This Volunteers' Week 2021 (1-7 June), we're shining a spotlight on how volunteering has played an important role in helping to tackle isolation and loneliness during the pandemic.

We've been releasing videos throughout the week which celebrate Nottingham's community response to the pandemic and show the positive impact that volunteering has on people's lives. You can catch up on the videos we've published so far by visiting our dedicated Volunteers' Week 2021 web page.

We also held a partnership event on Thursday which explored this topic in more detail. The workshop, delivered by our Volunteer Centre and our Practice Development Unit, featured a range of guest speakers from Framework Housing Association, Opportunity Nottingham and SFiCE Foundation.

You can view some of the tweets posted from the event by visiting our Twitter page @NottinghamCVS.

We are seeking an experienced project officer with a passion for green activity, the environment, and the positive impact this has on wellbeing to join our team.

The exciting new role of Green Social Prescribing Project Officer will help to deliver GreenSpace, the Green Social Prescribing Programme for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. 

The two-year programme looks to improve the mental health and wellbeing of communities hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, by connecting local people with nature-based activities and green community projects and initiatives in the city and county.

The Project Officer will assist the Programme Manager in achieving programme outcomes through strengthening the resilience of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). This will be achieved through the development of green VCS organisations to enable them to develop their capacity to accept referrals from link workers and others (including self-referrals). The Project Officer will also be responsible for mapping green community assets, developing green volunteering pathways and assisting GP practices to achieve green accreditation.

Fixed term until March 2023, with possible extension.

Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week

Location: Currently home-based

Salary: £26,000 per annum

Closing date: 12 noon Monday 21 June 2021

We're delighted to announce that we've added two brand new training courses to our programme this month!

• Setting up a Social Enterprise, Wednesday 9 June, 10.30am-12.30pm, £20 per participant
  
  
• Opening up Services Safely - Tuesday 29 June, 10.30am-12pm, Free to attend
  

Both courses will take place online via Zoom. More information about each course is available below.

Please contact ncvs@nottinghamcvs.co.uk if you need further details about either of these courses or encounter any issues with registration.

You can view more of our available training courses further down this e-bulletin in the 'Training from NCVS' section or by clicking on the button below.

Wednesday 9 June 2021, 10.30am-12.30pm

If you're considering setting up a not-for-profit business with a social purpose but want to explore and discuss what the right structure for your organisation should be, then this is the course for you. 

The session will help you make an informed choice so that you can still make a difference but not to your own detriment. You can find out more and meet our Trainer David Saunders by watching this video.

Cost: £20 per participant.

Tuesday 29 June 2021, 10.30am-12pm

We've teamed up with Business in the Community (BiTC) to run a free, online workshop, offering guidance and an opportunity to explore issues involved in opening up your organisation's services safely as lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Guest speakers have been invited from the business community and the voluntary sector to share their experiences of working through the pandemic and the actions that they are taking to return to face-to-face services.

Please register for this event to ensure you are sent instructions about how to join the meeting using Zoom.

Thursday 17 June 2021, 11am-12.30pm

Join us for a conversation with Sara Storey, Nottingham City Council's new Director of Adult Health and Social Care. This is your opportunity to hear her plans for engagement, and for you to feedback VCSE perspectives.

Sara has recently arrived in Nottingham and is keen to share her plans for engagement. She welcomes feedback from voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations working closely with people using the service she is leading. We encourage you take advantage of this opportunity to speak with her.

Please register to ensure you are sent instructions about how to join the meeting using Zoom.

UK-registered charities that support the homeless can apply for up to £5,000 in funding from Help the Homeless.

Funding will only be provided for 'capital' projects not core or running costs. All applications must relate to projects that assist individuals in their return to mainstream society, rather than simply offering shelter or other forms of support.

The Christmas Challenge is the UK's biggest online match funding campaign. It launches on #GivingTuesday (30 November 2021) and brings together hundreds of charities in one high profile campaign to raise millions of pounds for amazing causes.

