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Compact Partnership - Promoting Equality and Building Resilient and Sustainable Communities

At a Forward Strategy Day this summer core members of the Edinburgh Compact Partnership sat down together to consider the story so far, what has been successful about the Compact ‘project,’ and our hopes for the future direction of travel.

Voluntary sector purposes and motivations are broad and diverse. But there are some common threads that bind the sector together. Whether we are a good food social enterprise; a service supporting vulnerable older people, or a young people’s advocacy project; we all aspire to create a more equal society and to build resilient and sustainable communities.

We want to ask you if our proposed new purpose for the Compact: “Promoting equality in Edinburgh through developing resilient and sustainable communities” is an aspiration worth striving for.

We acutely aware that moving into a much more challenging period will require a new way of doing business. We identified three ‘cornerstones’ round which to start the forward planning for the Partnership.

First: that in future partners will have less money, as needs increase. Thus, it will be essential that we all learn how to make the little that we have stretch much further.

Second: we could see this situation as a major threat, or we could grasp this opportunity to promote a radical shift in thinking. The aim would be to develop a transformational approach to service delivery, placing the imperative to reduce inequalities at the heart of everything that partners do.

Third: we recognised that building and sustaining strong communities will best be achieved by, for and with thriving and enterprising organisations and volunteers working together towards mutual outcomes.

Before we move ahead to the much more difficult task of looking at a new action plan for the Compact Partnership we would like to hear your views on this future direction of travel.

Please contact:
Harriet Eadie, Compact Chair and Director, Volunteer Centre Edinburgh
Ella Simpson, Chair VSSG and Director, EVOC

Inspiring Volunteering: A Volunteering Strategy for Edinburgh

It’s hard to believe that almost four years have passed since Edinburgh’s Volunteering Strategy was published in November 2006. The priorities of The Strategy remain the same: that people in Edinburgh are inspired to volunteer; that people have an excellent volunteering experience; and that Volunteering is sufficiently resourced. Much has been achieved in that time but there is still much to be done, and the economic downturn comes with new challenges and issues that must be addressed in order to make volunteering work.

As part of a process of reviewing and refreshing the Strategy Action Plan, September will see the launch of four separate surveys designed to collect current information about volunteering trends and issues. This will provide an opportunity for everyone involved in volunteering, whether as a provider of opportunities, a referrer or a volunteer to make their voice heard and share their experiences and concerns. Details will be circulated in early September, but if you are in a position to help promote these surveys and help us to build a clearer picture of the volunteering landscape in Edinburgh please get in-touch with Lara Celini , particularly if you can help promote these surveys via your own networks. The more people who complete these surveys the more robust the resulting data will be.

Meanwhile the key portal for volunteering in city can be found at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's newly launched website. Hopefully you’ll notice a clearer, more modern design. Improved opportunity search functions. Better navigation to get you to the information you want quickly. Inspirational case studies of people who have used Volunteer Centre Edinburgh’s services and even video content - so you can watch real volunteers talk about the difference volunteering has made to them.

On the site you will find details of all Volunteer Centre Edinburgh’s services to organisations and a full set of completely revised Good Practice Guides on volunteer management issues and examples of key forms that you might find useful in your day to day management and support of volunteers. You can also find out about accredited training in Core Skills in Volunteers Management . There’s a tool to enable you to share anything you find useful through your own social networks via Facebook, Twitter etc. and don’t forget that you can be kept informed of all things volunteering through Facebook and Twitter too. Please spend some time having a look and let us know what you think.

iGIVE (Implementation Group Inspiring Volunteering in Edinburgh) is the group responsible for driving forward The Volunteering Strategy Action Plan. It is chaired by Andrew Jackson, Media and Public Affairs Manager at WRVS with the secretariat for the group provided by Lara Celini at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh . Members of iGIVE include Bill Anderson (Skills Development Scotland), Sarah Bryson (City of Edinburgh Council), Harriet Eadie (Volunteer Centre Edinburgh), Nina Giles (ELREC ), Stuart Mair (Canongate Youth Centre), Lindsay Geddes (JobCentrePlus), James Tindell (SBC - Scottish Business in the Community) and David White (NHS Lothian)

For more information visit Inspiring Volunteering on the Compact website.

Tackling Inequalities for Edinburgh's Children and Young People

A Compact-run Edinburgh Partnership: in Conference event takes place on Wednesday 3 November at Tynecastle Stadium.

