MCAS Launch

On 25 March, we hosted a fantastic event at the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Headquarters to mark the formal launch of our project. We were delighted to be joined by our partners, Changeworks and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, alongside our Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) members, funders, and CEMVO colleagues.

We kicked off the day with a Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting, where we discussed the National Park’s previous equality and diversity work, reflecting on successful projects delivered with ethnic minority community groups. The MCAS team then presented research examining similar projects delivered over the past five years. This led to a valuable discussion with the SAG on key learning that could be carried forward, as well as gaps in provision that MCAS is well placed to address. Finally, the SAG provided feedback on the team’s weekly knowledge-boost posts, assessing their accessibility for different target audiences and offering suggestions on how we might increase our reach. The insight and lived experience of our SAG are vital in ensuring the project is grounded in the real lives of the ethnic minority communities we aim to serve.

We concluded the meeting with a nature-connection walk led by our Nature Officer, Camilo. The group enjoyed exploring the beautiful surroundings of Balloch and even tried a spot of tree climbing.

Following a delicious lunch, we reconvened for speeches and presentations. Colin Lee, Chief Executive of CEMVO Scotland, opened the session by reflecting on CEMVO’s strong history of partnership working with Changeworks and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, including projects such as Energy Saving for All. Colin highlighted CEMVO’s extensive portfolio of environmental and climate justice projects and shared how MCAS will continue this impressive legacy.

Josiah Lockhart, Chief Executive of Changeworks, spoke about the importance of collaboration in achieving a greener and fairer Scotland for everyone. He shared learning from Changeworks’ work with CEMVO’s Race Equality Environmental Project and outlined what they hope to achieve through their partnership with MCAS.

Finally, Gordon Watson of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority delivered a speech outlining the National Park’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the park remains a space of outstanding natural beauty and rich biodiversity that can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Members of the MCAS team then presented an overview of milestones achieved during the project’s early design phase, along with plans for delivery as we move into the next stage. Emma Lindsay, Changeworks’ Evaluation Consultant, gave a detailed presentation on how the Stakeholder Advisory Group worked together to develop theories of change for both the nature-connection and energy strands of the project. These theories of change will guide how we measure success over the four-year delivery period, providing a clear roadmap while also highlighting areas of opportunity and potential challenge.

Photographs from the day were captured by our very talented SAG member, Sadia Sikander, who is also an artist and photographer. You can view more of Sadia’s work via her Instagram portfolio.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Stakeholder Advisory Group for their generosity and enthusiasm in sharing their insight and lived experience. Their contribution is essential in helping us meaningfully impact the lives of ethnic minority community groups across Scotland’s central belt.

We are also extremely grateful to our partners for their continued support in launching this project and for sharing their expertise, networks, and resources. Our partnership demonstrates the true value of collaboration and what can be achieved when we work together.

Finally, we would like to thank our funder, The National Lottery Community Fund, for believing in this project and for the invaluable support they have provided to the MCAS team and wider partnership.