Email Briefing 1 November 2004

• Programme for Government: consultation events and NICVA briefing paper
• Brussels – how much do you know?
• Anti-Racist Workplace Week
• NI Cares
• Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life - call for evidence
• Experience the culture of South Africa!
• Women’s Rights are Human Rights – summit conference
• Measuring Equality and Poverty
• The Face of South Belfast
• Council for the Homeless Conference - request for Good Practice Sessions
• Copier Wanted
• Make Your Move – new jobs this week
• Highlights from NICVA’s website
• Membership
• Subscribe to the email briefing
• Feedback

1. Programme for Government: consultation events and NICVA briefing paper

Consultation on the Government’s public expenditure plans and its economic and social priorities for Northern Ireland is currently underway. The draft Priorities and Budget identifies the key challenges and spending plans for each of the Northern Ireland departments for the period 2005-08. Two related documents Economic Vision and Fit for Purpose are also part of the consultation.

OFMDFM is seeking views at a number of public consultations to be held across Northern Ireland during November. Any interested individuals, organisations or group representatives are invited to attend. Comments and feedback from these sessions will form part of the consultation responses. Each event will run from 9.00am to 1.00pm, and a light lunch will be provided:

Dates and Venues

3 November: Fitzwilliam International Hotel, International Airport
5 November: Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn
16 November: Everglades Hotel, Derry
18 November: Canal Court Hotel, Newry
23 November: Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen

Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To reserve a place, please contact: Economic Policy Unit, OFMDFM on 028 9052 2576, pfgbudget@nics.gov.uk .

NICVA will be submitting a response to the consultation by 7 December 2004. If you would like to contribute to NICVA’s response, please contact Frances McCandless on 028 9087 7777 or frances.mccandless@nicva.orgby 24 November 2004.

A NICVA briefing paper is available at http://www.nicva.org/news/article.asp?ArticleID=9578.

Priorities and Budget and the two related documents may be obtained by telephoning 028 9052 2088 or online at http://www.pfgbudgetni.gov.uk/ . The consultation period ends on 7 December 2004.

2. Brussels – how much do you know?

The next Concordia Group Study Tour will be to Brussels from 6 to 9 December 2004. The title of the tour is Brussels – how much do you know?

The purpose of the tour is to educate a group of Northern Ireland social partners on the workings of the European Commission. Although the itinerary has not yet been finalised, the following activities are likely to be included.

• The role of the Northern Ireland Executive led by Mr T Canavan and Mr W Dukelow.
• Rural Issues in Northern Ireland led by Ms E Kelly, Agricultural Policy Advisor.
• Overview of the institutions of the European Union by Dr M Margaret Malone, Resident Lecturer, European Affairs.
• Tour of the European Parliament and meeting with MEPs.
• A look at Structural Funds with Mr Jonathan Deaness, DG Regional Policy.
• Individual sector meetings with COPA, CBI, ETUC and the European Anti-Poverty Network.
• An update on the European Monetary Union with Mr G Busch, DG Economic and Financial Affairs.

For more information about Concordia and its Programmes visit the Concordia website at http://www.concordiapartnership.org/.

The closing date for all applications is 4.00pm on Friday 12 November 2004.

If you have any queries please contact Yvonne Breen on 028 8778 8243.

3. Anti-Racist Workplace Week

This week, 1 to 5 November 2004, is the fifth annual Anti-Racist Workplace Week. The Equality Commission, with the support of its social partners has published a leaflet and a poster for employers themed ‘Work Against Racism’. This annual awareness raising week has been organised with the Equality Authority in the Republic of Ireland to tackle racism in the workplace and to support employers in promoting a culturally diverse workplace.

Dame Joan Harbison, Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission remarked: “This week the focus is on employers and the significant role they can play in standing up to racism and in making it clear that racism in the workplace is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated" .

This initiative is part of a broader programme funded through the EU’s Common Action Programme to combat discrimination. For more information contact Una O’Kane, uokane@equalityni.org or visit the Equality Commission website http://www.equalityni.org/ .

4. NI Cares

This employer supported volunteering (ESV) project is funded by the Department for Social Development (Voluntary and Community Unit) through its Active Community Initiative. It is being delivered in partnership by Voluntary Service Bureau, Volunteer Development Agency and Business in the Community.

NI Cares provides employers and employees with opportunities to help the communities in which they live and work. Participation can be team-orientated or individual, time limited or ongoing, but above all the experience should be rewarding and meaningful and improve the quality of life for all concerned.

NI Cares is inviting voluntary and community organisations to submit a challenge which can be put to interested employers in the public and private sectors. Some examples might be:

*Decorating or environmental work
*Creative activity such as mural painting
*Christmas related activity like making up hampers, organising Christmas parties, or a visit to the Pantomime
*Mentoring activity like help with IT or publicity

Find out more on the website www.nicares.co.uk or julie@vsb.org.uk and tell NI Cares how your organisation could benefit from voluntary action.

5. Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life - call for evidence

Age Concern and the Mental Health Foundation are conducting an Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being throughout later life and they need your views, knowledge and experience. The Inquiry wants to know what helps people stay positive and maintain their sense of well-being throughout later life.

They are calling for evidence from individual older people, carers, organisations and professionals in a wide range of fields such as health, social care, housing, transport, income and pensions and social inclusion.

They are interested in all kinds of evidence, including personal stories, unpublished or informal research, policy analysis, practice guidelines and any other information you think may be helpful.

Make your views heard on this important issue! The information you provide will help us make recommendations for ways to improve older people's mental health and well-being.

For more information on the inquiry and guidelines for submission, visit the website at www.mhilli.org/inquiry/evidence/ .

Organisations and professionals are asked to respond by 19 November 2004. Individuals are welcome to respond at any time. Responses can be made by email, post, fax or directly onto the website.

Contact Michele Lee, Inquiry Project Manager, on 020 8765 7434 or michele.lee@ace.org.uk for more information.

6. Experience the culture of South Africa!

CIVICUS is a global alliance dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action throughout the world and is offering an opportunity for a six month secondment to someone with both research and programme experience in the civil society sector. Ideally the candidate should be able to help in terms of researching content for various CIVICUS programmes like the Civil Society Watch, Participatory Governance, and Legitimacy and Transparency. For more details about these programmes please visithttp://www.civicus.org/ and click the ‘programmes’ link.

Concordia can offer assistance to an individual who would like to avail of this exciting opportunity through its ‘Partnership for Progress’ initiative. Flights, accommodation and subsistence will be covered by Concordia. If currently employed, the individual must have full backing of their organisation.

Interested? Please contact Sam Hawkes at Concordia on 028 8778 8244/8242 or info@concordiapartnership.org.

Alternatively, visit the Concordia website http://www.concordiapartnership.org/for further information and an application pack.

The closing date for all applications is 4.00pm on Friday 26 November 2004 .

7. Women’s Rights are Human Rights – summit conference

Women into Politics will mark International Human Rights Day with a conference on Globalisation and the challenges for Women's participation and leadership. This conference entitled Women’s Participation and Leadership in Global Processes is a summit following a series of workshops on globalisation and its impact on women's lives - locally and globally. The day is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

The summit will address themes that increasingly define our world and that pose enormous challenges to women, women’s movements and feminists worldwide. The conference takes place on 10 December 2004 in Grosvenor House, Glengall Street, Belfast, from 9.00am to 4.00pm and will analyse the diverse forms of globalisation in local, regional, and global arenas and its impact on communities and on every woman’s right to participate at all levels of society and will also explore ways of showing global solidarity.

There are limited places left so please contact Carola Speth on 028 9024 3363 or dialogue@womenintopolitics.orgto register.

8. Measuring Equality and Poverty

How do we measure poverty? The Second Seminar of the Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland project takes place on 17 November 2004 from 11.00am to 1.00pm in The Holiday Inn, University Street, Belfast.The seminar will examine ways to measure the depth and relative deprivation of households in Northern Ireland and will develop ‘equity sensitive indicators’ of living standards in Northern Ireland. These take account of both the average level of the standard of living and also inequality in these levels between groups, and between persons, in Northern Ireland.

Places are limited, so please contact Gillian Purdy, School of Sociology and Social Policy, Queen’s University, Belfast on 028 9097 1243, g.purdy@qub.ac.uk if you wish to attend.

9. The Face of South Belfast

Co-operation Ireland’s youth team invites applications to its Face programme, a new initiative to engage with and consult young people in South Belfast between the ages of 18 and 25, on issues they feel are relevant within their local community. Participants will gain a wider perspective on local, national and international issues which may be impacting on their peers within the local area.

The young participants will be future leaders within their communities and will therefore have opinions on how they can influence and advocate youth issues within South Belfast.

The programme will run fortnightly on Tuesdays in the Waterfront Hall. There will also be three residential weekends, the first of which is on 5 November 2004.

Closing date for applications is early November. For further details contact Bronagh today on 028 9032 1462 (Ext 241) or bcappa@cooperationireland.org.

10. Council for the Homeless Conference - request for Good Practice Sessions

As part of its conference on 19 and 20 January 2005, CHNI intends to hold a series of Good Practice Sessions, as it did last year. If you would like to propose an example of good practice, a new project or initiative which you or another member organisation is involved in, please forward details to George by 10 November 2004.

Please send the name of the organisation, a brief description of the project and details of who to contact to info@chni.org.uk . All proposals are welcomed.

