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Voluntary Action Fund

Together is definitely better!

On Saturday 19th March, I was delighted to have the opportunity to participate in the formal launch of the North East Scotland Equalities Network (NESEN) in Aberdeen. The event, called “Forward Together”, was organised by the Scottish Alliance of Regional Equality Councils (SAREC) and chaired by Jeannie Felsinger from the Grampian Racial Equality Council (GREC). The launch was the first opportunity to bring together a wide range of voluntary organisations, public bodies and also individuals committed to equality of opportunity for all across Grampian.

Over 60 people attended the event and heard presentations from the Scottish Government, the Voluntary Action Fund and Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) – the Third Sector Interface for Aberdeen – I apologise for the number of acronyms in this article! It goes to show just how inaccessible the voluntary sector can appear to the general public, and other sectors.

After the formal presentations participants took the opportunity to network with other organisations for a couple of hours before returning for a final session to review the day. What became apparent to many of us attending the day, was how isolated we can all become in our own organisations and communities, and how we rarely get the opportunity to talk to one another and find out about each other’s work. This truly was an excellent opportunity to engage with different organisations and people and make connections, and was particularly beneficial in an area like Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen and Moray, because of the geography and distance. Over the course of the day there was a clear shift from a group of unfamiliar organisations coming together in one place to the beginnings of a network of passionate individuals and organisations with a commitment to promoting equality and tackling discrimination and exclusion. It really did demonstrate that together is better, and the concept could easily be replicated elsewhere in Scotland. What a great way to spend a Saturday – meeting fantastic people in a beautiful city on a sunny Spring day!

NESEN brings people together to help achieve equality in disability, gender, race and sexual orientation, age, transgender, religion and belief, through an interactive network membership of voluntary sector, public bodies, individuals, groups and organisations from across Grampian. All members are committed to equality of opportunity for all and achieving the best for Grampian’s diverse communities.

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