WHAT IS THE PACT?
The PACT for civil society was created from the views and ideas of civil society, bringing together our collective energy and experience. The PACT is something developed for civil society, by civil society – a set of shared aspirations for us all to commit to, for the decade ahead and beyond. It is a call for all of us in civil society – people, organisations and institutions – to commit to...
01
POWER
Recognising how we use our power – and how this can be different from our intent, sharing more decision-making and control, using the power we have more effectively to help everyone play a full part in the things that matter to them.
02
ACCOUNTABILITY
Holding ourselves accountable first and foremost to the communities and people we exist to serve.
03
CONNECTION
Broadening and deepening our connections with people and communities, bridging the frequent divides that span our society and investing in a new social infrastructure for civil society.
04
TRUST
Devoting the time and resources necessary to building trust – our core currency and foundation – earning trust by staying true to our values and standing up for them.
THE PACT PIONEERS PROGRAMME
We are running two learning programmes to explore how the map for the future offered by the PACT can be applied in a real-life context. The programmes are for:
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community and voluntary organisations
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arts groups
These programmes began during the Summer/Autumn of 2020: a time of significant disruption and adversity for those working in the charity and arts sectors. Inevitably, participants wanted to respond to current events and challenges they and the communities they serve faced (such as the Covid-19 pandemic and our society’s growing interest in issues of anti-racism). But despite this some core questions about power, accountability, connection, and trust remain significant.
The following questions underlie both learning programmes:
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How aware are we of the power and privilege we have? How do we use that power? Do we share that power well?
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Who are we most accountable to in our work? Is it Government? Funders? Or is it the people and communities we exist to serve?
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How connected are we with people from different backgrounds in our community and in our work? Following the coronavirus pandemic, how have the challenges of 'connection', opportunity, and oppression surfaced in our society?
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How do we build and sustain the trust of those people and communities we exist to serve?
We are examining these and other questions with both learning cohorts through a series of facilitated sessions and action-learning activities.
The programmes are running until May 2021. In addition we will be running some open-access events between January and May 2021 for those interested in these topics to share learning from the programme and invite others to contribute their learning on these issues within civil society.
