eNews 9 January 2012

By Seana McAuley - last updated on Mon, 09/01/2012 - 18:47

Debating the issues - Programme for Government
Important PAYE information
Vital Links to the Assembly
Economic Strategy consultation - have your say!
Centre for Health and Wellbeing celebrates report launch
Funding opportunity for local communities
Inspiring change through volunteering
Measuring the impact of volunteering
Supporting social innovation
Possibilities Programme
Alternatives to political violence study visit
Community Foundation NI January seminars
Kudos to advise on retail gift aid
iPads for Autism appeal
Promoting health across all sectors - better decision-making for better health
Boost your skills with EGSA training

NICVA Out and About
Pick of the Websites
Make Your Move - new jobs from CommunityNI

1 Debating the issues - Programme for Government

The First Minister and deputy First Minister have published the draft Programme for Government, laying out the Executive's commitments and priorities for 2011-2015. The Executive is now seeking views on this draft document and the consultation period will run until 22 February 2012. As part of its engagement in the Programme for Government (PfG) consultation, NICVA will be co-hosting a series of events for its members. The events will be in round table format to facilitate discussion and debate and will be attended by a department official, subject to their availability.

The first in the series of events will take place this Wednesday 11 January 2012 from 10.00am – 1.00pm, at NICVA 61 Duncairn Gardens.

Further Programme for Government consultation events have been arranged throughout Northern Ireland and are as follows:

North West - 19 January 2012, 10.00am – 1.00pm, at WaterFoot Hotel, Caw Roundabout, Waterside, Derry/Londonderry BT47 6TB. NICVA is holding this event in conjunction with North West Community Network.

Enniskillen – 25 January 2012, 10.00am – 1.00pm at Fermanagh House, Broadmeadow Place Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh BT74 7HR. NICVA is holding this event in conjunction with the Rural Community Network.

Newry - 31 January 2012, 10.00am – 1.00pm at Confederation of Community Groups, Ballybot House 28 Cornmarket, Newry Co Down BT35 8GB. NICVA is holding this event in conjunction with the Confederation of Community Groups Newry.

Dungannon - 2 February 2012, 10.00am – 1.00pm at Willowbank Community Resource Centre, Carland Road, Dungannon BT71 4AA. NICVA is holding this event in conjunction with the Rural Community Network.

Strabane – 7 February 2012, 10.30am – 1.00pm at Strabane District Council, 47 Derry Road, Strabane BT82 8DY. NICVA is holding this event in conjunction with Strabane District Council.

More details and the full agenda for all sessions can be found on www.nicva.org. To request a booking, please click on the individual links above or email cathy.breslin@nicva.org. The PfG events will be held as part of Vital Links, a project supported by the PEACE III Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

2 Important PAYE information

HMRC appears to be becoming more stringent in the application of penalty charges for employers who haven't ensured that payments are made in time to clear on due dates.

NICVA recently heard from a community group about penalty charges for late PAYE deductions. The group was unsuccessful in an appeals process.

For more information and for a reminder of the payment deadlines and penalty charges read the full article at www.nicva.org/news/important-paye-information

3 Vital Links to the Assembly

If you want to benefit from a better understanding of how the Northern Ireland Assembly works, as well as working on more, positive engagement with key institutions then sign up for the next Get to know the Assembly session taking place on Thursday 12 January from 9.30am-1.00pm. The Northern Ireland Assembly Community Outreach Team has been supporting NICVA's Vital Links programme for the past two years. Vital Links aims to increase the interaction and understanding of the key institutions, the voluntary and community sector and foster and promote positive engagement.

The free course comes in four themes:

Get to know the Assembly, in Parliament Buildings for all Belfast courses
Making policy work for you
Successful lobbying and campaigning
How government departments get and spend their budgets

Over 350 people from the voluntary and community sector have participated in the training, with overwhelming feedback on the quality of information and delivery.

If would like more information, or to sign up for a session, please contact Cathy Breslin cathy.breslin@nicva.org. NICVA’s Vital Links is a project supported by the Peace III Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

4 Economic Strategy consultation - have your say!

Economic Strategy Consultation Event – 23 January 2012.

As part of its engagement in the Northern Ireland Executive's Economic Strategy consultation, NICVA will be hosting an event for the voluntary and community sector in order to help give a cohesive response. The event will be in round table format to facilitate discussion and debate and will be attended by a department official, as well as experts from different sectors of the economy.

For further information and to book your place please visit http://www.nicva.org/events/economic-strategy-round-table

5 Centre for Health and Wellbeing celebrates report launch

The International Fund for Ireland’s (IFI) Community Leadership Programme, delivered by NICVA, is an exciting and innovative training and learning programme which aims to strengthen the leadership capacities of groups. To date, over 50 groups have gone through the Programme.

One of these groups is the Centre for Health and Well Being, which celebrated the close of a busy year by launching a health report outlining the need for continued investment in health in the Upper Springfield area last month. Pete Maguire, the group’s chairman told attendees that the board had handled changing situations in the centre with increasing confidence and professionalism and were rightly proud of their capacity to do so. Kate Laverty, Centre Manager said “the teamwork skills, networking talents and fundraising abilities learned on the CLP programme will invariably prove our most useful tools in the trying times to come”.