11. Copier Wanted

Brook Belfast is looking for a cheap (or free!) second-hand photocopier in good condition (with automatic feed, duplex and collation). If you can help please contact Jane at Brook on tel: 028 9032 8866.

12. Make Your Move – new jobs this week

The emailing brief hopes to whet your appetite each week with a random selection of the latest voluntary and community sector jobs listed on the NICVA website. Check these out for starters:

Children's Human Rights Advisor, Children's Law Centre
£25,938-£28,173
http://www.nicva.org/services/recruitment/JobAdvert.asp?JobID=721

Community Television Journalist, Northern Visions
£20,000
http://www.nicva.org/services/recruitment/JobAdvert.asp?JobID=711

Manager Praxis Care Group
£24,000-£29,865
http://www.nicva.org/services/recruitment/JobAdvert.asp?JobID=712

13. Highlights from NICVA’s website

New TSN. 176 voluntary and community organisations support NICVA’s lobbying campaign to demand a better anti-poverty strategy for Northern Ireland. Read the letter sent by the campaign to John Spellar MP, and the list of supportershttp://www.nicva.org/policy_and_research/article.asp?ArticleID=9575.

NICVA AGM. Voting results from NICVA’s Executive Committee elections. One new committee memberis elected and three have their term of office renewed http://www.nicva.org/events/agm/index.asp .

Coming soon on the website... A series of interviews with familiar figuresin the sector. Eleven questionsare posed to some of the most well knownmembersof the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

14. Community Diary

Have an event to promote? Enter your upcoming events in NICVA's Online Diary: Just follow this link: www.nicva.org/events/diary/index.asp. >Click on ‘submit an event’ and enter the details on a simple form. After moderation your event will appear in the diary.

15. Membership

Is your organisation a member of NICVA or do you know of another organisation that would benefit from NICVA membership? Membership is open to all voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland.

To find out more about the benefits of NICVA membership, or to obtain a membership pack, please contact Frances McAtamney on 028 9087 7777, frances.mcatamney@nicva.orgor visit the website www.nicva.org .

Subscribe to the email briefing. Subscribe by sending a message to nicvalist@nicva.orgwith subscribe in the subject field.

Unsubscribe by sending a message to nicvalist@nicva.orgwith unsubscribe in the subject field.

16. Feedback

This briefing is sent by email to all our members on a weekly basis. We hope this helps you circulate the information within your organisation where appropriate. Your feedbackabout this service is very welcome.

Please let us know if you change your email address. We do not pass email addresses to anyone else.

The information contained in this digest has been provided and collated from numerous accredited sources. NICVA does not take responsibility for any third party content or any of the opinions expressed.

Briefing compiled by John McCormick, Information Officer

The purpose of the tour is to educate a group of Northern Ireland social partners on the workings of the European Commission. Although the itinerary has not yet been finalised, the following activities are likely to be included.

• The role of the Northern Ireland Executive led by Mr T Canavan and Mr W Dukelow.
• Rural Issues in Northern Ireland led by Ms E Kelly, Agricultural Policy Advisor.
• Overview of the institutions of the European Union by Dr M Margaret Malone, Resident Lecturer, European Affairs.
• Tour of the European Parliament and meeting with MEPs.
• A look at Structural Funds with Mr Jonathan Deaness, DG Regional Policy.
• Individual sector meetings with COPA, CBI, ETUC and the European Anti-Poverty Network.
• An update on the European Monetary Union with Mr G Busch, DG Economic and Financial Affairs.

For more information about Concordia and its Programmes visit the Concordia website at http://www.concordiapartnership.org/.

The closing date for all applications is 4.00pm on Friday 12 November 2004.

If you have any queries please contact Yvonne Breen on 028 8778 8243.

3. Anti-Racist Workplace Week

This week, 1 to 5 November 2004, is the fifth annual Anti-Racist Workplace Week. The Equality Commission, with the support of its social partners has published a leaflet and a poster for employers themed ‘Work Against Racism’. This annual awareness raising week has been organised with the Equality Authority in the Republic of Ireland to tackle racism in the workplace and to support employers in promoting a culturally diverse workplace.

Dame Joan Harbison, Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission remarked: “This week the focus is on employers and the significant role they can play in standing up to racism and in making it clear that racism in the workplace is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated" .

This initiative is part of a broader programme funded through the EU’s Common Action Programme to combat discrimination. For more information contact Una O’Kane, uokane@equalityni.org or visit the Equality Commission website http://www.equalityni.org/ .

4. NI Cares

This employer supported volunteering (ESV) project is funded by the Department for Social Development (Voluntary and Community Unit) through its Active Community Initiative. It is being delivered in partnership by Voluntary Service Bureau, Volunteer Development Agency and Business in the Community.

