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BVSC announces Transforming Local Infrastructure funding success
A partnership led by BVSC The Centre for Voluntary Action and consisting of a range of Birmingham-based voluntary sector support providers, has been awarded close to £600,000 in the government’s Transforming Local Infrastructure programme.
The programme - designed to improve the way in which support is delivered to frontline groups - has awarded £30m to 72 partnerships across the UK following a fierce competition.
February Update is out!
In this edition: How Isore Media is helping turn lives around; 'Beyond Art' - Birmingham City Council's new Art Exhibition; The Community Cohesion Programme; The Childline Schools Service, and much more...
Book now for the Third Sector Assembly Meeting: 28th February
Some of the subjects to be covered at the next meeting include the Localism Act, Community Asset Transfer, Birmingham's governance structures and co-production.
This is an all day event taking place between 10.00 am and 3.30 pm at BVSC, 138 Digbeth, Birmingham.
All delegates will be invited to attend a thematic workshop of their choice which will include:
Help create jobs for young people in Birmingham by recycling your unwanted items!
It's really simple! Get your staff to bring in any unwanted clothes, books, china, jewellery, bags, in fact almost any unwanted items. Bag it all up, give us a call and we'll collect it from your door at a time so suit you!
By doing so you'll help us to:
- create jobs and opportunities for people in Birmingham.
- help the environment and the economy.
- make a real difference and stop textiles going into our landfill sites.
- make the world a better place by helping others.
Everyone's a winner!
Birmingham Leadership Foundation Appoints New Executive Director.
Mashkura Begum has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Birmingham Leadership Foundation (BLF), a programme aimed at building opportunities for the City’s next generation of leaders. At just 33 she will be one of the youngest 3rd sector Executives in the West Midlands region.
Her appointment coincides with the launch of 100 Young Leaders, BLF’s flagship initiative which launches on Monday 13th February in an event highlighting Birmingham’s young local talent. The project is central to BLF’s overall aim to create leadership development pathways for the City’s excluded young people.
Courses for the Voluntary Sector at Fircroft College
Fircroft College runs a number of short courses throughout the year designed to help people working in the voluntary sector, most of which cost just £70 or FREE if claiming any means-tested benefits.
Office space needed for local charity
Resources for Autism is expanding its services and so looking for office space in a more central location, preferably in the City centre, including Jewellery Quarters, Digbeth, Attwood Green and Edgbaston.
Ideally we would need an office/shared room with a minimum of two desks and enough space for storage, Wi-Fi, access to a training room - that can be used at the weekends and possibly access to a smaller meeting room for interviews/supervision etc. Onsite parking would be a big help for visitors and staff too!
Birmingham Community Health and Wellbeing Consortium
List of members
Download a list of members
Big Lottery good practice guides for CYP organisations
The BLF have published a number of good practice guides for organisations dealing with young people:
- Encouraging Active Citizenship – supporting young people to make a positive contribution and engage with their community
- Actively involving young people – approaches to active involvement that have worked well for BIG funded projects
“Below the Radar and the unintended consequences of voluntary sector reconfiguration”
In partnership with the Third Sector Research Centre, Big Lottery Fund is holding an online discussion on 1 February from 2pm to 4pm.
The panel will include the Big Lottery Fund, Community Development Foundation, Trust for London, and Barrow Cadbury Trust, along with Third Sector Research Centre.
The online discussion will take place on the Beyond the Radar website http://bigmail.org.uk/UH9-OAEL-5BAAVC-98WMK-0/c.aspx
£100m fund to revitalise communities!
On 24th January, Communities Minister Andrew Stunell invited community and voluntary organisations to apply for a share of £100 million that will help revitalise communities and bring the empty homes blighting their areas back into use.
It is expected that up to £30 million will be given over to community groups.
Fund Manager TRIBAL have been appointed to administer the fund - they will also assess applications.
Successful applications will:
BIG publishes discussion paper about building capabilities within voluntary organisations
The paper sets out their approach to 'building capabilities' and gives an opportunity for voluntary and other organisations to influence this approach.
Helping VCS organisations and social enterprises to become more effective will continue to be a priority for BIG over the next few years. This approach will mean that they are able to get the support they need to do their work and that people and communities most in need will see greater benefits from our funding.
Funding Cuts: Take part in BVSC's latest survey!
As the recession and public sector cuts on the voluntary sector continues, BVSC is running its bi-annual survey again to refresh our findings on the real impacts of funding cuts on Birmingham’s third sector and its citizens.
In our role to equip and support the voluntary and community sector, we want to find out about the latest changes in funding that have happened to your organisation, so we can communicate your concerns and interest to funders and other stakeholders.
Your responses are crucial for us to find ways to help your organisation.
Latest results of BVSC’s cuts survey out!
This is the latest in an ongoing series of bi-annual surveys with Birmingham based voluntary and community organisations. In view of the data published by Birmingham City Council on Voluntary and Community Sector Funding in September 2011, BVSC have sought to identify the real impacts of funding cuts on Birmingham’s third sector and its citizens.
Key findings include:
People First Winter Newsletter now out!
Please find attached People First Birmingham’s Winter newsletter. Feel free to distribute amongst any networks you feel may be appropriate.
Download the People First Winter Newsletter.
£150 million Big Society 'endowment for the nation' launched
The new Community First endowment, which aims to raise £150 million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England, has been launched by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society recently.
Bookkeeping for Beginners - Training course
There are still some places available on this NEW short course (20-22 February) at Fircroft College, ideal for anyone responsible for bookkeeping within their organisation.
The course is just £70-£80 or FREE for adults claiming means-tested benefits. Call 0121 472 0116 or visit http://fircroft.ac.uk/short-courses/courses/voluntary-sector/voluntary-sector-short-courses/
Surviving Winter Appeal has raised over £10,000
Since the launch of the Surviving Winter Appeal on the 10th November, Birmingham and Black Country Community Foundation (BBCCF) have raised over £10,000 to help older and vulnerable people stay warm this winter. Around 40 people have been helped so far, with referrals still coming in.
The appeal has been launched by BBCCF in a response to findings that 2700 vulnerable people died last year in Birmingham and Black Country due to cold and poor living conditions with a shocking 190,000 living in fuel poverty. The foundation is giving the opportunity to all those who receive the Winter Fuel Allowance and can afford to forgo it to recycle it into the Surviving Winter Appeal, as well those people who simply wish to make a donation and this a warmer winter for some one.
It looks like volunteering. It feels like volunteering. By George, it is volunteering!
BVSC Development Worker, Georgina Watts, examines the benefits of time banking as an alternative model of volunteering.
Now I’m a glass-is-half-full kind of a person but when I think about the state volunteering is in it strikes me that it is increasingly challenging for charities to find the volunteers they need. Furthermore, the recession and the pace of modern life have also made it difficult for people to find the time to volunteer. Sadly, organising a successful volunteering placement has become a time consuming task of form-filling, safeguarding and administration.