Diaspora ChangeMakers

Diaspora ChangeMakers is a new project that seeks to identify and bring together the UK's most promising leaders of African heritage with a desire to support African communities in the UK and Africa.

The project funded by Comic Relief and Unbound Philanthropy, will encompass a number of activities, among them leadership development courses to build the capacity of participants for making change, and the creation of a new Diaspora ChangeMakers Network to help them share ideas and work together on new projects.

The programme will run until early 2015.

Researchers working at the London-based charity called the RSA are calling for participants in this new exciting project. They are looking for people who are passionate about improving the lives of communities in Africa or in the diaspora, and feel they would benefit from the networking and leadership development activities on offer in the project.

Even for those who are not in the core group of 100 Diaspora ChangeMakers undergoing the leadership development training, there are still other ways to get involved, including:

• Joining the ChangeMakers network to share ideas, contacts, and to collaborate on new projects with other ChangeMakers at all levels of development.

• Serving as a mentor or ambassador and supporting less experienced ChangeMakers.

Anyone who wishes to take part or who wants to nominate someone else, may do so by visiting the Diaspora ChangeMakers website.

The deadline for the first wave of applications is 15th September 2013. If you have any questions, please contact their team at: changemakers@rsa.org.uk.

Disabled young persons' group - 'Dynamite'

Are you aged between 11-25 years old?

Are you interested in changing how disabled services are designed for teenagers and young people in Portsmouth?

If you are, the Portsmouth Parent Voice would like to hear from you.

Get involved in shaping the "Local Offer", the Single Assessment, the Education, Health & Care Plan, Personal budgets, lobbying and campaigning on behalf of Portsmouth Disabled Young People.

For more information contact:

Mary Ive or Deirdre Smith

Tel: 07825 185608 (call or text)

Email: portsmouthparentvoice@hotmail.com

The Frank Sorrell Centre

Prince Albert Road

Southsea, PO4 9HR

Technical guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality & Human Rights Commission has recently published a technical guidance on how public bodies, including local authorities, can comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) which was introduced in April 2011. Although this is not a statutory code of practice, it provides a formal authoritative, and comprehensive legal interpretation of the PSED. It complements the existing codes of practice and non-statutory guidance. It explains in detail what the General Equality Duty and the Specific Equality Duties require and provides useful examples of how the law can be turned into practice. The guide can be accessed via the Commission's website.

Guidance on how to comply with equalities in public procurement

'Buying better outcomes - mainstreaming equality considerations in procurement - A guide for public authorities in England' has been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The guidance explains what approach public authorities may take in order to comply with their Public Sector Equality Duty (under the Equality Act 2010) obligations at different stages of the procurement cycle. It details equality issues that need to be considered at each stage.

The guide is aimed at commissioners, procurement officers, contract managers and people involved in the procurement process.

To view the guidance, visit the Commission's website.

Technical Guidance on Further and Higher Education

The guidance sets out Equality Act 2010 requirements on further and higher education providers in relation to provision of education and access to benefits, facilities or services. These cover all of the services, facilities and benefits, both educational and non-educational that an education provider provides or offers to provide for students. It provides an authoritative, comprehensive and technical guide to the detail of the law. It will be invaluable to education providers, lawyers, advocates, human resources personnel, courts and tribunals, and everyone who needs to understand the law in depth, or apply it in practice.

To access the guidance, visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission's website.

Equal marriage for same-sex couples

The Government has demonstrated its commitment to permitting same-sex couples to marry by publishing the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. The Bill will give same-sex couples the right to marry in civil ceremonies whilst permitting religious organisations to opt out, if they so wish, from conducting marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. To read the Bill, please visit the Parliament website.