Blagrave’s annual regional partners meeting this year was held on a hot, sunny day in July at Portsmouth Guildhall. It was described by one delegate as “warm; literally and metaphorically”; a day full of community, positivity and inspiration. The day was planned with feedback from the last regional partners day, as well as input from our current team of regional advisers, who are representative of the youth organisations we partner with in the region. The theme explored the highs and lows of partnership working.
The day was attended by over thirty of our regional partners, showcasing the diversity and breadth of the youth sector across the South East, with partners working with young people facing systemic injustice and providing youth work, arts, mental health support, benefits and finance advice, social activities, housing support, employment support and much more, all creating deep and long-lasting impact through centring collaboration, youth voice and leadership.
In our first panel discussion we heard honest and thought-provoking testimony from Kaia Allen-Bevan from Youth the Gap CIC and Oscar Hoyle from Blossom LGBT, prompting a lively discussion among partners. At the heart of the practical conversations were deep questions about power and values; how smaller organisations have been brave enough to refuse partnerships with larger institutions where they didn’t feel their values were aligned, in spite of an increasingly challenging and competitive funding climate, and how clear communication, defined responsibilities and clear project plans are key to success.
Our funder panel in the afternoon welcomed contributions from the National Lottery Community Foundation and Civic Power, who talked about funder partnerships and the importance of building informal relationships through breaking bread together, and to recognise and overtly discuss power sharing to mitigate uncomfortable imbalance.
Participatory workshops were on offer to partners on topics from succession planning to team wellbeing and proved hugely popular. Partners described the day as “insightful, inspiring and invaluable”.