What we’ve been focusing on this week

• Debriefing Liverpool and Derby’s meals last Sunday
• Preparing for - and delivering - the first of series of four 90 minute design forums we’re running to help shape a more sustainable future for Local Welcome (find out more from Niki’s summary below)
• Promoting a new role opening up on our team - if you have time, please read and share our Bi-lingual Digital Marketing Specialist job ad around your networks.

(Some of) what we’re focusing on next week

• Preparing for Cardiff and Liverpools meals on Sunday 15th
• Continuing to prepare for our event with Save The Children at the end of the month
• Preparing for and delivering the design forums, and evaluating the results from them
• Formulating a brand strategy with Nice and Serious (the creative agency that’s awarded us pro-bono support for the next year 😍)

Local Welcome Design Forums - a summary by our designer, Niki

These design forums are a space to share conversations we’re having in the Local Welcome core team, hear leaders' experience, and come up with ideas together.

Currently we’re talking about three key topics:

• Finances… We’re aware that trying to make the task of delivering meals as easy, fun and safe as possible is costly. Like all organisations, Local Welcome faces an uphill challenge - so how can we have more impact whilst reducing costs?
• Autonomy… We recognise that by organising so much for groups we have the potential to ‘get in the way’ of leaders contributing their skills, gifts and knowledge - so how can everyone do what they’re best placed to do to contribute to meals?
• Diversity & inclusion… We know that more and more in communities there are all kinds of different people, not only refugees who feel excluded or lacking connection - so how can we include everyone and help them feel welcome at meals?

Local Welcome is keen to get lots of new groups up and running by the New Year, and we’re considering ways we can do that by being an enabler. We’re interested in enabling existing leaders to do what they do best with more flexibility, and to support new leaders through a comprehensive toolkit on everything there is to know about putting on a meal.

If you haven’t already, please book onto a design forum here to share your thoughts and ideas - we’d like to have as many voices in the room as possible!

Photo of the week

Smiles all round at the meal hosted by our Liverpool group last Sunday!