Hang on a second...
Welcome to Issue 2 of the pilot run of the Voluntary Sector Forum News. Issue 1 was launched successfully and we have already received contributions from readers in the neighbourhoods - please keep them coming! The aim of this publication is serve as a posting place for your news and views. Please see below for details on how to submit content, and don't forget the deadline for the third and final pilot issue will be no later than 5 pm on Monday 7 December. There will then be a break over the holiday season while we evaluate this pilot run. In the new year we will let you know about what happens next.
All neighbourhoods
Global Xchange: cross-cultural youth exchange programme
Global Xchange is a cross cultural volunteer exchange programme run by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and British Council. Each programme sees teams of 18 volunteers (aged 18-25) work in communities in the UK and a partner country.
A programme is currently being developed between Edinburgh and Rangpur in Bangladesh. The team will be made up of young people from all around the UK and Bangladesh. Volunteers live and work in ‘counterpart pairs’- one from the UK and one from Bangladesh, so they can support each other in both countries. Volunteers will firstly go to Bangladesh in January 2010 and then come to Edinburgh in April 2010 to work for 10 weeks in local voluntary organisations.
Peppy Sparrow (Programme Supervisor) is currently developing the programme in Edinburgh and has been thrilled with the response from local organisations. She has found a number of organisations mainly in North Edinburgh that are keen to participate in the exchange.
Peppy is also trying to find host homes for the volunteers during their stay in Scotland. Host homes should be able to offer one spare room for anything between 2 and 10 weeks. Volunteers stay in same-sex pairs (one from UK, one from Bangladesh) and are willing to fit in and contribute as members of the household.
Could you be a host home? Benefits include:
• A fascinating international cultural experience
• A unique educational opportunity
• A chance to meet others from around the world
• A weekly payment of £85 to cover costs
• Help build mutual respect and understanding between different countries
• Two Programme Supervisors on hand for support throughout programme
If you have any further enquiries about the programme or are interested in hosting please contact Programme Supervisor Peppy Sparrow on
07968 506 324 or peppy.sparrow@vso.org.uk
For further information about Global Xchange www.globalxchange.org.uk
BT Community Connections scheme
The BT Community Connections scheme offers a free laptop & broadband connection for a year to voluntary groups. Here is the link to the website & you can see they have supported hundreds of groups across the UK:
http://www.btcommunityconnections.com/page.php?id=64
The next deadline for applications is 7 January 2010. This is an annual deadline.
The Wave
On Dec 5th in Glasgow, Stop Climate Chaos will be holding the biggest climate march in Scotland ever but URGENTLY need more Stewards. They need 500! One for every 10 people attending.
If you can be a steward and you have friends, family and work mates who can be stewards too then please send your email address to me lorraine.mccauley@gmail.com. and I will pass them on to the Steward Coordinator.
TO BE A STEWARD:
All you need to do is commit to arriving at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow at 9.30am on the morning of Saturday 5th December and be available to help out until around 2.30-3pm. You will be fully briefed on your tasks/responsibilities for the day in the morning.
For lots more information about The Wave see the website.
All the best for now, Lorraine
p.s. I have also attached two reports that came out of the Switch On to Climate Change project this year, which I hope will offer support to communities engaging and tackling climate change:
Are we switching on? Challenges and opportunities for climate change education in Scotland
Supporting community action to tackle climate change
Invitation to information session on the Edinburgh Partnership's Single Outcome Agreement (SOA).
This Edinburgh Equalities Network event will take place on Thursday 3rd December 2009 in the Midlothian Suite, Lothian Chambers, George IV Bridge from 2.00pm - 3.30pm. To book a place please contact anne.elliot@edinburgh.gov.uk or telephone 0131 469 3764. If you have any access requirements please specify when booking your place. The information session will cover an overview of the SOA; equalities issues within the SOA; and, ongoing developments and implementation of the SOA. This session will have a particular equalities focus. It is not necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the SOA to attend this event but for interest you will find information about the SOA published on the Council website at the following link.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/council/
council_publications/CEC_single_outcome_agreement
SIMD Joint Statement Beyond FSF
THE office of the Chief Statistician released the 2009 update of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation on 29 October. With a wealth of information drawn from a range of data sources, the SIMD is Scotland’s premier index, used by Government and Third Sector alike, on rates of relative deprivation with a particular focus on areas where communities are likely to be multiply deprived.
