OUR PARTNERS and NETWORKS

We don’t believe in re-inventing wheels, doing alone what we can do together or competing in the same areas of work or parts of the country. We much prefer partnership, each partner contributing the best of their expertise. Some of our partners are:

ruralnet|uk http://www.ruralnet.org.uk

ruralnet|uk is a rural regeneration charity which promotes a living and working countryside and finds new ways to help rural communities improve and strengthen their local economies. It particularly works to support agencies working on the ground to alleviate disadvantage, to enable social inclusion and social enterprise. It works through promoting and enabling collaboration, research, consultancy and information transfer. With local partners, it runs projects which put ideas into practice at local level. It has specialist skills in Information, Communications and Collaboration Technologies (ICCTs) and wide experience covering their potential and their appropriate use for rural areas. It uses ICCTs to make connections between people, to ensure that information reaches those that need it, that networks are developed and supported, and that project partnerships achieve their full potential. ruralnet|uk is equally at home in the business, public, community and voluntary sectors. It works at local, sub-regional, regional, national and European levels.
GKG works with ruralnet as managing partners of the Direct Support programme for UK online centres and on a range of independent research projects

Community Matters http://www.communitymatters.org.uk/

Community Matters is the nationwide federation for community associations and similar organisations, with 1100 member organisations across the UK. Originally established as the National Federation of Community Associations in 1945, Community Matters has played a key role in promoting and supporting action by ordinary people in response to social, educational and recreational needs in their neighbourhoods and communities.
GKG works with Community Matters on a range of organisational development and research projects

Directory Of Social Change http://www.dsc.org.uk/

The Directory of Social Change, set up in 1975, aims to be an internationally recognised independent source of information and support to voluntary and community sectors worldwide. They enable the community and voluntary sectors to achieve their aims through being an independent voice, providing training and information.

Why? Because they believe the activities in which voluntary and community organisations engage are crucial, both to the causes they serve and the social environment in which they operate.

They contribute towards positive social change by supporting these organisations to succeed. They are a resource for these organisations.

We work in networks such as

East Oxford Action http://www.eastoxford.com/
Originally a highly successful Single Regeneration Budget partnership, EOA is now an independent organisation working across the UK. Building on expertise gained over a four year, £8 million scheme, EOA has unique experience of working with communities to produce regeneration solutions that last. As a Social Enterprise all profits made by the new organisation will be used for community benefit.
a number of GKG personnel are Associates in East Oxford Action.

The Social Enterprise Coalition http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/Default.aspx

The Community Action Network http://www.can-onine.org.uk

GKG has worked in partnership with CAN to deliver a number of social enterprise start up programmes