How we created Dundee’s third sector manifesto

Earlier this month Voluntary Gateway Dundee (the third sector interface) held a hustings event in the city centre. It let us present a third sector manifesto to representatives from local branches of the main political parties. Why did we do it? The city was galvanised after the 2014 Scottish referendum; invigorated by potential and possibilities, people felt energized by what could be. Dundee is a regeneration city. Pockets of severe deprivation sit almost alongside areas of extreme wealth. Unemployment is high and the city is one of the main feeders to the prison system in Scotland. In a recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, 24 cities across the UK were identified as being in high relative decline. Dundee was the only Scottish city to make the list. Not only that, it was ranked in the top seven. Relative decline in UK is shaped by industrial history, skill levels and location at the city-regional and national scales. As the TSI, we wanted to make sure the voice of the third sector was heard and that the Scottish Government was aware of the issues we face. We wanted to take the opportunity to make a direct, yet positive, ask to the parties. What better way to do that than face to face? We are a diverse sector. The list of what we do within the manifesto is by no means the end, and we are adaptable and reactive to circumstance. For example, Togs for Tots is a community interest company providing baby and children's clothes and equipment to Dundee’s vulnerable families. Jordan Butler, the founder, recognized a need for such a service through community work she was doing across the city. It’s a prime example of an initiative which, I have to say, sadly, has been extremely successful. Creating our manifesto We were very fortunate to have a wonderful student do much of the initial groundwork for our manifesto. Milly-Mia Donnelly, a second year politics undergraduate from the University of Dundee was on placement with us during the first quarter of the year. She spent much of her time calling and emailing round the sector. Her initial findings provided us with a skeleton for the document. The meat on the bones, so to speak, came from a prioritisation event. A number of organisations joined us in March to discuss their overall desires for a better connected sector, with a stronger reciprocal relationship to the Scottish Government. One of the greatest challenges for us as facilitators was finding three distinct asks which every third sector organisation could identify with. Social housing and welfare issues repeatedly came up. While this is a huge issue for Dundee, as a TSI representing the whole community it was not our ask to make. What was clear across the board were requests for longer term funding, an equal place at the table and a strong local voice. As a result our manifesto has been framed around requesting political parties to commit to better financing, third sector representation and local investment. Looking ahead We know what we hoped to achieve, but only time will tell if we have been successful. It was clear from our hustings that representatives admired the document, and felt its contents to be reasonable and realistic. We have laid down the gauntlet to the political parties in our fair city. Now it’s time for them to make the change. Be warned, we’ll be keeping an eye on you! Lesley Calwell is Development Manager at Voluntary Gateway Dundee.