For full details on the 2009 Index, including statistics for each Local Authority area, and an Interactive Mapping Tool, visit the Scottish Government’s pages on SIMD: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/SIMD/
The Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics site allows users to explore further, making detailed analyses by neighbourhood and by indicator.
Simultaneously, the Scottish Government and CoSLA released a Joint Statement called Equal Communities in a Fairer Scotland. This Joint Statement affirms central and local government’s commitment to tackling concentrated disadvantage wherever it occurs across Scotland.
The Joint Statement includes a policy statement: ‘By working in partnership, focussing on long-term outcomes and using our resources to best effect, the Scottish Government and Local Authorities will seek to tackle the poverty concentrated in our most deprived communities and reduce the inequalities which exist between these communities and the rest of Scotland,’
which supports the Scottish Government’s ‘Solidarity Golden Rule’ aimed at ‘providing the opportunities and incentives for all to contribute to Scotland's sustainable economic growth,’ and the associated Purpose Target ‘to increase overall income and the proportion of income earned by the three lowest income deciles as a group by 2017.’
The Joint Statement also includes a set of principles:
- A focus on investment and services that address the root causes of long-standing concentrated multiple deprivation, not only alleviate its symptoms;
- Emphasis on making early interventions in vulnerable communities to address emerging problems as quickly as possible;
- Encouraging effective joint working between community planning partners. This should include links to the third and private sectors;
- Focused action on improving employability and linking residents to employment opportunities as a key means of extending opportunity and tackling high levels of local deprivation;
- Support for community empowerment, so that local communities become more resilient, can deliver change themselves and influence and inform the decisions made by community planning partners.
On 10 November, the Scottish Government published the report of research into the development and implementation by Community Planning Partnerships of the Fairer Scotland Fund commissioned in January intended to ‘inform future approaches to tackling concentrated disadvantage in communities.’
The 150-page report, Informing Future Approaches to Tackling Multiple Deprivation in Communities: Beyond the Fairer Scotland Fund, by ODS Consulting, is available to download from the Scottish Government’s website.
The report suggests that certain lessons could be learned, including the following:
- That data collection and use need to be improved, so that the most effective interventions can be identified;
- that there is no significant evidence that ‘catalytic’ regeneration programmes have had a meaningful impact on mainstream budgets;
- that ‘stretch targets’ can focus resources;
- and that further work is needed on engaging with and involving communities, particularly those who are some distance from the mainstream.
Leadership Matters
“Leadership Matters” led by Linda Anne Smith, Leadership Communities Project Manager and Cathy Macnaughton Chief Executive Multicultural Family Base
A free ranging discussion exploring the challenges of leadership.
A free lunch will be provided on the day.
EVOC Partnership Care Learning Network & Learning Network South East
10th December 2009, 12.30pm – 3.30pm at the University of Edinburgh, Room G21, Patersons Land, University of Edinburgh, Moray House, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
For details or to book a place please see the EVOC Learning website.
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Almond
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for Almond, Liz McIntosh, is on Maternity leave until March 2010. Her place is being covered by:
Kate Kasprowicz, Development Worker at EVOC
Tel: 0131 555 9100 E: kate.kasprowicz@evoc.org.uk
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City Centre
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for City Centere is:
Zeshan Khan, City Centre Voluntary Sector Forum
Edinburgh & Lothians Racial Equality Council (ELREC)
14 Forth Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3LH
Tel 0131 556 0441
E zeshan.khan@elrec.org.uk
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Craigentinny & Duddingston
Project Worker (Research) - NHS Lothian Older People's Services in Northfield
Please see this job advert for the post of Project Worker. This post will undertake a piece of research being commissioned by NHS Lothian Older People’s Services in Northfield. Deadline for applications is Thursday 3 December.
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representatives for Craigentinny & Duddingston are:
Rep: Brenda Devlin, Craigentinny/Duddingston Vol Sector Forum
Youth Bus, 10 Northfield Road, Edinburgh EH8 7PP
T: 0131 661 5723
Vice Rep: Ruth MacLennan, Craigentinny/Duddingston Vol Sector Forum
Care for Carers, Lochend House, 33-35 Lochend Road, South, Edinburgh EH7 6BR. T: 0131 661 2077 E: ruth@care4carers.org.uk
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Forth
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Report
There’s been agreement at our business meetings that we’ve got to try to make the public Neighbourhood Partnership meetings more relevant and interesting to the local community – less listening to council reports, more interaction and participation.