'Tackling Inequalities - Promoting Health and Wellbeing for Edinburgh’s Children and Young People' will bring partners together to increase our understanding of how inequalities impact on children and young people and to identify and build on good practice in tackling inequalities and improving outcomes for children and young people.

Co-author of The Spirit Level and co-founder of the Equality Trust Richard Wilkinson will present the keynote address, and participants will engage in a world cafe conversational process to enable the development of collective intelligence around actions to address inequalities.

The full programme and a promotional poster are available online.

To register, please contact Dianne Morrison at Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council on (0131) 555 9100.

Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland launched in Edinburgh

Creative Scotland - the new body to support and develop Scotland's creative and cultural excellence - was launched on 1 July at Edinburgh Printmakers.

Announcing formal establishment of the new organisation, Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Today Creative Scotland officially starts its vitally important work - to support artists and creative practitioners of all kinds, to encourage enjoyment, appreciation and participation in the arts and to promote the value and benefits of the arts and cultural sector.

Creative Scotland Chief Executive Andrew Dixon said: "I am delighted to be launching Creative Scotland at Edinburgh Printmakers - a place which has for over 40 years acted as a creative space for artists. It also participates in the Own Art scheme supported by the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund, which helps make contemporary art accessible to all."

Creative Scotland is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). Its role is to:

Identify, support and develop quality and excellence in the arts and culture
Promote understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts and culture
Encourage as many people as possible to access and participate in the arts and culture
Realise the value and benefits of the arts and culture
Encourage and support creative endeavours that contribute to an understanding of Scotland's national culture
Promote and support commercial activity focused on the application of creative skills

Creative Scotland will be the first Scottish public body to have equal legal status for its Gaelic and English names. This is a further demonstration of the Government's strong commitment to the principle of according equal respect to Gaelic and English languages. Creative Scotland's Gaelic name will be Alba Chruthachail.

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Edinburgh Printmakers is dedicated to the promotion of contemporary printmaking practice. It achieves this by providing, maintaining and staffing a free-entry gallery and inexpensive, open access print studio. As a not-for-profit organisation that is also a registered charity, Edinburgh Printmakers receives a portion of its funding through revenue and project funding from the Scottish Arts Council as well as support from the City of Edinburgh Council. This enables the organisation to highly subsidise the cost of using the print studio, making access to creative facilities affordable to a wide range of people including professional artists, students, community groups and members of the public.

Edinburgh Printmakers participates in the Own Art Scheme which is supported by the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund. The Own Art scheme is designed to make it easy and affordable for everyone to buy contemporary works of art and craft including paintings, photography, sculpture, glassware and furniture. It enables people to spread the cost of their purchase with an interest free loan, from as little as £100 up to £2,000.

Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council

EVOC website survey

EVOC is currently planning a redevelopment of its website and as part of the process wants to ensure that it meets the needs of everyone that currently uses the website. A short surveymonkey questionnaire has been created to gather thoughts and feedback about the existing site as well as ideas and suggestions for a new website.

it would be very much appreciated if you could take the time to visit the EVOC website and then take a few minutes to complete the short survey.

Should you wish to discuss anything about the website further, you can contact Tom Bathgate, ICT Officer or Julia Macintosh, Communications Officer on 0131 555 9100.

City of Edinburgh Council

Applying Social Capital to our Work

The City of Edinburgh Council is running a free workshop, Applying Social Capital to our Work.

What is this workshop about?
Social capital is the measure of networks and connections within communities. Increasing levels of social capital in a community has been shown to have positive economic, social and personal benefits.

Following a very successful introductory workshop, Assist Social Capital (ASC) will deliver a workshop on how to use the concept of social capital to deliver better services to our community. ASC will review what is understood by “social capital” and help us to explore how we can develop and use social capital in our day to day work. In the workshop, we’ll also explore how to measure social capital and how to provide evidence for the impact of our work in the area of social capital.

You can download the Social Capital Toolkit from the Edinburgh Compact website.

Who might attend?
This training will be especially useful to those who would like to expand their understanding of social capital and how it applies to their work. This might include development workers, members of community organisations, community activists and those working in the voluntary sector.

What is the programme?
A detailed programme for the day will be released closer to the training date.

The event will take place on Tuesday 21 September at the European Room, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ. Registration will begin at 9.30am for tea and coffee with a prompt start at 10am. It will finish at 1pm and we would like you to stay for a simple lunch.

What is the cost?
The workshop is free to attend.

How can I register?
If you are interested in registering for the above course, please contact Heather McCluskey, Project Development Worker on 0131 316 5072.

