VCFSE MRIS

On this page you'll find the minutes, presentations and resources relating to the Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector Mini Race Impact Summit (MRIS) Steering Group, and also further information relating to race equality and community cohesion.

Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG)

BRIG is a consortium of activists and academics who have worked for many years to promote racial justice in Birmingham
Subscribe to BRIG newsletter here
Visit https://www.wearebrig.co.uk/

Themed Mini Race Impact Summits (MRIS):

VCFSE MRIS is just one of the themed MRIS taking place and you can also join others.
MRIS in planning & contact details: https://www.wearebrig.co.uk/post/announcing-the-first-birmingham-race-impact-summit

Birmingham Race Impact Summit, 25 May 2022

Birmingham VCFSE Mini Race Impact Summit, 5 December 2022

Speakers:

Brian Carr, Chief Executive Officer, BVSC (Birmingham Voluntary Service Council)
Jagwant Johal, Secretary, BRIG (Birmingham Race Impact Group)
Alison Mohammed, Director of Services, Shelter
Mary Foulkes, Director, Equity, Inclusion and Culture, Shelter
Karl George MBE, Partner & Head of Governance, RSM
Sarah Vibert, CEO, NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)

Download speaker biographies

Click to view Speaker Presentations

Click to view Report

Agenda:
VCFSE MRIS 05.12.22 Agenda

Draft VCFSE MRIS Position Paper:
Draft VCFSE MRIS Position Paper 28.11.22

Updated position paper coming soon – see Meeting notes and papers for latest version!

Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month, 25 July 2023

BVSC supported the Birmingham Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector to celebrate and raise awareness of South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) which runs from 18 July to 17 August by holding an online event where speakers from organisations across the city told the story about their organisation.

Find out more: https://www.bvsc.org/News/celebrating-south-asian-heritage-month-2023

Download the Presentation (opens as pdf)

Community Cohesion Statements

BVSC Statement and Support, 2 October 2025

In October 2025, BVSC Chief Executive Brian Carr issued a statement on Community Cohesion.

BVSC offered support to the VCFSE sector on Community Cohesion issues and stated that they would convene a conversation on the VCFSE sector's role in Community Cohesion.

Wide ranging Community Cohesion resources were shared to support the people VCFSE organisations serve.

Read the Statement

Birmingham City Partnership Board Statement, 24 November 2025

In November 2025, members of the Birmingham City Partnership Board issued a statement on Community Cohesion: Forward Together for a City Beyond Racism

Read the Statement

Birmingham VCFSE Community Cohesion Summit, Monday 23 February 2026

BVSC and BRIG brought together Birmingham's Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector to develop a collective approach to tackling the community cohesion challenges facing our city.

This conference welcomed VCFSE organisations representing marginalised communities. This includes geographic and dispersed communities, communities of interest and communities of identity and those with lived experience from within these organisations.

It also welcomed representation from VCFSE organisations where community tensions have been high, and challenges have emerged around immigration, resources and community cohesion.

Key Objectives:

Develop a clear collective voice from the VCFSE sector articulating what needs to take place to address Birmingham's community cohesion challenges
Articulate the impact on citizens and what needs to be done to address it
Mobilise the VCFSE into action that will improve the experience of citizens within Birmingham City

Expected Outcomes:

A collective expression from VCFSE organisations about what needs to take place in our city
A more nuanced understanding of the experience of disaffected communities across Birmingham
Clear articulation of what needs to happen next for those who are feeling frightened and unwelcome in our city.

Speakers:

Brian Carr, Chief Executive, BVSC (Birmingham Voluntary Service Council) (Event Chair and Compere)
Stephen Raybould, Director of Programmes, BVSC (Birmingham Voluntary Service Council)
Sophie Wilson, Director of BVSC Research, BVSC (Birmingham Voluntary Service Council)
Lorna Shaw, Interim Chief Executive, BRIG (Birmingham Race Impact Group)
Nigel Bromage, Small Steps
Stephanie Neville, Stories of Hope and Home
Virginia Waimiru, Stories of Hope and Home
Rishi Shori, Deputy Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council / Birmingham City Partnership
Jasmine Gardosi, Birmingham Poet Laureate 2022-24
Chantel Hunter, Communities Programme Manager, Birmingham City Football Club Foundation

About Our Speakers

Presentations:

Presentations

Please note - Small Steps have asked that we do not share their full presentation from the event. However, if you attended the event, and would like to access their materials and further resources please register on their Support Hub (details as per presentation).

Agenda:

Agenda

Report:

The report from the summit is currently being compiled by BVSC Research - watch this space!

The report will be delivered to and all agreed actions will be owned by the Birmingham City Partnership Board, ensuring accountability and momentum for change.

Stands:

We welcomed several organisations to have a stand at the event. These include:

Resources:

Many of our speakers and stallholders (see above) provide resources on Community Cohesion.

Additionally for further resources see the BVSC Statement and Support, 2 October (see above).

Please watch this space for details of further resources!

VCFSE MRIS Meeting notes and papers

Meeting, 23 May 2023

Presentation

Video recording

Minutes

Draft VCFSE MRIS Position Paper 23.05.23

Draft 10 Year Race Equality Delivery Plan 23.05.23

Draft VCFSE MRIS Position Paper 03.05.23

Meeting, 22 August 2022

Presentation

Video recording

Minutes

Draft VCFSE MRIS Position Paper 22.08.22

Positive Action Across the City

Meeting, 28 April 2022

Video recording

Minutes

Presentation

Meeting, Thursday 3 March 2022

Minutes

Steering Group Meeting

Find Out More:

VCFSE MRIS - Contact [email protected]
BRIG – Visit https://www.wearebrig.co.uk/ Contact [email protected]
https://www.bvsc.org/news/keeping-race-on-the-agenda-the-call-for-change

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