It’s Volunteers' Week and we would like to take the opportunity to say a great big Thank you to all of the many thousands of Volunteers in Nottingham!

Of course we must acknowledge our own long standing NCVS Volunteers as well as our Volunteer Board of Trustees. We couldn’t do what we do without your unwavering support. We are always on the lookout for new Trustees so please consider giving it a try, you can express your interest on our website here or get in touch with me directly for an informal chat juless@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Up to £15,000 apply anytime by early August for their October meeting

The  grant  must support one of the following beneficiary groups:

Asylum seekers and refugees;
Gypsies and Travellers;
Offenders and ex-offenders;
Older people;
People experiencing mental health problems;
People experiencing violence or abuse.

Unrestricted awards for core or project funding between £5,000 - £7,000

For smaller UK based organisations delivering projects in the UK to support social justice and tackle disadvantage in specific areas of focus.
Eligibility checklist must be completed before main application

Two Programmes:
1. Asylum Seekers and Refugees - organisation and projects which provide essentials services; help meet the needs and support integration in wider society
2. Penal Affairs – organisations who work in prisons with projects to support prisoners (especially women) cope and maintain family bonds; and post-release projects which provide positive resettlement and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

NCVS Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas writes:

There are a lot of awareness weeks across the year, but Volunteers' Week is our annual reminder that our volunteers are at the heart of what we do in our voluntary and community organisations. It runs from 1 – 7 June each year and this year coincides with Jubilee celebrations and a bank holiday.

Volunteers' Week is the time to pause for a moment, appreciate the differences that every volunteer makes and for us all to say “Thank You”.

Volunteers’ contributions affect all of us the sector whether you are designated as a Leaders of Volunteer, Volunteer Manager, Coordinator or any other title and also if you have any other volunteers or work role in our sector.

Over the past two years, volunteering has changed and adapted to peoples’ needs brought about by the pandemic, but at its heart, volunteering has always been, in the words of US volunteering guru, Ivan Scheier.

Doing more than you have to because you want to, in a cause you consider good.

A great example of a change in volunteering can be seen in the Community Champions programme. This started with a project to engage with Black communities about Covid-19 vaccination misconceptions and misinformation and to support greater take up across this community. This approach is now steadily expanding into other organisations.

A real volunteering success story has come from this project as Ebenezer, who was a volunteer with the project has recently been given the job of Volunteer Coordinator for the project and you can see his story at https://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/news-and-events/news-articles/community-champion-volunteer-coordinator

No matter how often you volunteer or what you do as a volunteer, please may I add my thanks for what you do? However, if you don’t volunteer, please think about what you have to offer and what volunteering can offer you - and take a look at the opportunities on the NCVS website at 

 https://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/volunteering/search-for-opportunities

Dave Thomas
07564 040767

davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

There are companies all over Nottingham who are keen to help voluntary organisations through Employer Supported Volunteering schemes. At the moment, Dave knows of a team of about 25 people with excellent finance skills as well as willingness to get involved in practical activities, looking for a project in mid-September. 

If you can offer them a suitable project, please let Dave know and he will pass on your contact details. Phone 07564 040767 or email davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Green social prescribing is a way of connecting people to nature-based activities and green groups, projects and schemes in their local community for support with health and wellbeing. Often this will be through a referral from a Link Worker based at a GP practice or another primary care professional.

Our scheme in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called GreenSpace, is one of seven government Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn sites. It's all about improving people’s mental health. Green providers, social prescribers, voluntary organisations and community initiatives will help connect many more people with nature-based activities, helping everyone to feel better.

Free Launch Event for Public Audience Thursday 7 July 2022 10am-12.30pm via Zoom Ticket booking closes 5 July 2022

The Patient Public Leadership and Equality Team at East Midlands Academic Health Science Network(EMAHSN) are launching a new network for members of the public, who are involved or interested in being involved in local  health and social care services

They welcome participants from all communities and encourage people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities, who are often under-represented, to join them at the launch.

People from the Deaf community are encouraged to attend and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters will be available for the duration of the event.

The People's Network More Information

Monday 6 June - Monday 13 June

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities and highlight the vital role carers play in our communities, drawing attention to just how important caring is.

You can find out more about Carers Week at https://www.carersweek.org/

The pandemic has had a massive impact on the lives of carers, so it’s more important than ever that carers are aware of what they have the right to.