NI Cares provides employers and employees with opportunities to help the communities in which they live and work. Participation can be team-orientated or individual, time limited or ongoing, but above all the experience should be rewarding and meaningful and improve the quality of life for all concerned.

NI Cares is inviting voluntary and community organisations to submit a challenge which can be put to interested employers in the public and private sectors. Some examples might be:

*Decorating or environmental work
*Creative activity such as mural painting
*Christmas related activity like making up hampers, organising Christmas parties, or a visit to the Pantomime
*Mentoring activity like help with IT or publicity

Find out more on the website www.nicares.co.uk or julie@vsb.org.uk and tell NI Cares how your organisation could benefit from voluntary action.

5. Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life - call for evidence

Age Concern and the Mental Health Foundation are conducting an Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being throughout later life and they need your views, knowledge and experience. The Inquiry wants to know what helps people stay positive and maintain their sense of well-being throughout later life.

They are calling for evidence from individual older people, carers, organisations and professionals in a wide range of fields such as health, social care, housing, transport, income and pensions and social inclusion.

They are interested in all kinds of evidence, including personal stories, unpublished or informal research, policy analysis, practice guidelines and any other information you think may be helpful.

Make your views heard on this important issue! The information you provide will help us make recommendations for ways to improve older people's mental health and well-being.

For more information on the inquiry and guidelines for submission, visit the website at www.mhilli.org/inquiry/evidence/ .

Organisations and professionals are asked to respond by 19 November 2004. Individuals are welcome to respond at any time. Responses can be made by email, post, fax or directly onto the website.

Contact Michele Lee, Inquiry Project Manager, on 020 8765 7434 or michele.lee@ace.org.uk for more information.

6. Experience the culture of South Africa!

CIVICUS is a global alliance dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action throughout the world and is offering an opportunity for a six month secondment to someone with both research and programme experience in the civil society sector. Ideally the candidate should be able to help in terms of researching content for various CIVICUS programmes like the Civil Society Watch, Participatory Governance, and Legitimacy and Transparency. For more details about these programmes please visithttp://www.civicus.org/ and click the ‘programmes’ link.

Concordia can offer assistance to an individual who would like to avail of this exciting opportunity through its ‘Partnership for Progress’ initiative. Flights, accommodation and subsistence will be covered by Concordia. If currently employed, the individual must have full backing of their organisation.

Interested? Please contact Sam Hawkes at Concordia on 028 8778 8244/8242 or info@concordiapartnership.org.

Alternatively, visit the Concordia website http://www.concordiapartnership.org/for further information and an application pack.

The closing date for all applications is 4.00pm on Friday 26 November 2004 .

7. Women’s Rights are Human Rights – summit conference

Women into Politics will mark International Human Rights Day with a conference on Globalisation and the challenges for Women's participation and leadership. This conference entitled Women’s Participation and Leadership in Global Processes is a summit following a series of workshops on globalisation and its impact on women's lives - locally and globally. The day is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

The summit will address themes that increasingly define our world and that pose enormous challenges to women, women’s movements and feminists worldwide. The conference takes place on 10 December 2004 in Grosvenor House, Glengall Street, Belfast, from 9.00am to 4.00pm and will analyse the diverse forms of globalisation in local, regional, and global arenas and its impact on communities and on every woman’s right to participate at all levels of society and will also explore ways of showing global solidarity.

There are limited places left so please contact Carola Speth on 028 9024 3363 or dialogue@womenintopolitics.orgto register.

8. Measuring Equality and Poverty

How do we measure poverty? The Second Seminar of the Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland project takes place on 17 November 2004 from 11.00am to 1.00pm in The Holiday Inn, University Street, Belfast.The seminar will examine ways to measure the depth and relative deprivation of households in Northern Ireland and will develop ‘equity sensitive indicators’ of living standards in Northern Ireland. These take account of both the average level of the standard of living and also inequality in these levels between groups, and between persons, in Northern Ireland.

Places are limited, so please contact Gillian Purdy, School of Sociology and Social Policy, Queen’s University, Belfast on 028 9097 1243, g.purdy@qub.ac.uk if you wish to attend.

9. The Face of South Belfast

Co-operation Ireland’s youth team invites applications to its Face programme, a new initiative to engage with and consult young people in South Belfast between the ages of 18 and 25, on issues they feel are relevant within their local community. Participants will gain a wider perspective on local, national and international issues which may be impacting on their peers within the local area.

The young participants will be future leaders within their communities and will therefore have opinions on how they can influence and advocate youth issues within South Belfast.

The programme will run fortnightly on Tuesdays in the Waterfront Hall. There will also be three residential weekends, the first of which is on 5 November 2004.

Closing date for applications is early November. For further details contact Bronagh today on 028 9032 1462 (Ext 241) or bcappa@cooperationireland.org.