eNews 27 February 2006

NICVA

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Compiled by John McCormick, Information Officer

Content

(1) Members' Day is here again
(2) Designing Peace III
(3) Full Cost Recovery training
(4) What do you want from government?
(5) Grants for older people's groups
(6) £35 million for Skills and Science Fund
(7) Strengthening sustainable development
(8) Making policy work for you
(9) Ethnic minorities and public services
(10) Meet the Strategic Investment Board
(11) Belfast supports Mozambique orphans
(12) Diversity and inclusion in the early years
(13) A fair treat
(14) Calling all runners

Pick of the Websites
Make Your Move - new jobs this week on communityni.org
Community NI Diary
Membership
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(1) Members’ Day is here again

It’s back by popular demand. You asked for and we have designed a day of finance and human resources training to help you deal better with those issues you confront daily, such as recruitment and selection, managing staff, budgets, national insurance contributions and basic accounting procedures. You can opt to attend a whole day of either finance or human resources workshops, or choose one of each.

Find out more at www.nicva.org/index.cfm/section/events/key/MembersDay050406, but don’t leave it too long to register as the places are already filling up.

(2) Designing Peace III

Following the announcement of €200 million for the third PEACE programme, NICVA is organising three seminars, in conjunction with North West Community Network and Lisburn Community Network, to find out what it is the voluntary and community sector wants and expects from PEACE III.

As there is much more limited funding, getting the priorities right is crucial. The seminars will look at what the priorities should be, what the money should be spent on, what should not be included this time around, and whether previous recommendations are relevant in today's sector.

The dates and venues are:

7 March 2006, Beechlawn Hotel, Dunmurry

8 March 2006, NICVA, Belfast

14 March 2006, The Junction, Derry

Come and hear the views of others and have your say. Places are limited. To book, please contact Cathy Breslin on tel: 028 9087 7777, email: cathy.breslin@nicva.org by Friday 3 March 2006 or download the registration form.

(3) Full Cost Recovery training

Voluntary and community organisations often face the challenge of covering their core costs. This training will explain the principles behind full cost recovery and help organisations to understand their costs and present them in a consistent way to funders.

As the course is part of NICVA’s Management Development Programme, it is subsidised by 75%, which makes the training available at the reduced cost of £61.00. The course takes place at NICVA on 25 April 2006 from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

If you would like to attend, please download an application form or for more information, contact Sandra Bailie on tel: 028 9087 7777.

(4) What do you want from government?

If government asked the voluntary and community sector tomorrow 'what do you want us to do?', what would we say? NICVA’s Policy Manifesto is an attempt to answer that question and we are asking for your input into the third Policy Manifesto for the voluntary and community sector.

The last one was produced in 2003 and aimed to influence the manifestos of the political parties in Northern Ireland and the development of the Executive's Programme for Government. It set out the policy priorities of the sector across a range of areas. In the absence of devolution the document has been used to influence policymakers.

This next Manifesto is just as important and as it represents the views of the sector, your input is vital. This is an opportunity for the sector to publish a proactive set of priorities, already discussed and agreed, instead of constantly responding to government's agenda in consultations on topics not of our choosing.

If you would like to contribute to the Policy Manifesto and attend any of the discussion events, you can register online by 17 March 2006.

View the previous Manifesto

(5) Grants for older people’s groups

NICVA invites applications to its SJI Turkington Bequest for projects that aim to reduce older people's isolation and loneliness through educational provision. Due to the modest resources available to this scheme, any single grant award in 2006 will not exceed £500. The overall budget for the entire scheme in 2006 will be around £10,000.

The scheme will only make awards to:

- Organisations which are formally constituted, though they need not be registered charities.

- Projects for older people (aged over 60).

The Assessment Panel will prioritise applications from the most disadvantaged in society and organisations with an annual income under £15,000.

The closing date for applications is 16 March 2006. Download anapplication pack or contact Georgie Finlay at NICVA on tel: 028 9087 7777, email:turkingtonbequest@nicva.org.

(6) £35 million for Skills and Science Fund

Secretary of State Peter Hain MP has recently launched a £35 million fund with the statement “We have to get our focus on increasing the skills base of the working population, both to secure the jobs we have and to become the sort of place inward investors want to do new business with.”

NICVA is keen to learn how much of this fund will be available to voluntary and community organisations, who provide much needed services in training and skills development to hard to reach parts of the population, who may have had bad experiences of statutory services.

View the full press release.

(7) Strengthening sustainable development

The Federation for Community Development and Learning, the Rural Community Network and Community Work Education and Training Network are engaged in a joint project exploring routes for developing the skills of community development workers, so that they can support communities to understand and become involved in government’s sustainable development agenda. The work will involve the design of training courses - from taster sessions, workshops, OCN units and higher education modules.

A number of consultation sessions have been arranged to discuss the development of national occupational standards in a community development work approach to sustainable development as follows:

Gortalowry House, Cookstown - 10.00am to 3.00pm, 23 March 2006

Indian Community Centre, Belfast - 9.30am to 3.00pm, 24 March 2006

These workshops are intended for community development workers, employers and trainers who have an interest in and some knowledge about sustainable development. Sustainable development practitioners who have some experience of a community development approach are also welcome.

For more information, please contact Diarmuid Moore at Workers' Educational Association on tel: 028 9032 9718, email: diarmuid.moore@wea-ni.com.

(8) Making policy work for you

Answering questions such as - Where does policy come from? What should a good consultation look like? How does government develop policy? What happens to all those responses? What do I need to know to respond to policy consultations? - this exciting new training session will equip participants with the information and skills needed to get involved in the policy process in a more productive and positive way. The event takes place from 10.30am to 3.30pm on 15 March 2006 in Ballybot House, Newry.