Read the full article here

6 Funding opportunity for local communities

Volunteer Now is inviting applications from local groups and communities to support the development of Timebanking. Timebanking is a framework which allows members of communities to tap into the abundance of untapped potential and skills that exist out there!

Everyone is valued equally by Timebanks and for every hour that a member contributes by helping someone else they receive one hour of credit which enables them in equal measure to receive help from other members of the Timebank. Although Timebanks are open to everyone, this particular round of funding focuses on supporting older people to take a leadership role locally, or groups can use the funding to enhance or develop new or existing services for older people.

Grants of up to £3,000 are available to local groups and application packs can be downloaded from www.volunteernow.co.uk The closing date for completed applications is 27 January 2012.

7 Inspiring change through volunteering

Be the Change You Want - 26 January 2012, 10.00am -12.30pm, at The Diocesan Office, 24 London Street, Derry / Londonderry, BT48 6RQ (with lunch provided). This is one of a series of planned events.

This special event is designed to inspire a conversation - about how we can change our communities for the better by volunteering for the common good. It is also about moving this conversation forward to see how we can achieve even more by working with unexpected partners. The keynote speaker will be Bishop Ken Good (Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe).

Be the Change You Want is organised by a joint volunteering project funded by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Republic of Ireland. A unique partnership between the GAA, Voluntary Arts Ireland, the Church of Ireland diocese of Derry and Raphoe and City Church Belfast, the project brings together a diverse partnership to promote volunteering to meet need in our community.

Places are limited so please RSVP by 20 January to tony@vaireland.org or call 028 7127 2501 (from Northern Ireland) or 048 7127 2501 (from Republic of Ireland).

8 Measuring the impact of volunteering

Measuring the impact of volunteering activities is increasingly important as the demand for organisations to evidence the impact and outcomes from their work becomes greater. The Volunteer Impact Assessment Toolkit provides information and customisable tools which organisations of all sizes can use to measure impact and therefore evidence what is being achieved.

Volunteer Now offers a one day training course to supplement the written toolkit handbook. The aim of the session is to guide people through the handbook, using exercises and group discussion to help people to start planning their own assessment. The next training session will take place on 15 March 2012 from 10.00am - 3.30pm at Volunteer Now’s Office, Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. Book directly on to the training course at http://www.volunteernow.co.uk/training-events/view/83. Contact Julie Aiken to find out more atl Julie.Aiken@volunteernow.co.uk or call 028 9023 2020.

9 Supporting social innovation

Deloitte Social Innovation Pioneers aims to showcase up to 50 socially innovative businesses from across the UK and provide them with a package of support to help them mainstream, go to scale and become investment-ready.

The programme is targeted at a wide range of organisations to identify social innovation wherever it lies. The types of businesses that are likely to be successful are those that have a proven social business concept, that have an innovative idea and that are ready to take it to the next level.

If you are or know a social business that meets the criteria please apply on the programme website by the end of January. If you are interested in this agenda and want to find out more about the programme please sign up to the Deloitte newsletter or follow @DeloittePioneer.

10 Possibilities Programme

Would you like to do business with the Health Sector?
Ashton Community Trust and Ledcom, two of our leading social enterprises are organising a series of workshops. The aim of the programme is:

To increase knowledge of social enterprises of the opportunities for tendering within the public health sector in Northern Ireland (particularly Belfast).
To increase the skills base of social enterprises in the tender process for future tenders from the public health sector.
To increase knowledge of the social enterprise sector among the public procurement experts in the health sector.

Introduction to Procurement for Social Enterprises - Tuesday 24 January 2012, at NICVA, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Facilitated by LEDCOM and Ashton.
Introduction to Procurement for Social Enterprises – Monday 30 January 2012, at Ashton Centre, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Facilitated by LEDCOM and Ashton.
Masterclass 1 - Where we look for tenders and how to use the tender system and websites - Tuesday 7 February 2012, at Ashton Centre, 1.30pm to 4.30pm (lunch included). Facilitated by BDO.
Masterclass 2 - Writing winning tenders - Wednesday 22 February 2012, at NICVA, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Facilitated by Sector Matters.
Masterclass 3 - Quality Systems - Tuesday 28 February 2012, at Millennium Community Outreach Centre, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Facilitated by Now Project.
Masterclass 4 - Franchising opportunities in tendering - Wednesday 7 March 2012, at Ortus, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Faciliated by Ortus.
Masterclass 5 - Working together in collaboration bids – Thursday 15 March 2012, at NICVA, 10.00am to 1.00pm (lunch included). Facilitated by CollaborationNI and Sector Matters.

If you are interested in any of these workshops please contact Ciara Rea on 028 9074 2255 to book a place or email ciara@ashtoncentre.com

11 Alternatives to political violence study visit

28 February – 9 March 2012 - Boston, Massachusetts and Montgomery, Alabama

Up to ten individuals will be selected to engage with their American counterparts to examine the ways in which societies can address the growth of violent extremism. This programme will explore the role of non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, community leaders, and government agencies in encouraging people to express political, social, and cultural identity through constructive and non-violent channels.

