Reaching Communities Project
PATRA Inc ACDA is currently delivering a 3 year project called " Reaching Communities" which is funded by the Big Lottery. The Reaching Communities project operates in Notttingham and the surrounding area with the initial aim of establishing an community sector organsiation in the region currently being achieved. The Centre provides community empowerment services, policy development service such as undertaking extensive research and information gathering projects. The main aim of the project is to promote the long term development and regeneration of the African Caribbean community sector organisations to deliver to their beneficiaries most effectively and to increase community access to funding, finance and business opportunities.
The three year project has achieved this continuation of empowerment and sustainablity of the community in Nottingham by developing services including:
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Promoting the long term development and regeneration of African Caribbean communities
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Developing social enterprise
- Increasing business opportunities
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Establishing PATRA Inc ACDA as a Centre of Excellence, offering counselling services in employablity skills, welfare rights, immigration issues, business support/development and health
Other services that have been provided throughout the project have revolved around policy development and research and information gathering. This part of the project has aimed to create an inclusive developement strategy based around the needs of the African Caribbean voluntary and community sector, in close liaison with mainstream policymakers at local, regional and national level. This included:
- Policy Development where policies are influenced based on the specific needs of African and African Caribbean communities
- Gathering research and information relevant to the African and African Caribbean communities
- ACDA has acted as an information resource to organisations and other sectors. This service has also helped to identify gaps in services provided to the African and Caribbean community and gone on to address the gaps by providing the relevant services directly or in partnership with other organisations.
Overall, Reaching Communities has to date been very successful in achieving the aims and objectives set out initially. From the statistics and feedback that PATRA Inc ACDA has been given it shows incresed sustainablity and empowerment in this particular area of the voluntary and community sector in Nottingham with the direct result being more effective delivery of service to the local community.
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