The training is aimed at voluntary and community organisations. You should attend if your organisation has a policy role and you want to know how to do this more effectively, or if you have a limited policy capacity and want to find out about the policy development process, with a view to getting more involved.

The session is fully participative, with ample time for question and answer sessions with policy experts. There will be an overview of the current policy climate and a session on policy development in government facilitated by Tom Reid from the Policy Innovation Unit of OFMDFM. There will also be input from experienced policy workers in the sector about what does and doesn’t work.

The day is limited to 20 participants. To register, contact Cathy Breslin on tel: 028 9087 7777 or email: cathy.breslin@nicva.org.

(9) Ethnic minorities and public services

The National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), in association with the Centre for Cross Border Studies, is hosting a major international conference on intercultural service provision in Belfast on 28 March 2006. The conference will present the preliminary findings of a research project on providing public services to minority ethnic groups in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Ireland. The key service areas included in the research are education, health, housing and employment.

The research was commissioned from the Centre for Cross Border Studies by OFMDFM, and is being carried out by NCCRI, the Institute for Conflict Research, Piaras MacEinri at University College, Cork, and Organisation and Social Development Consultants Ltd in Edinburgh. An interim report outlining emerging findings from the research will be available next week.

For conference flyers and registration forms and research reports, please visit www.nccri.ie, or contact Sinead Cullinan on tel: 00 353 1 858 8000, email: info@nccri.ie.

(10) Meet the Strategic Investment Board

This second CIPFA Branch lunchtime event on 9 March 2006 gives you a chance to meet David Gavaghan, Chief Executive of the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), who will outline its impact to date.

The Strategic Investment Board Limited was created out of the Reform and Reinvestment Initiative to address the legacy of under-investment in Northern Ireland's public service infrastructure.

The event takes place at Lesley Exchange, 22 East Bridge Street, Belfast. To find out more or to register online, please visit

http://www.cipfa.org.uk/ni/events_details.cfm?events_id=2644

(11) Belfast supports Mozambique orphans

A number of community groups and individuals from across Belfast have teamed up in support of the Kuvumbana health and education project for orphaned children in Mozambique, and invite you to a special buffet lunch and briefing led by actor Stephen Rea and TV presenter Mike Nesbitt. The event will take place at NICVA at 12 noon on 7 March 2006.

For more information, please contact Collette on tel: 028 9080 9202 or email: geraldine@wbpb.org.

(12) Diversity and inclusion in the early years

NIPPA and Queen’s University have announced details of this upcoming conference from 14 to 16 June 2006. The programme will include masterclasses for organisations that support the development of practice, site visits, a gala dinner and the latest thinking and practical advice that early childhood professionals can implement in their own settings.

For more information or to register online, visit www.qub.ac.uk/edu/conference or contact Pauline Walmsley, email: paulinew@nippa.org.

(13) A fair treat

Oxfam Ireland and Belfast City Council invite you to a Fairtrade tea (or coffee) break in the Ulster Hall on Tuesday 7 March 2006 at 10.30am, to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight 2006. The guest speaker will be Alivera Kiiza, a coffee farmer from Tanzania, who was one of eight African women who went to Scotland last July to tell their stories to the G8 leaders about challenging poverty in their own countries.

The Lord Mayor will be welcoming Alivera to Belfast as well as introducing students from St Matthew's Primary School, Victoria College and Queen's University, who will show how they have been promoting Fairtrade.

Along with a cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee, you can sample some of the growing range of fairtrade products which are now available.

Contact Oxfam on tel: 028 9023 0220 if you would like to attend, or visit www.fairtradebelfast.com to find out more.

(14) Calling all runners

The 20th annual Belfast Third World Run will be held on Sunday 21 May 2006. Since the first run in 1987, nearly £108,000 has been raised and divided between four charities – Trocaire, Concern, Oxfam and Christian Aid.

Last year’s run was a great success, with 700 runners and walkers taking part in the three events - the 10K Run, 3K Run and 3K Walk. This year’s run will be a must for runners in training and a great family day out.

For more information visit www.thirdworldrun.org or contact Tom Wilson on tel: 028 9061 0042. Volunteers for stewarding and other tasks are also sought.

Pick of the Websites

Community NI

Possible link between gum disease and heart attacks Looking after your teeth and gums could be one way of reducing your risk of heart disease, according to a new study carried out by Queen's University and Chest, Heart and Stroke (NICHS)

Welcome for migrant workers in Dungannon
A new welcome booklet is published to help migrant workers in Dungannon to orientate themselves on arrival to the town.

It's worth it to walk it Local actress Olivia Nash and UTV’s Claire McCollum launch Northern Ireland's biggest annual fundraising walking event, the 2006 Hospice Walk.

NICVA

Calling all NICVA members

Register now for our annual Members' Information Day. This year's focus is on training for HR and finance. Or, if you are not yet a member, find out how to join.

SCOPE Awards - call for ideas

We are looking at ideas for improving the annual SCOPE awards ceremony. We invite you to send us your suggestions.

Download the latest NICVAnews

This month - big news on policy.

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

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

Project Development Officer at Mothers' Hope Crisis Centre (£17,409 pa)

Fundraising Development Officer at Concern (£20,855 to £25,544)

Partnership and External Relations Adviser at ACCORD

Community NI Diary

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.org or visit www.nicva.org/index.cfm/section/article/page/NICVAmembership.

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