eNews: 2 July 2007

NICVA

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1. Top stories
2. Office Giveaways
3. Pick of the Websites
4. Make Your Move - new jobs this week on communityni.org
5. CommunityNI Diary
6. Subscribe to eNews
7. Feedback
8. Submit an Article
9. communitybuyer.org
10. Membership
11. Pick of the websites

Top Stories

1) Make a date with NICVA’s training calendar

NICVA’s training calendar is full of half or full day workshops in areas that our members have asked for.

They are open to anyone in the voluntary and community sector although there will be maximum numbers for each workshop – and of course NICVA members get a nice discount. The courses are already filling up so early booking is recommended.

After a short summer break the next courses coming up are:

• 7 September 2007 - Fundraising – Making a better Awards for All application (additional date)
• 13 September 2007 - Fundraising – A question of trust
• 18 September 2007 - Finance for social enterprise activities
• 20 September 2007 - Get on board information session

For more information please visit www.nicva.org or contact Sandra Bailie, email: sandra.bailie@nicva.org to book a place.

2) Help shape skills development in the voluntary and community sector

NICVA has carried out research in sector skills in partnership with Skills for Justice, Skills for Health, SkillsActive, Skills for Care and Development, Skillsmart Retail, Asset Skills, Lantra, Lifelong Learning UK, Creative and Cultural Skills. The research was funded by the Department of Employment and Learning, and will enable the skills needs and workforce development issues of voluntary and community organisations to be analysed.

You are invited to inform a shared action plan offering new solutions and building on the skills identified in the research at one of two consultation events as follows:

• Derry - 29 August 2007, 9.45am to 3.30pm
• Belfast - 4 September 2007, 9.45am to 3.30pm

If you are interested in attending please contact Leanne Reilly at Skills for Justice on tel: 028 9025 8028, email:

leanne.reilly@skillsforjustice.com.

3) Have you worked out all the risks?

Risk management is an important tool in ensuring the efficient and successful operation of voluntary and community organisations, regardless of their size or nature.

NICVA has recently put together a new training session on Assessing and Managing Risk. The session should introduce voluntary and community organisations to risk assessments and managing risk. By the end of the session you should be able to:

• highlight the benefits of risk management
• develop risk management procedures
• identify risks and carry out a risk assessment
• analyse risks
• draw up an action plan to deal with risks
• monitor and review your action plan

For more information please contact Oonagh Kane on tel: 028 9087 7777, email: oonagh.kane@nicva.org.

4) Ministers urged to tackle childminder shortage

The childminders’ organisation, NICMA, is calling on Assembly Ministers to take urgent action to tackle an acute shortage of childminders in many parts of Northern Ireland and introduce a package of financial and practical support for new childminders, to help attract new recruits and to prevent childminders leaving the profession.

NICMA’s proposed Childminder Start-Up Package includes:

• Childminder Start-Up Grants similar to grants already available in the Republic of Ireland, and in England and Wales
• One-to-one mentoring support for childminders during the initial registration process and their first year in business

To find out more, and to view the briefing paper, please visit www.nicma.org.

5) Making guidance a force for change

EGSA’s 40th Anniversary Conference and Exhibition on 9 October 2007 aims to extend the debate on the role of independent guidance, its ability to support change in individuals and structures and its contribution to skills policies in the light of the many challenges presented by the demands of our socio-economic landscape.

The speakers will include:

• Declan Billington, CBI NI
• David Bingham, DHSSPSNI
• Gareth Dent, Ufi Learndirect
• Clare Moore, NIC ICTU
• Seamus Mc Aleavey, NICVA
• Dr John McCarthy, International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy
• Trevor Neilands, Northern Regional College
• Judith Norrington, City and Guilds
• Judith Shaw, DEL

To register your interest in this event or for further information on sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact Patricia Cloughley, Communications Officer, EGSA, on tel: 028 9024 4274 or email: patricia.cloughley@egsa.org.uk.

6) Human rights education programme autumn 2007

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has announced its autumn training programme as follows:

An introduction to human rights

This training course is back by popular demand. The aim of the course is to increase awareness of what human rights are and how they work, especially in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998. These workshops are at an introductory level and are intended for staff and volunteers in the voluntary and community sectors. No legal knowledge about human rights is needed.

Dates and venues: 5 September 2007 in Belfast or 14 September 2007 in Derry, 9.30am (prompt) to 2.00pm, lunch included.

Planning and leading a human rights workshop

This introductory course is intended for experienced trainers and educators who would like to learn more about human rights education and how to deliver workshops in the field. Among other resources, participants will work with a new training manual produced by the Commission.

Dates and venues: 1 October 2007 in Derry or 5 October 2007 in Belfast, 9.30am (prompt) to 4.00pm, lunch included.

To find out more or to register, please visit www.nihrc.org or contact Louise Furber on 028 9024 3987, textphone: 028 9024 9066, or email: louise.furber@nihrc.org.

7) Making connections: environmental justice and community development

This conference in York on 9 July 2007 will bring together community development practitioners and others working with communities in understanding values that link community development and the environmental agenda.

The conference aims to:

• Discuss the impact of environmental change on people
• Look at how environmental justice works and how it links into community development values and practice principles
• Provide an overview of the Every Action Counts initiative and the role of community champions

For further information please visit: www.cdx.org.uk/events/cdxevents.htm.

8) Foundation Degree in voluntary sector management

The University of Leicester is offering a new degree in Managing Voluntary and Community Organisations by distance learning starting in October 2007. The university plans to host an information day on 5 July 2007 in Clooney Hall Centre, Derry. Presentations will be held at 10.00am and 2.00pm.

