Community and organisational development for new migrant communities
Since May 2004 when Eastern European countries became EU members, more than 1 million migrants from these countries especially Poland with (about 600,000) have moved to Britain. These new communities face massive problems and challenges. MODA tries to help these communities: Polish, Check, Slovak, Estonians, Lithuanians, Albanians and Latvians, to help themselves by encouraging and supporting the setting up of self-help projects and community/voluntary organisations for them.

Training: Creating Sustainable Community Organisations
As part of their training programme for refugee and migrant community orgnaisations in the London Borough of Harrow, Harow Refugee Forum (HARF) will organise three one-day semianrs focusing on the theme of '' Sustainable Community Organisations." which will be delivered by MODA's Director Dr Kamal Rasul. The progamme will be as follows:

7 February: Governance, Management and Leadership: Strategic Perspectives
21 February: Fundrasing Strategy and Methodology
28 March: Leadership, governance and strategic planning

Quality audit training
Creating sustainable human resources in terms of effective usable competences with potential to cascade across groups and organisations is a strategy that MODA has used through building up the skills and qualifications of its own team on the one hand, and providing competence-building training and 1-2-1 technical support to other groups.

MODA's successful Quality Support training programme
As part of Quality Support Project MODA delivered a four-day training programme on 4 th, 5 th, 11 th and 12 th October 2006 that included Strategic Planning, Fundraising Strategy, Practical Fundraising and Monitoring and Evaluation. The training took place at SAVO centre at Elephant and Castle. Each training day was from 10 am to 4.00 pm and was attended by an average of 17 trainees. 37 people from 33 organisations benefited from the programme.

Capacitybuilders funding programme 'Improving Reach'
Representatives of 25 organisations and netowrks attended MODA event on 21 September at Bordman House. Jill Walsh, London Regional Co-ordinator of Capacitybuilders, presented a briefing session on the new Capacitybuilders funding programme 'Improving Reach' which was launched on 11 August 2006.

MODA’s Support for VSF Campaign against Cuts to ALG Grants Budgets and Changes to Grants Priorities
The Association of London Government has a new Grants Committee following the local council elections in May. At their first meeting on July 12th, they proposed a reduction of funding to the ALG grants budget by 33%. MODA support the campaign and calls upon all MODA members and voluntary sector networks in London whether funded by ALG or not to support the campaign. To know more about what to do click here.

MODA Annual General Meeting
MODA’s AGM will be held on 14 th July 2006, at Boardman House, Stratford, E15 1NG. There will be speakers and MODA’s new website as well as its new Directory of Ethnic Minority Organisations in London will be launched at the meeting. Written notices have already been sent out to MODA members.Bookings need to be made by 1 st July 2006. Places are limited. All bookings need to be confirmed. To book a place click here.

MODA/BRWA Project
Brent Welfare Refugee Association and MODA provided a free 7-day training programme for 28 people from 21 refugee groups. A special training programme tailored to the identified needs of the groups was prepared by MODA in consultation with BRWA co-ordinator. The training courses were free for refugee groups and were held on every Wednesday starting 1 February 2006 till 9 March 2006. Each of the training day was evaluated through a feedback form. To see the full report, please click here. (24/05/2006)

MODA/Islington CAB Quality Support Project
MODA and IslingtonCAB’s partnership project aims to provide training and technical support to 100 community organisations over the next two years to obtain Quality Mark or other recognised quality standards appropriate to relevant organisations. For furthe information click here. (21/04/2006)

MODA BME Capacity Building Project 06-07
In 2005/06 Moda provided 1-2-1 capacity building support to 20 BME community organisations in the areas of Project Development, Strategic Planning, Quality Systems and Standards, Fundraising and Effective Management. (Click here to continue) (21/04/2006)

International Study Visit
MODA’s Director Dr Kamal Rasul has been awarded a bursary by Building and Social Housing Foundation to participate in a week-long study visit to Solar Hosuing Renovation project in Gardsten, Sweden in May 2006. (Click here to know more)(21/04/2006)

MODA's response to the Mayor's Refugee Integration consultation
The most important issue of integration is not in fact "equality of opportunity for refugees". Our experience of working with refugee and migrant communities for over 15 years has proved to us that the issue is more complicated, serious and challenging that the simple over-used aim of equal opportunity. This must be approached in the context of powerlessness. (Click here to continue) (24/03/2006)

Evaluation Report on Training Day in Norwich
Norwich Asylum Seekers and refugees Forum (NASREF) has published their final evaluation report on "Community Participation Training Seminar" provided by MODA's Director to 16 mainstream and voluntary organisations working with refugee communities in Norwich on 13/12/2005. The report is in ten pages and gives full details about the plan, process, delivery and outcome of the training day. (09/02/2006)

Free Training for Refugee Groups
Brent Welfare Refugee Association will provide a 5-day training programme for refugee groups which will be delivered by MODA. The training will be on every Wednesday starting 1st February 2006.For further information click here.(26/01/2006)

MODA's Training on partnerships and forums
"How to make your partnerships and forums more successful and empower more effective participation of marginalised groups". An exclusive original programme developed by MODA's Director, based on 15 years of working with disadvantaged groups and academic study of the voluntary sector. For further information click here (26/01/2006)

Training day in Norwich
On 13 December 2005 the Executive Director of MODA Dr Kamal Rasul delivered a one-day training at Norwich, organised and supported by the Partnership Development Project of MENTER, to representatives of organisations and stakeholders involved in the Norwich Asylum and Refugee Forum (NASREF). (click here to read the article).