The Christmas Challenge gives your donors the chance to double their donations as you raise vital funds for your work. This year, it will run from 12pm on Tuesday 30 November to 12pm on Tuesday 7 December (2021). Last year, the Christmas Challenge raised a record-breaking £20.1 million for 764 charities.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 2 July (2021).

Wednesday 23 June 2021, 10am-11am

A one-hour online session to help your volunteer role descriptions stand out, ensuring you attract enthusiastic volunteers.

The way that we describe our volunteer roles can be the difference between no volunteers and a team filled with enthusiastic people. This session will combine some tips from the worlds of journalism and advertising with a lifetime's experience from the NCVS Volunteer Centre.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 15 June 2021, 10.30am-12.30pm

Are you acting as secretary or note taker, or do you need to record meetings? Learn how to take effective minutes and make your task easier. This two-hour online session replaces our previous face-to-face three-hour course and will take you through the process of producing a 'minute'.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 22 June 2021, 6pm-7pm

The Board or Committee Secretary is one of the principal roles in a charity or community organisation, yet there are few courses on the subject. In this one-hour online session you will learn why it is so important and that it is definitely not just about taking minutes.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 23 June 2021, 1pm-2.15pm

For organisations and community groups who are new to applying for funding, or for those in need of a refresher. Relevant for groups applying for Covid-19 funding and recovery support as well as other general funding. 

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 23 June 2021, 4pm-5.15pm

An interactive online session for Trustees (or members of Management Committees) of organisations whose activities put them in contact with vulnerable adults or children. 

This one-hour online training will cover, the trustee's role in safeguarding and reasonable steps to protect from harm those who are accessing your services.

Cost: £15 per participant

The PDU aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues).

Contact our coordinator Filipa Santos for more information by sending an email to enquiries@pdunottingham.org or calling 0115 934 8428 or 07483 354 441.

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

The PDU offers a unique opportunity for voluntary and statutory sector workers who support people experiencing multiple disadvantage across Nottingham and neighbouring areas, to connect, learn collaboratively and share good practice and expertise.

By participating in our events, you will have the chance to develop your knowledge and skills and extend your professional network by making links with other local organisations.

Attendance to PDU events is free of charge, but advance booking is essential. Follow the relevant links below to register your place at our upcoming events.

Please note that it is PDU policy that people with lived experience are invited to participate in our events.

We are currently working on our learning programme for the autumn period. We would love to hear from you if there are any topics or areas of practice you would be interested in learning more about. Get in touch at enquiries@pdunottingham.org

You can watch recordings from some of our past online events on the PDU online hub. You will need to be a registered user to access these recordings, please log in or register for your free account before accessing the website. This week we have added:

The role of social work in homelessness and multiple disadvantage – watch the session here.

The Prince's Trust is running an employability mentoring programme for 16-30 year olds in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

The programme, called Way2Work, offers participants the chance to develop their confidence and skills, improve their job searching and application skills and undertake flexible work experience.

This opportunity is available free of charge to adults (16-30) who are not in full-time work, training or education and live in either counties.

If you would like to refer someone to take part in this programme, please email way2work@princes-trust.org.uk or call Kate on 07483 972 277.

An exciting new programme of workshops and activities has been set up by Action For Young Carers to support young carers in Nottingham.

The programme, called AYC:Flourish, builds upon the fantastic work undertaken by Action For Young Carers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, providing online cooking tutorials and lessons via Zoom, alongside support from local nutritionist and food safety expert, Rupert Aikman.

The programme launched this month with a series of online cooking classes. Check out the Action for Young Carers Facebook page for the latest available dates. 

You can also call 07814 678 460, email AYCActivities@carersfederation.co.uk or visit the Action for Young Carers website.

Tap into the talent of final year Nottingham Business School (NBS) students to help develop your organisation and deliver positive change.

#NBSBright, run by Nottingham Trent University (NTU), is an innovative NBS business challenge designed to help businesses of all sizes to prosper.

The programme is now open to new submissions from organisations of all sizes across Nottingham, including charities, community / voluntary groups and social enterprises.