Southern Enterprise Awards 2021

74 | Southern Enterprise Awards 2021 Aug21844 As ‘a community radio, for the community, by the community,’ Diverse FM is a community managed, and volunteer led organisation focusing on bringing entertainment to the area, as well as offering training programmes for others to flourish and succeed. We find out more about this extraordinary charity, and its ethos, in the wake of it being bestowed with a Southern Enterprise Award. Based in Bedfordshire, Diverse FM Community Media & Training Ltd (DFM) was established in the year 2000 as a not-for-profit organisation. DFM has two functions to its operation. One is a full-time radio station show broadcasting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on a community licence. The other is a full-time training provision, providing a range of personal social development, vocational and life- long education and learning targeted at mainly disadvantaged and disengaged people in the community, in particular those who are NEET, unemployed, at risk of offending or offending, and experiencing other socio-economic inequalities. It all began in 1998 when a group of young people came together from a local youth club and came up with the idea to set up a DJ and MC training course at a local community centre. This programme was hugely successful in terms of diverting young people from crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. One of the main young people involved on the project appeared in a Channel 4 documentary highlighting the success of this project and how it has changed his life for better. Following from the success of this project, young people who were involved met with elders from the youth club with a goal of setting up a radio station on a restricted licence so that they could share their DJ and MC- ing talent with the wider community. After almost two years of planning and successful fundraising, it happened, and the show was first broadcast for 30 days on a Short-term Restricted Licence in the year 2000 under the station name “Diverse FM” with the support of more than 75 volunteers. As the project heavily relied on all volunteers to sustain 24/7 quality broadcasting and management of the project, Diverse FM’s management identified a number of training and development courses. This included writing an in-house radio broadcasting and presenting training programme and successfully gaining its Best Entertainment Channel – Home Counties accreditation through OCN, as well as delivering first aid and project management training. The main aims and objectives of developing and delivering these new training courses were to help individuals involved with the station to develop their knowledge, skills, confidence and capacity so that they are better able to support the station’s improvement and sustainability, leading to create greater opportunities for all in the future. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way Diverse FM operates, which includes changes in the delivery of its training and other social action programmes. It also resulted in responding to the emerging needs of the local community in respect of addressing poverty and food hunger due to the pandemic. Since the first week of the initial lockdown imposed by the Government, Diverse FM has distributed 120,496 healthy and nutritious meals and other items, including PPE, to a total of 3,199 people. Over the last two decades of operation, DFM has received many prestigious awards, including the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (MBE for volunteer groups), Princess Royal Training Award, MBE for the founder of the organisation, and Children and Young People’s Services Award, as well as many others. The most recent award that DFM was bestowed with is the prestigious accolade of Best Entertainment Channel – Home Counties in the Southern Enterprise Awards 2021. This title is demonstrative of the dedication and commitment that all the volunteers and team have shown. Regarding the future, the organisation’s mission is the same as it always has been and will remain throughout its lifetime. This is to promote community cohesion and celebrate cultural diversity through the medium of radio and other media, empower and build the capacity of individuals and community and voluntary groups within the area of benefit, promote the services of, and raise the profile of, community, and voluntary and statutory organisations. As well as to promote the arts and music in the community, and provide and support training and development opportunities especially (but not exclusively to) hard to reach groups, and to provide and support the provision of resources to identify, enhance and promote local talent in the field of media and arts. Contact: Ashuk Ahmed Web Address: www.diversefm.com This title is demonstrative of the dedication and commitment that all the volunteers and team have shown.