Welcome to G:XL
Background to G:XL
It was developed through a collaborative partnership of over 40 organisations and is designed to improve how infrastructure agencies support the children and young people's voluntary sector across the West Midlands. Research and consultation across the G:up membership took place over 12 months to establish the needs of infrastructure organisation within the Alliance, through network discussions, steering group leadership and focus consultations, this also included regional strategic policy decision makers. One of the conclusions established was that some small under represented groups had issues around access, and potential isolation from infrastructure support. There was also additional research conducted by G:up concerning outreach and diversity which supported this conclusion, as a result outreach and diversity has been given an overall function within each proposed work streams.
The G:XL project aims to develop and enhance capacity and services across the membership of G:up, this in turn will benefit young people. It aims to:
Improve: Information
Increase: Collaboration
Improve: Quality
Increase: Voice
Objectives
- Setting up a commissioning process for the work streams
- Supporting the development and coordinating of a project group
- Support the development of learning clusters
- By commissioning services within the membership of G:up
- Identifying and supporting ‘champions' for each work stream
- Monitoring each work stream
- Evaluating each work stream and overall G:XL project against targets
Basis Funding
The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for distributing half of the money that the National Lottery raises for good causes. Their mission is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. The BASIS programme is just one of their grant programmes.
BASIS aims to ensure that voluntary and community organisations throughout England have access to high quality support that will help them to be more effective.
BASIS-Round two had a specific focus on building and sustaining infrastructure services.
How will G:up achieve the delivery?
G:XL are commissioning VCS infrastructure organisations who support the children and young people sector to deliver a range of work streams which will achieve the following outcomes by October 2012:
G:XL work streams fall under four main themes outlined below:
Improve: Quality
By 2012, 100 VCS CYP organisations will work through an action plan, supported by new infrastructure skills and resources, to improve organisational and workforce standards for the benefit of young people. VCS organisations will develop new skills and greater influence on policies as a result.
Increase: Voice
By 2012, 20% of VCS CYP infrastructure organisations will report greater influence on policy and practice by their member organisations and young people, through improved infrastructure skills, knowledge and systems as well as outreach engagement of hard to reach groups.
Increase: Collaboration
By 2012, 100 VCS CYP organisations will report increased resources through collaborative learning clusters sharing of knowledge of policy, practice and development e.g. shared training, and through cost effectiveness of purchasing and ‘back office' collaboration.
Improve: Information
By 2012, 20% of VCS CYP organisations will report improved learning and sharing of knowledge through increased network opportunities and electronic communications, which will also equip infrastructure organisations with improved skills and understanding to support grass roots outcomes.
Staffing
This project employs two members of staff:
A G:XL project manager is employed full time and manages the overall project.
A G:XL information and communications coordinator (position due to start 26th April 2010 will be employed four days a week, they will be responsible for managing and developing the G:up information and communication infrastructure to meet the ICT development needs associated with the BASIS work-streams. They will ensure that information can be effectively disseminated and gathered by the project work-streams, that technology supports the monitoring and reporting processes and that data management is secure and effective. They will also support the development of the virtual resource library and interactive virtual networks. They will also be responsible for leading and delivering on the Improving information and communication work stream
Monitoring the G:XL Project
G:XL Project Advisory Group
A group has been formed of current stakeholders and members, the primary aim of the group is to support the planning and delivery of the overall project to ensure that the project delivers the outcomes and impact as specified in the GXL business plan.
G:up Steering Group
Evaluating the G:XL Project
As part of the agreed business plan with the Big Lottery, an independent evaluator will be appointed to work with the project staff and project group on establishing baseline data and systems for monitoring and evaluating the work of the project, and will produce a final evaluation report.
We are currently in the process of identifying and contracting with a suitable agency to undertake the evaluation of G:XL.
Exit strategy
At the end of the life of the G:XL project, G:up will continue to contribute to infrastructure sustainability through:
-
Maintaining and developing partnerships
- Improving skills and standards within the sector
- Develop ongoing support and communication mechanisms
- Maintaining the network
- Maintaining databases and information services
- Piloting and sharing learning throughout the network
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