Strategic co-ordination and partnership: meetings
The next meetings of Kurdish community organisations participating in strategic partnership will be on the following dates: Friday 20th January 2006; Friday 10th February 2006; Friday 24th February 2006; Friday 10th March 2006; Friday 17th march 2006. All meetings will be held at Kurdish Association, Palingswich House, 241 King Street, Hammersmith W6 9LP, from 10.30 am to 1pm. All Kurdish organisations are invited to attend. For further information: info@moda.org.uk (16/12/2005)

Strategic co-ordination and partnership
MODA has initiated a new project aiming at achieving sustainable strategic structural and functional co-ordination and partnership among organizations belonging to the same ethnic or cultural community. This initiative will first be tried with all Kurdish community groups in London. (04/11/2005)

More manipulation than participation
MODA was among a number of BME groups individually invited to attend "a national summit for BME voluntary and community sector" at NCVO on 21 October 2005. The hidden agenda of the meeting was to allow yet again a handful of self-styled organisations to offer themselves as the representative, face and the aspired one-voice of the BME voluntary sector and manipulate others to achieve this aim (click here to read the article).

MODA's Directory 2006
We are in the process of updating and publishing the 2006 edition of MODA's Directory of Ethnic Minority Community Organisations in London. If you wish your organisation to be included please complete and submit the online Directory Form. Final deadline is 31st of October 2005, but we'll appreciate prompt response. Click here for further details. (31/08/2005)

Capacity Building Partnership Meeting
Are you looking for funding and support to develop the management and delivery capacity of your organisaton? Moda`s Capacity Building Partnership Project will provide support on: ICT, Quality Systems, Funding, Governance and Volunteering. A meeting will be held to give you the opportunity to discuss and involve in the partnership programmes on Thursday 12 May. (06/04/2005)

New MODA Training Courses
From April 2005 MODA will offer two new training courses: 'British Citizenship and Political System' and 'Media, Communication and Public Relations'. (15/03/2005)

Training Programme 2005 - 1st quarter
The first MODA’s training programme for 2005 comprises 12 days of capacity building training delivered over three months with 4 days per month from January to March 2005. 12 Trainees from BME groups attended the training in January and February. The next training courses will be delivered from 21-25 March 2005 at PRAXIS. Feedback from the participants indicate that the rate of approval (strongly agree) for the training programme was 99 per cent. MODA also offered special five days 1-2-1 training sessions to the co-ordinator and management committee members of Anatolia (Turkish-Kurdish) community organisation in Hackney. (10/03/2005)

Annual General Meeting 2005
On 11 February 2005, MODA held its 7th AGM at Boardman House Representatives of 30 migrant and minority ethnic organisations attended the meeting and 15 had sent apologies. The meeting provided an opportunity to update the members about MODA’s services and future programmes. (05/03/2005)

MODA's Community Development Initiative
Due to MODA’s extensive work with migrant, refugee and other minority ethnic organisations at a grass roots level and the first hand experiences we have gathered about the needs, problems and potential of migrant and minority ethnic groups, and especially their specific capacity building needs.

Annual General Meeting
MODA's members are cordially invited to attend MODA's Annual General Meeting which will take place on 11th February 2005 from 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm. The occasion will be used to launch MODA's unique Directory of Ethnic Minority Organisations in London and Resource Pack and MODA's Community Development Initiative including its wide-ranging IT services. Refreshment will be served.

Training programme 2005
Responding to the existent and emerging needs of BME community organisations, MODA continuously reviews and improves its training programme to achieve outcomes which will have positive impact on the community development aspects of migrant and minority ethnic groups.

MODA's Directory of Ethnic Minority Community Organisations
We will produce a Directory of Ethnic Minority Community Organisations in London. The main aim is to help various groups to know, network and interact with each other. (...)

Dynamic Websites Development
MODA has recently set up a special project to help ethnic minorities and migrant organizations to promote their activities and services on the web (...)

London Regional Consortium
Dr Kamal Rasul, MODA’s Director, has joined the London Regional Consortium of the Home Office’s newly launched ChangeUp programme which is part of their overall strategy to use the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to deliver more public services, particularly in marginalised communities. (...)

Capacity Building of regional refugee community organisations
In conjunction with Metropolitan Housing Trust at Nottingham and Refugee Centre at Coventry, MODA offered a community development training programme to refugee organisations and communities in Derby, Liecester, Nottingham and Coventry in August 2004. (...)

Website planning support
Moda is currently exploring ways of offering interested migrant groups practical support to publicise their activities and services on the web. (...)

Cultural Exchange
Have you thought about holding a joint cultural event with another community group but come up against obstacles of money, organisational time and lack of suitable venue? Well help is at hand! MODA is keen to facilitate cultural exchange between our different BME groups. (...)

Promoting partnerships
One of the basic philosophical principles debated and adopted by MODA during its foundation in 1998 was working in partnership with other voluntary sector agencies with similar ideas, aims and approaches. (...)