The programme is sponsored by the Irish Institute at the Centre for Irish Programmes, Boston College, and the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Programme-related costs including travel, accommodation, tuition, and the majority of meals are provided.

The programme has some restrictions on who can apply and short-listed applicants must be available for interview either 25 January in Belfast or 26 January in Dublin. To apply visit the website at www.bc.edu/irishinstitute for an application. The completed form, in addition to a letter of interest, must be returned by email to Ms. Thea Gilien at gilien@bc.edu before 5.00pm on Tuesday, 17 January. The mandatory letter of interest should include: reason for application, your ability to contribute to the programme, and potential for sharing your experience upon your return home. For further information, please visit the website or telephone 00353 1 614 7450.

12 Community Foundation NI January seminars

The CFNI Observatory is organising two seminars this month.

Community Activism: developing relationships between the community and political sectors
18 January, 10.00am-1.30pm, Ebrington Barracks, Derry

The seminar provides a timely opportunity for community organisations to meet together to learn about different approaches to mobilising communities, and reflect on the community sector’s experiences of developing relationships with the political sector. Key speakers are: Niall Crowley, founding member of Claiming Our Future and Is Feidir Linn, and former CEO of the Equality Authority, Ireland; Peter Sheridan, CEO Cooperation Ireland; Lynn Carvill, women’s sector lobbyist WRDA; and Eamonn Deane, Director Holywell Trust.

Community Policing: the challenges from a community perspective
26 January, 10.00am – 1.00pm, Lough Neagh Centre, Oxford Island

This seminar will explore what is meant by the term ‘community policing’ and what the challenges are for communities in working with the PSNI and others to develop an effective police service.

For more information about the Observatory, which is funded by a Building Change Trust transformation grant, and these events visit http://www.communityfoundationni.org/Programmes/Observatory. To register for either of these events please contact blivesey@communityfoundationni.org.

13 Kudos to advise on retail gift aid

Do you run a charity shop? Is collecting Retail Gift Aid a hassle for staff and volunteers? Want to streamline your admin and reporting systems from van deliveries through to stock management and even integration with web and mail order systems? Are you coming to the Northern Ireland Charity Retail Conference on 14 March 2012?

Answer yes and you should be sure to book into the session run by Kudos Software at C4 at 1.15

For more information: www.kudos-software.co.uk/charities

14 iPads for Autism appeal

Helping Hands Autism Support Group is currently taking part in a scheme "iPads for autism". The group can recycle 165 old mobile phones (back and battery must be included) for an ipad 2.

Ipads are a vital communication tool for children with Autism and Aspergers, they can also improve social communication and verbal communication for those without speech. 30 families are currently on this scheme, and four ipads have already been delivered to members.

If you have any old mobiles that you do not require and would like to donate them please email helpinghandsbelfast@yahoo.co.uk or call 07830 345 056.

15 Promoting health across all sectors – better decision-making for better health

Health is determined by a range of social, economic and environmental factors. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a practical, systematic approach which assesses the health impacts of policies, programmes and projects developed by a range of organisations. It supports people in the health sector as well as those who do not have health as their primary objective. HIA ensures these impacts are identified and allows decision-makers to make choices about alternatives and improvements that actively promote health and well-being.

A three-day training course from the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) gives participants knowledge and skills so they can plan for and conduct HIA across a range of settings. It will be of use to those working in local government, healthcare, education, public health, health promotion, planning, socio-economic development, neighbourhood renewal, environmental health, the voluntary and community sector. Applications close on Friday 20 January 2012.

Further information and an application form is available from http://www.publichealth.ie/ireland/hiatraining/comprehensivehiatrainingcourse

16 Boost your skills with EGSA training

New Year, New You?
Considering a new job, career change or promotion in 2012? Need to upgrade your skills but don’t know where to start? Why not contact EGSA and book a career health check? Visit http://egsa.org.uk/career-health-check/, call 028 9024 4274 or email info@egsa.org.uk to find out more.

Keep It Clear with EGSA
Finding it hard to get to the point? Fed up with gobbledegook? Don’t know where to put that apostrophe? Book your place on EGSA’s Keep It Clear training - Tuesday 24 January 2012, 10.00am – 1.00pm, EGSA, 40 Linenhall Street, Belfast (£35 per person). Find out more at http://egsa.org.uk/learning-promotion/keep-it-clear-with-egsa/ or contact Anne Welsh on 028 9024 4274 or email anne.welsh@egsa.org.uk

NICVA Out and About

If you are interested in NICVA's activities, events and training and would like to know what goes on in your area then take a look at the brand new Out and About feature on our website. This feature contains a map enabling you to see where activities are taking place across Northern Ireland and the types of activities delivered by NICVA staff. To find out more about what's going on just click on the activity to find out more about that project.

This week NICVA staff will be seen out and about in Moy, Lisburn and Antrim.

Pick of the Websites

Review of the Year 2011 - a year of significant political, economic and social change. 2011 was a tough, challenging one for voluntary and community organisations. Nevertheless the sector rose to the challenge in the face of the financial squeeze. Read all about it on NICVA's website.