The rise in the profile of the British National Party and the recent eviction of a Wardieburn family for racial harassment have highlighted the growing problem of racism, so October’s Neighbourhood Partnership meeting included a themed session on racism in North Edinburgh. The meeting was held in the new Craigroyston Community High School and it was encouraging to see both a good turnout from members of the public and a very healthy debate about racism: what causes it, how widespread the problem is and what can be done to challenge racist attitudes.
The Neighbourhood Partnership agreed to look at setting up a new Action Group – which will include politicians, officials, police and community organisations - to look at how best we tackle the issue. There was also an opportunity for members of the public to take part in workshops to discuss the area’s much-anticipated new Health Centre with NHS Lothian staff, so the latest Neighbourhood Partnership meeting was much more about participating rather than just sitting there and being talked at - long may that continue! The themed agenda was welcomed by those in attendance and I’m sure this format will be adopted again at future meetings. If the chosen theme is one that’s interesting and relevant to the public I would hope that attendances will grow and that more people will engage with the work of Neighbourhood Partnership.
Here in Forth we are now embarking on the 2010 – 2011 Fairer Scotland Funding discussions and I truly hope that the process will be far less traumatic than it was this time last year. North Edinburgh’s FSF-funded projects will be making presentations to the Forth and Inverleith funding panel over the next couple of weeks and decisions will be made early in December.
Despite the funding cuts we all suffered last year North Edinburgh still has a vibrant voluntary sector, delivering a wide range of services to thousands of local people across the community, and I’d like to think that we can showcase the range of things we do at a Neighbourhood Partnership meeting early in the New Year. A themed session, maybe?
Dave Pickering, Voluntary Sector Representative, Forth Neighbourhood Partnership
Social Marketing - A chance to work together and think outside the box?
You are invited to a free training session.
The Community Healthy Lifestyle Project is a new Pilton Community Health Project initiative. It aims to support local organisation, agencies, health providers, business and local people to work together to develop a local health related social marketing campaign in Muirhouse.
But what is Social Marketing?
Come and find out more about the Community Healthy Lifestyle Project and Social Marketing on Thursday 3 December 2009 from 11.30am to 1.30pm at Muirhouse Millennium Centre, 7 Muirhouse Medway. A light lunch will be provided
RSVP is essential to Lisa Arnott, Community Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator, on 0131 551 1671.
BCDP to become CORE
After having made a highly rated contribution to minority ethnic community life in Edinburgh for the past 14 years, the anti-racist organisation Black Community Development Project is to change its name to CORE- Community Organisation for Race Equality.
The change has come about because BCDP’s membership decided to review the organisation’s strategic direction and change the name of the organisation to more accurately reflect the full range of services that are used by the racially diverse community that have increasingly come to live in Scotland. A launch event will be taking place on Friday 27 November at the Muirhouse Millennium Centre Edinburgh, from 10 am to 12 noon. CORE is scheduled to be officially launched by Mr Malcolm Chisholm MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith at 11 am. For more information contact Caroline Wilson on 0131 467 7990.
You can download the BCDP Autumn newsletter here.
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for Forth is:
Dave Pickering, Forth Voluntary Sector Forum
North Edinburgh News, 222 Crewe Road North, Edinburgh EH5 2NS
Tel: 0131 467 3972 E: dave.pickering@btinternet.com
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Inverleith
Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum
The Drylaw & Telford Community Gardens Project website has recently gone live, please visit them at www.drylawandtelfordcommunitygardens.org.uk . You can also join their forum to share information and ideas with other people.
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector place on the NP board for Inverleith is currently held by an EVOC Development Worker, Kate Kasprowicz
T: 0131 555 9100 E: kate.kasprowicz@evoc.org.uk
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Leith
Punjab'n de Rasoi
Please see this flier for details about Punjab'n de Rasoi - the Punjabi Women's Kitchen project.