The deadline for registration is Thursday 16 September.

Lothian and Borders Police

Police perception survey

In order to know local communities' views about policing, safety and what it is like to live in their local area, the Police Force has launched an Perception Survey for anyone living within Lothian and the Borders to complete. The results of the survey will be used to help inform policing priorities and influence how the police engage with local communities in future.

The aim is that the results of this survey will be available to Council Ward areas, they are therefore keen for as many people as possible to complete the survey in order for the results to be representative. It would be very much appreciated if you could take the time to complete the survey.

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh

Volunteer management training

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh is offering training in Core Skills in Volunteer Management, a suite of units covering all the essentials of volunteer management. Suitable for both someone new to volunteer management as well as those who have been in the business for a while, these enjoyable and interactive courses will help you develop your professional volunteer management skills and share experience with other managers.

This training is some of the most competitively priced training available at £65 per person per unit - which is part of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's commitment to make high quality training available to as many volunteer management professionals as possible.

Learners attending all five units can now gain a Certificate in Management from the Chartered Institute of Management. If you wish to achieve the Certificate you must attend all five units and undertake five follow up assignments. A registration fee of £84 is payable on top of the cost of the units but this includes a years free membership of the CMI.

A discount of £25 on the cost of attending all five CSVM units is available to learners who register for accreditation. Unit 1 starts on Wednesday 25 August.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a recognised accreditation in the management of volunteers and can provide you with a transferable skill set and award.

For more information or to book please contact Steven Blyth on 0131 225 0642.

Concept Journal is 20!

To celebrate its 20th birthday, Concept Journal is hosting a free seminar entitled 'The Community Agenda: Looking back, looking forward' with speakers Margaret Ledwith of the University of Cumbria and Durham University's Tony Jeffs . The seminar will take place from 2 to 5pm on Wednesday 22 September, in Thompson Hall at Moray House. All are welcome to attend.

To book a place, contact Mae Shaw at Moray House School of Education.

Council Budget Development 2011-2014 Briefing Session

Please see this invitation to attend a briefing session for members of the Edinburgh Equalities Network who have an interest in how the City of Edinburgh Council is proposing to meet difficult financial savings targets over the next three years. This event takes place on Thursday 9 September at the City Chambers from 1.30pm to 3.00pm.

Any group, partnership, forum, organisation, agency, company or individual interested in equalities issues can join the Edinburgh Equalities Network (EEN). For further information and to download the membership form, see the EEN website.

Booking for this event is essential. If you are interested in attending please contact Kortiaan Allan on 0131 469 3847. If you have any access/transport requirements let Korstiaan know when booking your place.

Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Partnership Strategy 2010-13

The Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Partnership (ECLDP) is reviewing its strategy for 2010-13. They want to be sure that the direction ECLDP takes in this period is relevant to your sector and helps your sector to deliver some of its key objectives.

It would be very helpful and much appreciated if you could please answer the questions below and return it by email.

1. Please list your sector's key objectives which you believe ECLDP can help deliver.

2. Please outline how you think ECLDP can help realise each of these objectives.

Thank you for this. Your responses will be collated and presented to the ECLDP meeting on the 23 September.

Final call for papers: Scottish Third Sector Research Conference

This is a reminder that the call for papers for the Scottish Third Sector Research Conference will close in mid-September. The conference will be held at Old College, University of Edinburgh on Friday 3 December, and is organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations , the Centre for Public Services Research and the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy .

If you would like to present a paper, please email a 300-word proposal and a short biographical note by Monday 13 September.

Free and confidential mentoring for your organisation

Do you have some enterprising ideas to develop your organisation and its financial sustainability? Perhaps you're looking to tender for new contracts or diversify your income base? Help is at hand with the Realise Mentoring programme.

You can access free, confidential mentoring support from experienced mentors with expertise in the areas of greatest interest to you. Whether it's winning new contracts, managing cultural change or developing your organisation's sustainability, you can be matched with the right mentor for your needs. Over 60 organisations have already accessed the programme and found it very useful with lots of positive feedback.

For more information or to apply for a mentor, see the Realise Mentoring website, contact by email or by phone on 0131 221 3197.

Painting Edinburgh Green

Painting Edinburgh Green is a weekend of free events celebrating community action for a more sustainable Edinburgh.

It will take place at Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG. Events on both days are free but booking is required on Sunday.

Saturday 25 September from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Information stalls, storytelling, childrens activities, chill zone, sustainable fashion, local produce, fair trade cafe.

