Got news?

Have you got any news to be circulated among the Voluntary Sector Forums? This newsletter serves as a bulletin board for you, so please do send your announcements and information to Julia for inclusion. The deadline for next month's issue is 5 pm on Monday 13 April.

Fun fun funding

Have you seen our Third Sector Funding Edinburgh blog?

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All neighbourhoods

Mind the Wealth Gap?

Everyone is welcome to come along to this free event hosted by Edinburgh’s Active Citizenship Group. After short presentations from our speakers have the chance to share their views, ideas and experience.

Speakers will be:
• John Dickie, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
• Emeritus Professor Adrian Sinfield, University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science.

The event will be chaired by Professor Lyn Tett, University of Edinburgh.

It takes place on Wednesday 24 March from 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm, at Godfrey Thomson Hall, Moray House School of Education, Canongate, Royal Mile (through arch to St John Street.)

There is no need to book. Just turn up. For more information contact Nancy Somerville on 0131 558 3545. If you have any specific requirements, please let Nancy know at least a week in advance.
 

flocklocal

Do you ever need a bunch of volunteers to turn up and help out on a one-off task, whether for a few hours or a day or two?

Flocklocal is a free-to-use website for organisations and campaigns, enabling you through simple on-line tools to advertise your event and connect to people who want to volunteer on a casual basis. They believe many people want to volunteer but are put off by commitment and checks, and they are trying to reach casual volunteers and get them volunteering at appropriate events. It is online now   - but Flocklocal only launched a month ago and so is also very keen to meet interested groups to demonstrate the site and get feedback for it's future development, in return for a chance to shape future plans and have the features you want added.

Interested?  Watch a 4 minute video, take a look at  the website, or contact James   for further information,

Grow Your Own

Since 2006, Edinburgh Community Backgreens Association have supported residents in three 'neighbourhoods' to establish community backgreen sites. In 2010 they have been supporting self organising blitz teams. They have set up a social networking site called Grow Your Own Edinburgh, which they use to network members of the teams.  Once you're on the site you can join the group for the part of the town you live in:

• Northside - Leith, Broughton, Abbeyhill, Hillside, Easter Rd
• Westside - Gorgie Dalry, Shandon, Tollcross, Fountainbridge
• Southside - Old Town, Newington, Marchmont, Viewforth and Bruntsfield

the WELCOMING OUTDOOR ART PROJECT 2010 - 2011

Please see this flyer about The Outdoor Art Project at Tollcross Community Centre. The Outdoor Art Project is open to local artists of all abilities. There is absolutely no cost to the artists participating.

If you wish for further information please contact Jon Busby on 0131 222 9756 at  the Welcoming Project, c/o Tollcross Community Centre, 117 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh. EH3 9QG.
 

Vacancy: Temporary/Sessional Course Assistant

Women Onto Work are currently recruiting for a Course Assistant, to support the smooth running of our next course for Black and Minority Ethnic Women, based in Edinburgh city centre, which begins on 20 April. The assistant will be contracted for 27 days, from 20 April to 30 June from 9.45am – 4.15pm each course day, (6 hours, excluding lunch) and will be paid £7.10 per hour. The course will be based at Lochend Community Hub, 198 Restalrig Road South and will include visits to other agencies, projects and resources in Edinburgh.

The main purpose of the Course Assistant is to provide practical and emotional support as required by the participants and Trainer. The main duties will be to provide support to the women on the course by assisting with English language – where necessary providing scribing or basic literacy support, supporting visits to outside venues, as well as administrative support for the course and other group assistance as required. Applicants must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the needs and issues faced by unemployed women from Black & Minority Ethnic communities, as well as a non-judgemental approach.

For further information and/or an application pack contact Jenny Haines or Louisa King on 0131 475 2625. Applications to be received no later than 6 April 12:00pm.

Evolve: Continuing Professional Development & Peer Support for Volunteer Managers

We are pleased to announce a new dynamic forum for Volunteer Mangers to get together, learn, share experiences, and network.