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for Leith is:
Willy Barr, Voluntary Organisations in Leith Together (VOLT)
Manager, Citadel Youth Centre
175 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6JE
T: 0131 554 0611 E: willy@citadelyouthcentre.org.uk
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Liberton & Gilmerton
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representatives for Liberton & Gilmerton are:
Co Rep: Wilma Nelson, South Edinburgh Voluntary Sector Forum
Manager, Libertus
20 Gracemount Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 6RN
T: 0131 664 7424 E: wilmanelson@libertus.org.uk
Co Rep: Ann Young, South Edinburgh Voluntary Sector Forum
Manager, SEAG
Gracemount House, 47 Gracemount House Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 6FD
T: 0131 658 1431 E: manager@seag.uk.net
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Pentlands
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
An EVOC Development Worker currently maintains a watching brief on the NP Board for Pentlands. This place is held by:
Kate Kasprowicz, Development Worker, EVOC
Tel:0131 556 9100 E: kate.kasprowicz@evoc.org.uk
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Portobello & Craigmillar
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for Portobello & Craigmillar is:
Terri Semple, Portobello/Craigmillar Voluntary Sector Forum
Manager, Craigmillar Ability Network,
94 Niddrie Mains road, Edinburgh EH16 4DT
T: 0131 661 6677 E: t.semple@btconnect.com
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South Central
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
EVOC maintains a 'watching brief' on the Neighbourhood Partnership Board with the voluntary sector rep seat held by an EVOC Development Worker:
Milind Kolhatkar, EVOC
T: 0131 555 9100 E: milind.kolhatkar@evoc.org.uk
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South West
Health All Round AGM
Please find attached details of our AGM & Christmas Party on Tuesday 8th December 2009 at 2pm, (best viewed in print layout) Hope you can come along, it should be a great afternoon, lots of festive nibbles and a visit from Santa, with gifts for any small guests! Look forward to welcoming you to Health All Round on Tuesday 8th December at 2pm. We would be most grateful if you could display this invitation, all are welcome.
Redhall Walled Garden Open day
Redhall Walled Garden is having a xmas open day on Sunday 13th December (12-5pm). Please see the poster advertising this. Please feel free to print off and display or pass onto anyone else you think may be interested.
Age of Stupid
Due to some technical difficulties the screening of Age of Stupid will now be showing at WHALE on Wednesday 2nd December at 7pm.
This is being shown as part of our Reel Lives Film Club which aims to use film to raise social issues.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Stop Climate Chaos Scotland around the climate change protest in Glasgow on the 5th of December and the Copenhagen climate change conference.
For more details contact Gavin Crichton at WHALE Arts Agency on 0131 458 3267.
Job opportunity at DARF
Please see this job advert for a Sessional worker at the Dignity Alert and Research Forum (DARF).
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representatives for South West Edinburgh are:
Rep: Carol Cawood, Voluntary Sector Forum
Director, Prospect Community Housing,
6 Westburn Avenue, Edinburgh EH14 2TH
T: 0131 272 5034 E: carol.cawood@prospectch.org.uk
Vice Rep: David Gardner, Voluntary Sector Forum
Manager, CHAI (Community Help & Advice Initiative)
1 Murrayburn Gate, Edinburgh EH14 2SS
T: 0131 453 7650
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Western Edinburgh
Who is my Neighbourhood Voluntary Sector Rep?
The Voluntary Sector Representative for Western Edinburgh is:
Ingrid Seilman, Western Edinburgh Voluntary Forum
First Hand, 39 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RR
T: 0131 557 3121 E: Ingrid@1sthand.org.uk
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Voluntary Sector Representation and Involvement
Each of the city’s 12 Neighbourhood Partnership Boards has a seat for the Voluntary Sector. EVOC is working to develop local Neighbourhood Networks of voluntary organisations delivering services in a Neighbourhood. Please see this leaflet for further details on Neighbourhood Networks. To contact the relevant member of EVOC staff please call our switchboard on 0131 555 9100.
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Please give feedback
As this is a pilot run of three issues, please let us know what you think about Voluntary Sector Forum News, and if it is a resource that should continue. Any feedback you can provide about the format and content of the newsletter will be extremely useful. You can contact Julia with any remarks or suggestions.
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Send us your news
The deadline for the next issue of Voluntary Sector Forum News is 5pm Monday 7 December. Please send your news to Julia and also please ensure that you include the following information:
- a contact name and details for your news item - if this is not yourself, please specify or it will be your name published
- which section/s your news belongs in, eg one or more neighbourhoods (which ones?) or all neighbourhoods
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