Email Briefing 16 Feb 04

Contents

1. Learning Curve
2. Members Information Session at NICVA
3. Costing Core Work
4. The Reform of Water and Sewerage Services - Current and Future Challenges in Northern Ireland
5. Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Survey
6. Young People and Politics – Launch of Briefing Paper
7. On NICVA’s website today

1. Learning Curve

Attention all members! Would you like the opportunity to promote your organisation on NICVA’s website?

In our continued efforts to promote the work of our member groups we are including a new section on our website called Learning Curve to highlight your successes and achievements.

Run on a monthly basis, the new section also aims to help others by looking at the experiences and successes of other organisations from which they can learn. This month’s themes are:

A) A day in the life of (an individual member of your organisation)
B) Working with the public sector and cutting red tape!

Please forward an article of no more than 300 words along with your website address and contact details to Frances McAtamney at NICVA on 028 9087 7777 or frances.mcatamney@nicva.org .

2. Members Information Session at NICVA

NICVA is holding an Information session for members on 25 March 2004 from 9.00am to 2.00pm.

Delegates will be able to get up to date information and put forward their concerns on the following matters: insurance; legal issues including data protection; and finance.

A brochure and booking form will be forwarded to you in the next couple of weeks.

If you require any further information please contact Frances McAtamney at NICVA at 028 9087 7777 or
frances.mcatamney@nicva.org .

3. Costing Core Work

How can voluntary and community sector organisations determine the cost of the core services they deliver effectively and fairly? Explore the possibilities at a seminar on 2 March 2004 at NICVA. This event is part of a series of NICVA events looking at ‘Pathways for Change’, the position paper launched by the Taskforce on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector. It suggests a new way of securing long-term funding for the sector using a social investment model. This seminar will last from 10.00am to 1.30pm.

To reserve a please contact Cathy Breslin at 028 9087 7777 or cathy.breslin@nicva.org

4. The Reform of Water and Sewerage Services - Current and Future Challenges in Northern Ireland

This seminar is organised by the Coalition Against Water Charges (Irish Congress of Trade Unions, The Water Service Trade Union Group, the Northern Ireland Anti-poverty Network and Communities Against the Water Tax) and hosted by Belfast City Council. The event will be held on 25 February 2004 from 9.30am to 1.00pm at Belfast City Hall.

The seminar will profile the implications of Water Charges in Northern Ireland and will:

• will provide a forum bringing together individuals and organisations who are stakeholders in the provision of water and sewerage services
• ­provide information on the proposed format of water charges and the Government’s Water Reform Programme for Northern Ireland; and
• ­anticipate future social, economic and political implications surrounding water charges.

A wide range of speakers will address the seminar. This event will be attended by all relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland society including policy makers, politicians, trade unions, voluntary and community groups, and the general public.

For more information contact Alisa Keane at 028 9024 7940 or alisa.keane@ictuni.org .

5. Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Survey

The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast returns for its fifth birthday celebrations from 29 April to 9 May 2004, with another helping of the most exciting and cutting edge local, national and international artists.

The full programme will be available from 1 April 2004, but you can look forward to an eclectic and quality range of music, comedy, theatre, literature, film, traditional arts, visual arts, circus and street theatre events being performed in the bars, clubs, cafes, streets and as yet undiscovered spaces in the Cathedral Quarter area of Belfast’s North city centre.

To help make this year’s festival better than ever, the Festival would be delighted if you could take some time out to fill in an audience survey. Whether this is your first experience of the festival or you’re a festival veteran, they want to hear from you! All returned surveys will be entered into a competition to win two tickets to every event at this year’s festival marquee! To open the survey, please log onto the festival website at www.cqaf.com and click on the Audience Survey link. Please fill out the survey before end of February 2004. The Festival is also interested in hearing from community groups which would like to attend or be involved. Contact Sarah Hughes by email at sarah@cqaf.com for more details.

6. Young People and Politics – Launch of Briefing Paper

Democratic Dialogue has been working on a project, funded by the Community Fund, Carnegie Foundation and BBC Children in Need, to gather the views of young people (15-17 year olds) about decision making and the political process in Northern Ireland. The findings, based on a series of discussion groups across the region, show a more nuanced picture than the stereotype of youth ‘apathy’ would suggest, and raise many challenging questions for political parties and government. The briefing paper “We Have a Voice… USE IT -Young People and Decision Making in Northern Ireland” will be launched at 11.30am on 1 March 2004 at the Belfast Circus School, Gordon Street, Belfast. For more information or to confirm attendance, please contact Ellen Finlay at Democratic Dialogue on 028 9022 0050 or ellen@democraticdialogue.org .

7. On NICVA’s Website Today

To subscribe : send a message to nicvalist@nicva.org with subscribe in the subject field.To unsubscribe: send a message to nicvalist@nicva.org with unsubscribe in the subject field.Feedback about this service is very welcome. 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. Comments should be sent to Elaine Campbell at elaine.campbell@nicva.org. Please let us know if you change your email address. We do not pass email addresses to anyone else.

NICVA's Information 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.

To subscribe : send a message to nicvalist@nicva.org with subscribe in the subject field.

To unsubscribe: send a message to nicvalist@nicva.org with unsubscribe in the subject field.

Feedback about this service is very welcome. 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. Comments should be sent to Elaine Campbell at elaine.campbell@nicva.org. Please let us know if you change your email address. We do not pass email addresses to anyone else.