This replaces EVOF – The Edinburgh Volunteer Organisers' Forum, which has been going for years and has always been popular. Stalwarts of “EVOF” will recall that these forum meetings prove to be a very useful opportunity to raise and address issues and concerns regarding their own experience of involving volunteers in their work. The format of these forum meetings were traditionally very open, there was no fixed agenda and it was a case of turn-up and let’s talk!

At Evolve: our new forum for continuing professional development for volunteer’s managers, we’ll keep all the benefits of networking, sharing experience and knowledge and peer support that we have all come to love and we will add to this a more thematic focus concentrating on your professional development. We use the term “Volunteer Managers” in its broadest sense, and would like to emphasis that anyone with responsibility for recruiting, managing or supporting volunteers (whether paid or as a volunteer, whether in frontline service delivery or serving on a management board or committee) will be made very welcome.

We are particularly interested to hear if there are any specific issues or areas of concern that you would like to see explored at one of these new Evolve: meetings? We’ll still protect a period of time for open discussion on any other topics or issues that come-up, and are looking to employ “Open Space Technology” to identify and determine which questions and issues we dedicate time to. If you’ve not come across this “technology”, we’re sure you will find it both useful and interesting, and look forward to introducing you to it!

We chose the name Evolve: because it seems to be what we’re good at, and what we continually have to do in order to ensure we employ the best practices available to us. So come along to our next meeting and Evolve with us!

Our theme for the first meeting of Evolve: is "Meeting the challenges of engaging volunteers in an economic downturn".

Monday 29 March, 2.30pm to 4.30pm at St.George’s West Church, Edinburgh.

This Forum event is free, but you must book a place. Book online, or contact Lara Celini at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh on 0131 225 0630 for more information.

Inspiring Volunteering Awards 2010 - Nominations are now open!

Who has really stood out in their volunteering this year? Who has made that exceptional impact? Who has gone above and beyond? Nominations can now be made for the city wide Edinburgh Inspiring Volunteering Awards 2010 which we will be hosting on the evening of Thursday 3 June.

This is the ideal opportunity to recognise, celebrate and say thank you to your volunteers for the special contribution they make to your organisation. You can nominate up to three individual volunteers and one team – and remember, your board members are volunteers too!

All nominated volunteers will receive an Inspiring Volunteering certificate and 50 nominees will be invited to come and collect these at the awards ceremony at the City Chambers – one of whom The Lord Provost of Edinburgh will present with a special award, selected by him, for the ‘Inspiring Volunteer of the Year’ 2010.

Places for this extremely popular event are limited so you need to get your nominations in as soon as possible. The closing date for nominations will be 17 March. Just think of how proud your volunteers will be, to have been nominated and to receive their award.

Nominations can be submitted online here, or through the front page of the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh website.

Help your Board go from ‘Good to Great’ (G2G) – A free training event

On Saturday 27 March from 9.45am to 4.00pm in Edinburgh (venue TBC on confirmation of booking)

The support and development of your organisations board is important. Please pass this information on to all your trustees, and help your board or committee to become better at leading the organisation forward from ‘good to great’.

What is the aim of ‘Good to Great’? The G2G programme aims to help the organisation become even more effective through supporting the management committee or board to fulfil its role even better than at present, leading the organisation forward from ‘good to great’.

What does this programme focus on? It focuses on leadership and development. It’s based around the National Occupational Standards for Trustees and Management Committees/Boards of Voluntary and Community Organisations, and includes work on effective decision making, governance issues and effective meetings.

G2G is for you if you:

• are a member of a management committee or board of an Edinburgh voluntary or community organisation
• are passionate about what your organisation does
• would like support to lead your organisation even more effectively
• would like to meet other volunteers doing similar work on management committees and boards in Edinburgh to share information and skills and get up to date information …

Booking: This popular event is supported by City of Edinburgh Council and is free to Edinburgh trustees. You can book online, and if you have any queries about this event, please contact Jean Cuthbert  on 0131 225 0639.

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City Centre

Food for Thought

Please see this flier for a public meeting taking place on 22 March to discuss the availability of fresh food in the city centre, organised by the Old Town Development Trust.

