we one day raise our eyes from the task of plotting our future course to see that the boat has already sailed away without us.