Email Briefing 9 Feb 04

1. Grant Tracker Online Anniversary
2. Web Design Surgery - Beginners/Intermediate Level
3. NICVA Outreach Programme
4. Charlie Donnelly Winter School
5. IVS-NI Africa/Asia/Latin America Exchange Programme
6. Talking and Taking Part
7. Age Sector Response to Pathways for Change
8. NICVA's website today

1. Grant Tracker Online Anniversary

To celebrate the first anniversary of launching Grant Tracker as a website, NICVA is providing free access to Grant Tracker, its online database of funding sources for voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland. While many visitors already avail of the free news, events and fundraising guidance information, the database of over 1,000 funding sources is normally only available to subscribers and at Grant Tracker locations.

Grant Tracker was launched on 15 February 2003 and has had almost 30,000 visitors to date. The free access is time limited and will last from 15 to 29 February 2004.

To take advantage, go to the Grant Tracker website, www.grant-tracker.org and enter:

Username: nicvaguest

Password: onestopshop

Annual subscriptions cost from £80 per annum and further information is available online. For subscription enquiries, please contact Georgie Finlay on 028 9087 7777.

2. Web Design Surgery - Beginners/Intermediate level

Have your organisation's website looked through by an expert at this web surgery, and learn how to turn it into a communications tool that works for you. Also find out how to make people come back to your site and improve your site's rankings in Search Engines. There are two places left on this event which is taking place in NICVA on 24 February 2004 from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. For more information please contact Caroline McClure at NICVA on 028 9087 7777 or Caroline Mcclure

3. NICVA Outreach Programme

It is fairly unlikely that your diary does NOT hold details of the coming Outreach sessions in your area BUT there may be still a slight possibility that someone out there is still in the dark!

NICVA's Outreach Programme is offering your group FREE funding advice, charity advice and FREE training on funding and legal issues. There is also the opportunity for you to ask questions particularly relevant to your group on any legal or fundraising issue your group might have. This is also an excellent networking opportunity that you just will not want to let pass you by!

You will find the Outreach Programme at the following venues over the coming weeks in 2004:

11 February 2004 W Belfast Partnership Board, Andersonstown

*Alessie Centre, Shankill

18 February 2004 Bank Buildings, Dungannon

25 February 2004 Newtownstewart Centre 2000

‘Committees and Trustee Responsibilities' will be delivered in the mornings from 10.30am to 12.30pm and ‘Practical skills in completing forms' will be delivered in the afternoon from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

* Please note that training in West Belfast will be delivered in two venues on the same day. Training in Andersonstown will take place as per the times above but training in the Shankill will occur at reverse times. Therefore the funding advice session will take place in the morning at 10.30 am and the charity advice session will take place at 2.00 pm in the Alessie Centre.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Heather Rowan or Denise McCann at NICVA on 028 9087 7777 or outreach@nicva.org .

4. Charlie Donnelly Winter School

The Second Annual Charlie Donnelly Winter School will explore the legacy of Charlie Donnelly, Dungannon's soldier poet, whose phrase 'even the olives are bleeding' remains one of the most powerful evocations of the Spanish Civil War.

The school encompasses conflict and conflict resolution within the fields of art and literature and will include discussions, political panel debate and poetry workshop. The school features readings from the works of Charlie Donnelly.

The Return of the Earls is the vision for the next four year term of the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council. Within this theme the Council will incorporate the overarching principle of reconciliation across a wide diversity of interests.

For more information or to book a place, contact Emma Cox, Marketing and Events Officer, on 028 8772 0342, emma.cox@dungannon.gov.uk , web: www.returnoftheearls.com . Please reserve your place(s) before 20 February 2004.

5.IVS-NI Africa/Asia/Latin America Exchange Programme

International Voluntary Service - NI is now taking applications for its Development Education Exchange Programme. This programme operates in many countries around the world including Africa, Asia and Latin America and allows applicants to experience life and work in developing countries. Participants work on several voluntary work camps eg building classrooms and health clinics, planting trees, etc, alongside local volunteers during their 2/3 month stay (summer or winter).

The programme enables participants to gain a unique insight into and understanding of development issues as well as allowing them to integrate with differing cultures and help benefit communities in need.

All participants should be over 21 with voluntary/community work experience and have an interest in development issues. They should also be available for a comprehensive preparation programme during March-May 2004. IVS-NI is holding an information evening on 18 February 2004 at the IVS-NI office, 34 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. To confirm your attendance contact Colin on 028 9023 8147 or colin@ivsni.org .

6. Talking and Taking Part

This course, hosted by Women into Politics (WiP), is responding to an identified need and an interest expressed for women to meet, learn and work with and from each other - beyond Northern Irish/Irish borders.

The programme is aiming for a 50/50 participation of women from minority ethnic communities and the majority communities. It will provide the opportunity for every participant to learn about different cultures and to engage in discussion with women from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. No earlier training required. However, openness and an interest in each other’s culture and experience are necessary. The facilitators for the programme are Felice Kiel from the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities and Catherine McCartney from Women into Politics.

The course will start on Monday, 23 February 2004, from 10.00am to 12.30pm and will run for ten consecutive mornings at WiP’s premises, 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast.

WiP will subsidise travel expenses and will provide childcare if needed. The deadline for registration is 13 February 2004 and places will be confirmed on 16 February 2004.

If you require any further information, please ring Catherine on 028 9024 3363, mobile 0774 311 8502 or colin@ivsni.org .

7. Age Sector Respons e to Pathways for Change

Help the Aged will facilitate this age sector response at a meeting on 12 February 2004 from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm at Grosvenor House, Belfast. Please confirm numbers attending by registering places with Cheryl on 208 9023 0666.

8. On NICVA's website today

Website survey. Our website survey has been available on the site for one week and responses have been trickling in. Thank you to all of you who have responded, and best of luck for the prize draw. We are hoping for 100 responses, so for those of you who need that extra little incentive to fill in a survey, take a look at the prizes on offer for completed surveys.

Grant Tracker. As well as being the first birthday of the redesigned NICVA site, Grant Tracker online will be one this Friday. Join in the celebrations by enjoying two weeks free access. Find out more in Anniversary access to Grant Tracker

Web. In four months the new learning portal, CALLnet, will be launched. CNP tell us about the development of the site and their expectations in CNP talk about CALLnet

South Africa. Opportunities to learn from South Africa Places on offer for 18 - 25 year olds to participate in a community reconciliation programme.

Members. January new NICVA members Latest list.

Jobs. Could you be an Information Officer for NICVA, or perhaps you fancy becoming a Sports Development Officer for Phab NI? Visit the Jobs Section to see three pages of vacancies.

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.

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