The course will explore the setting up and effective management of voluntary organisations and enhances career prospects within a community context. What makes this course particularly successful is that it is delivered by people with hands-on experience of the sector.

For further information please contact Jane Christie on tel: 0116 252 5964, email: fjc6@le.ac.uk.

9) Lead by facilitating

The Workers Educational Association is running a Facilitative Leadership® short course over three days from 23 to 25 October 2007 at Farset International Hostel, Belfast.

Facilitative Leadership® is built around seven key leadership practices, which are:

• Share an Inspiring Vision
• Focus on Results, Process and Relationships
• Seek Maximum Appropriate
• Facilitate Agreement
• Design Pathways to Action
• Coach for Performance
• Celebrate Accomplishment

Please contact Maura Kavanagh for more information on 028 9032 9718 or email: maura.kavanagh@wea-ni.com.

10) How to ensure you fulfil your duty to care

A good first step would be to read the Volunteer Development Agency’s Our Duty to Care, a guide to the principles and good practice for child protection in Northern Ireland, which has just been updated in relation to legislation and statutory procedures, and in particular in relation to police record checks.

The new publication also contains additional guidelines on use of images and photos and safe use of the internet, which reflects the social changes over the past few years and the impact that they have on the safety of children.

The publication is available to download from the Volunteer Development Agency website at

Visit the website or for a hard copy version, please contact Kathy on 028 9081 8318 or email: odtc@volunteering-ni.org.

11) Twentysomethings needed for conflict research

Are you aged 24-25 and live in Belfast, Derry or Dungannon? The University of Ulster wants to hear from you.

A research project at the university is looking at education and reconciliation in three European regions that have experienced conflict (Basque Country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland) and is looking for24-25 year oldsfrom the above areas willing to be interviewed.

The project is keen to hear from people who: are victims or survivors of the Troubles, have connections to the security forces, have links to ex-combatants, are associated with inter-group relationships or marriages or belong to a minority ethnic group.

To find out more please contact Clare Magill, Project Co-ordinator, on tel: 028 7032 3287, email:c.magill@ulster.ac.uk or visit www.ulster.ac.uk/unesco.

12) Limavady to get new drug and alcohol support service

HURT (Have Your Tomorrows) drug and alcohol support group is launching a new service supporting the Limavady area from Wednesday 4 July 2007. The service will operate from LCDI every Wednesday morning and will offer information and support services for those experiencing drug or alcohol problems. HURT is based at 14 Clarendon Street, Derry, and this outreach facility will address the lack of addiction services in the Limavady area.

Services available will include:

• Information
• Family support
• ‘Listening Ear’ sessions
• Counselling

To find out more please contact Debbie Keys on tel: 028 7136 9696 or visitwww.hurt.org.uk.

13) Northern Visions Youth Media School

Northern Visions is running a four day school in television production for people aged 16-25 that are working or interested in working or volunteering in a community media context

The training runs from 20 - 23 August 2007, 10.00am to 5.00pm.

Find out more at www.northernvisions.org/courses/.

Office Giveaways

Got some furniture or equipment to donate (or going cheap) to a voluntary or community group? Use this space to let people know what you’ve got.

Pick of the Websites

McGuinness believes in children

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP has attended the launch of ‘Believe in Children’, a major new Barnardo’s initiative

Derry groups offered advance payments

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie announces interim arrangements to alleviate the funding difficulties faced by some groups funded under Neighbourhood Renewal in Derry

Imminent deadline for flagship projects

The Rural Development Council has issued a call for ‘flagship’ projects under the Peace II Extension, Measure 1.11 to be submitted by 10 July 2007

Make Your Move – new jobs this week on communityni.org

This section contains a random selection of the latest jobs from the CommunityNI website.

• Client Adviser at Gingerbread NI
• Essential Skills Tutors at Opportunity Youth
• Rural Community Transport Liaison Officer at Community Transport Association
• Development Officers at The Bytes Project

Submit your job - eNews does not carry full job advertisements, but if you would like your job to be one of the featured links, please submit your advertisement to the CommunityNI website using this link.

As the featured link slot is in great demand, to keep things fair, we can only make a random selection of three or four new jobs each week, and cannot guarantee that your job will be selected.

CommunityNI Diary

NICVA’s successful Community Diary now has a new home on the CommunityNI web portal. Submit details of your upcoming events in CommunityNI’s Events Calendar at www.communityni.org/index.cfm/section/events.

Simply follow the Submit an Event link to the right of the page, enter the details, and we’ll do the rest.

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Community Buyer

Communitybuyer.org has been connecting the voluntary and community sector with top suppliers since March 2007.

Communitybuyer.org is an online directory of products and services specially for the voluntary and community sector. With ratings and advice it’s an essential resource for your buying needs. Only companies that have a keen interest in working with the voluntary and community sector are listed and great discounts are available to NICVA members. Look out for the NICVA member discounts badge on the site.

To find out more, visit www.communitybuyer.org.

Membership

NICVA membership is open to all voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland.

To find out more contact Frances McAtamney on tel: 028 9087 7777, email: frances.mcatamney@nicva.orgor visit the website www.nicva.org/index.cfm/section/article/page/NICVAmembership.

The opinions, views or comments in this email do not necessarily reflect any views or policies of NICVA. In making information available from other organisations NICVA is not endorsing, privileging or guaranteeing its accuracy but acting as an information conduit in good faith.