Transcript

GAMIEL YAFAI:

My image of collaboration that cuts across multiple forms and agreements is of a jigsaw puzzle-- a very simplistic jigsaw puzzle that's been chucked up in the air and has landed everywhere. It just feels that Milton Keynes has got all the pieces to everything that we need to have a thriving, in fact a brilliant, voluntary sector.

But we need to understand that those pieces need to be brought together. And by being brought together, they will actually help us create the foundations. There are a number of challenges to making these pieces of the jigsaw fit.

I find that the biggest challenge that we have-- and this is a genuine challenge-- is the lack of diversity, both on boards as trustees and within the staff make-up of most of the voluntary sector. We need to have more diversity. The other issue that started to-- well, not started-- since 9/11 actually-- the other big issue is political correctness, the fact that we're making decisions on behalf of communities without actually consulting with those communities.

Now by having more diversity of staff and boards, you are more likely to be able to consult with those communities because you're working with them, and you get that greater understanding. To me, one of the best examples there is is the introduction of the leadership forum. So the conversations are starting to be had.

So you're not just talking to one organisation. You're talking to potentially 24 organisations at the same time to actually bring out key issues and start to introduce initiatives that cut across. And sometimes there are subgroups. For example, within the leadership forum, there are lots of organisations that support individuals with varying types of disabilities.

So the idea is that we pull them out as a subgroup and get them working together. So rather than everybody working individually, you've suddenly got this combination of talent that's almost unique, coming together now and focusing on the real issues, rather than the perceived issues.