Page 29 - OCF Oxfordshire Uncovered

Deprivation, the key underlying factor of the issues, can take many forms: income and wealth, barriers to services, health, education, housing, crime, etc. The overall IMD rankings may show few areas of Oxfordshire to be deprived, but by drilling down further we see that there are still fewer areas free from all deprivation of one kind or another. Through our work and this research we have seen the complex interconnectivity of the issues. While a problem may appear only to be present in one area or for one section of society, it will affect the whole of Oxfordshire.
The social problems we have identi ed are pressing – and they are just the tip of the iceberg. We would like to do a lot more to address them, and fast.
We believe that the stronger a community is, the better life is for everyone. And we believe that the solutions to the problems Oxfordshire faces will come from within our community.
Community-based solutions
There are over 4,000 charities and community groups in Oxfordshire. The people working and volunteering for these organisations are helping vulnerable people day in, day out, and are often those who have the greatest understanding of their needs. They are also those who have the expertise, compassion and imagination to come up with impactful community-based solutions. Our work at the community foundation over the past 20 years has connected us to the networks of people and relationships needed to address the problems we have highlighted here.
Recently, we have seen drastic cuts to statutory funding, and
to some of the services that local government provides. Less funding and a greater demand on services is a challenge to the charitable sector; but necessity is the mother of invention. The present climate is an opportunity for the charitable sector to embrace greater collaboration, share its expertise; deliver its services more ef ciently, and create new solutions in partnership with the whole community.
The Oxfordshire community is made up of all three sectors
of society: public (national and local government), private (businesses and individuals) and third (charitable and community organisations). All sectors have a part to play in providing community-based solutions to the social problems of Oxfordshire. To be more successful, there needs to be greater collaboration within and across all sectors for the common good.
The role of philanthropy
Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. This includes the generous donation of money to good causes, but it is also so much more than that.
Throughout history philanthropy has developed and provided solutions to many of society’s problems. The Victorian age saw George Peabody start a housing association, Thomas Barnardo set up his children’s charity, and George Cadbury develop Bourneville for the welfare of his workers. These were not simple acts of donating large sums of money, but the convening of resources to create a community movement of compassion.
The twentieth century saw the growth of the welfare state, which displaced some of the need for philanthropy. A reliance on the state to provide seems to have led us to forget how communities looked after themselves in the past.
We believe that Oxfordshire has the collective resources to do for our county’s community what Bill Gates is doing for the global community.
Conclusion
Oxfordshire has some impressive headline wealth, education and health gures. By sharing this report, we hope to reveal that there are also some serious social problems and stark deprivation. This inequality is both a sign and a cause of the fragmentation of community, which has a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of everyone.
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