Sunday 26 September from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
Day Conference: How local communities can survive the financial & environmental crisis. this conference is a space to explore options for local action in and around Edinburgh, with keynote speakers and interactive sessions. Open to all groups and individuals embracing the ‘Transition’ to low-carbon, sustainable, life-enhancing communities. Booking is required for the conference, and a communal breakfast and lunch will be provided.

For more information see the flyer or contact Transition Edinburgh by email.

Pakistan flood: donations appeal

The Disasters Emergency Committee is conducting a donations appeal for the victims of floods in Pakistan. The disaster has already claimed the lives of 1,600 people and affected over 12 million. Please donate online.

Relative poverty across Scottish Local Authorities

The Scottish Government has published a report on Relative poverty across Scottish Local Authorities. This publication presents, for the first time, official figures about the distribution of income and relative poverty across Scotland at local authority area level. According to the report's data on Edinburgh:

Between 2002 and 2008 poverty rates in Edinburgh were slightly lower than the national average.
Over this period the percentage of households in relative poverty in Edinburgh increased slightly, from 18 to 19 percent.

Social Change Awards 2010 - now open for nominations

The Social Change Awards from Directory of Social Change (DSC) celebrates the passionate individuals and effective organisations committed to making a positive impact on society. This change can come about through the everyday actions of one individual, many people pulling together, a local company that cares about their wider community or the thoughtful investment of resources.

The four award categories are:

Everyday Impact Award
Influencer Award
The Great Giving Funders Award
Life Time Achievement Award

The Awards Ceremony will take place in London on 25 November 2010. The deadline date for nominations is either 3 or 10 September, depending on the award category. Please see further details, with instructions on how to nominate, on the Social Change Awards website.

Succeeding in Uncertain Times - Voluntary Action Scotland national conference

Voluntary Action Scotland's National Conference, Succeeding in Uncertain Times, will take place on Tuesday 31 August at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh. Having been underwritten by the Scottish Government, this event is now free.

Unprecedented cuts in public spending and the after effects of a global recession make this an incredibly challenging time for Scotland's third sector. Delegates to this conference will benefit from shared practice and experiences with colleagues and experts from across Scotland in fields such as employment law, mergers, charity law and governance, procurement and cultural and organisational change.

This conference is designed for senior staff and board members of:

Third sector interface organisations
National intermediaries
Voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

Please see the event flier and booking form for more information.

SURF Awards now open for applications

Entries are now being accepted for the SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration. The SURF Awards are supported by the Scottish Government's Scottish Centre for Regeneration (SCR), and independently judged by a panel of representatives drawn from relevant national organisations and community groups.

If you are aware of a project or initiative that you believe deserves particular recognition, please consider nominating it for a 2010 SURF Award in one of four categories:

People
Place
Partnership
Health & Employment Partnership

See the SURF website for further background information and details on how to apply. The closing date for applications is Monday 20 September.

About this bulletin

The reason this information is sent electronically is that email is quick and immediate and it provides you with information that can be mailed on, printed out or cut and pasted into other documents. We hope you enjoy it and find it of interest.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and contributions: simply email Julia at the Compact Team.

All about the Compact …

What is a Compact?
Webster defines a Compact as 'an agreement between parties,' and as 'a covenant.' One might say a compact is a contract, or a promise.

What is the Edinburgh Compact?
The Edinburgh Compact is a high-level city agreement between the public and voluntary and community sectors. It is about the relationship between voluntary and community organisations and public agencies at a citywide level. It is about promoting and supporting an environment of mutual advantage.

The Compact Strategy sets out the underpinning principles and values which the Compact seeks to promote as well as a plan for action over the coming years that will address the key challenges identified in the development of the Compact.

The development of the Compact strategy and action plan are overseen by the Compact Partnership.

What is the Edinburgh Compact Partnership?
The Edinburgh Compact Partnership is the primary context within which statutory partners come face to face with a range of voluntary and community sector (sometimes called the 'third sector') interests. The partnership is made up of voluntary sector and public sector partners in equal numbers and their contact details are available on this site. The Partnership is responsible for taking forward the work of the Compact Strategy and its Action Plan.

What are the Compact Principles?
The Compact says that public agencies will work with third sector bodies 'In Equal Respect' and employing the Compact Principles of transparency, accountability, clear communication, equity and respect.

Introduce Me to the Compact Family of Strategies!
The following Compact Strategies are available to download:

In Equal Respect: A Shared Vision

City Funding Strategy

Social Enterprise Strategy

Volunteering Strategy