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Forth

Update on GIRFEC Training (Dates for Level 1 and Level 2 GIRFEC training)

There has been an amendment to the training dates as previously put out to the sector. This is advance notice, just to confirm the dates. Voluntary sector colleagues will be contacted with the full Training Invitation and Booking Form, and with the name of the administration contact person who will be taking bookings.

Level 1 training is aimed at all those in Forth and Liberton/Gilmerton neighbourhood partnerships whose work affects children, young people and their families and is open to managers and staff at all levels, volunteers, local strategic officers and city councillors. Some citywide agencies will also be sending staff to this training. Level 1 training will take place on:

• Tues 27 April
• Wed 28 April
• Tues 18 May

It is expected that those going on to do Level 2 (Named Person and Lead Professional training) will have completed Level 1 training. Level 2 training for Forth will take place on:

• Wed 5 May
• Wed 12 May
• Thurs 20 May
• Tues 25 May

The amended list in full is available here. For further details contact Marilyn Nicholl, Voluntary Sector Officer, GIRFEC in Edinburgh Implementation Team on 0131 667 2526.

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Leith

Life Stories: Stories from Leith and Afar

Life Stories is a group of professional storytellers who specialise in storytelling in providing tailored storytelling and reminiscence sessions to older people in a range of settings, from hospitals and day centres to lunch clubs and church groups. The aims of Life Stories are rooted in providing quality, inclusive arts activities for older people and their carers.

Life Stories aims to:

• provide older people and their carers with opportunities for participation in quality, inclusive arts activities
• recognise, value and affirm older people's memories, life experiences and contribution to the wider community
• use storytelling and reminscence to entertain, combat loneliness and isolation, and provide opportunities for socialising and conversation
• use storytelling and reminscence to rekindle imagination, trigger memories and increase communication
• build confidence and motivation, and combat feelings of depression

As part of the project, they are running a community event on 16 April:

Hear Stories and songs from Scotland past and present, and share some of your own, with Mille Gray and Liz Wilson. All welcome. Tea, coffee and bisuits provided. N.B Limited minibus transport is available to the March and April Events on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Caroline Budge on 0131 652 3272 to reserve places. Free (by donation). All welcome!

Friday 16 April, from 2 to 3.30pm, at South Leith Parish Church, 6 Henderson Street, Leith, EH6 6BS.

Please feel free to contact Caroline Budge for more information on forthcoming Life Stories events, or if would like to find out more about arranging a storyteller visit for your group.

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Liberton / Gilmerton

 Update on GIRFEC Training (Dates for Level 1 and Level 2 GIRFEC training)

There has been an amendment to the training dates as previously put out to the sector. This is advance notice, just to confirm the dates. Voluntary sector colleagues will be contacted with the full Training Invitation and Booking Form, and with the name of the administration contact person who will be taking bookings.

Level 1 training is aimed at all those in Forth and Liberton/Gilmerton neighbourhood partnerships whose work affects children, young people and their families and is open to managers and staff at all levels, volunteers, local strategic officers and city councillors. Some citywide agencies will also be sending staff to this training. Level 1 training will take place on:

• Tues 27 April
• Wed 28 April
• Tues 18 May

It is expected that those going on to do Level 2 (Named Person and Lead Professional training) will have completed Level 1 training. Level 2 training for Forth will take place on:

• Thurs 6 May
• Tues 11 May
• Wed 19 May
• Wed 26 May

The amended list in full is available here. For further details contact Marilyn Nicholl, Voluntary Sector Officer, GIRFEC in Edinburgh Implementation Team on 0131 667 2526.

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South West

Express yourself with Art Therapy

Health All Round is offering Art Therapy with a fully qualified therapist on Tuesday evenings. Art therapy incorporates the concept that the creative process of art is both healing and life-enhancing.

Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers. Clients who are referred to an art therapist need not have previous experience or skill in art; the therapist's aim is to improve health and wellbeing of the client.

For more information contact Catriona on 0131 537 7532

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