Trevor Clower founded the Carers Roadshow in 2013, combining a diverse range of organisations offering advice and support to unpaid carers in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Information moved online to become the Virtual Carers Roadshow in response to the pandemic.

The Virtual Carers Roadshow is a collection of videos on YouTube, so is free to view at any time, Each video is a market stall for local support and services. Everyone has a right to know what is available locally, to allow you to choose the kind of support you need.

Visit the Virtual Carers Roadshow

Wednesday 6 July 2022, 10.30am to 12.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 26 July 2022, 10.30am to 12.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 3 August 2022, 10.30am to 12.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 24 August 2022, 10.30am to 11.45am

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

Cost: £15 per participant

Wednesday 7 September 2022, 6pm to 8pm

This two-hour online session covers the basic information for all trustees, whether you are new to the role or long-established.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 27 July 2022, 10am to 12.15am

A new interactive hands-on workshop for organisations and community groups who want to practice their skills and would welcome constructive feedback to further develop their skills in writing successful funding applications.
Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 22 June 2022, 6pm to 8pm

Do you manage a space, office or building? This new two-hour online session will take your Fire Wardens and/or Fire Marshal through the basics. As a result, they will be better equipped to carry out these very important roles.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 13 September 2022, 11am to 1pm

This two-hour online session is intended for trustees who have completed our 'Being a Trustee' course, who want to further develop their involvement and awareness of trustee duties and improve their personal skill set.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 14 September 2022, 6pm to 8pm

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 21 June 2022, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This new two-hour online session will explain the basics of health and safety, then take you through the process of carrying out a risk assessment in an organisational environment.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 29 June 2022, 10am to 11.15am

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

Thursday 13 October 2022, 6pm to 7pm

In this one-hour online session, we will identify some of the barriers that potential volunteers face to becoming involved in your organisation and share ideas to remove these barriers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 14 June 2022, 6pm to 7pm

This one-hour online session aims to share some ideas about how best to deal with the inevitable disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts that arise from time to time among a team of volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 5 October 2022, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session looks at methods that have proved to be effective in volunteer leadership, including the best ways to plan, involve, support and retain volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 8 February 2023, 10am to 12 noon

For some time, we’ve been asked about training that goes beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers. In this new two-hour online session, we’ll explore some of the real-life issues that you are facing.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 24 November 2022, 10am to 12pm

A two-hour online course for Leaders of Volunteers to start to develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 12 July 2022, 10am to 11am

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

Cost: £10 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

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Tuesday 21 June 2022, from 10am to 11:30am

Online (Zoom)

There are still a few places available for our upcoming a free online event exploring good practice in working with people with Complex Emotional Needs (CEN), which describes those who might have been diagnosed with personality disorder. It is recognised that mental health service provision for this group is in need of transformation, given serious concerns about quality, accessibility, fragmentation of services, and stigma and pessimism often encountered by service users.

This session will include a presentation of two recent studies looking at professional and service user views about services and good practice for individuals with CEN, followed by small discussion groups to think about the study findings in relation to your own practice and local services, to help shape how we can work together to better serve individuals with CEN.

Audience: This event is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who work with people experiencing CEN and may be of particular interest for workers in community mental health services. People with lived experience of CEN and multiple disadvantage are also welcome to join, to learn about the research being presented and contribute to discussions.

Wednesday 6 July, 10am to 3:30pm

Cleaves Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham NG1 2AS

Join us for a whole day in person workshop exploring financial resilience and financial capability, including what services are available to support people who face financial exclusion and difficulty, and what we can do as workers.

This session, run by Emma Bates, Sessional Specialist for Nottingham Financial Resilience Partnership, will include:

• Understanding what financial resilience is about
• Exploring different aspects of ensuring people are financially included (such as credit, banking, debt, income, saving, and service access) and also of financial capability / education
• Awareness of available services that can help people with financial matters
• Group discussions on issues faced by service users / residents and what we can do as workers to support them

 Audience: This interactive session is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who are interested in learning more about financial resilience and what they can do to better support the people they work with. 

In spite of the Cost of Living Crisis and the increased focus on energy and food prices, the affordability of clothing continues to receive little attention. Clothing prices have risen by 11%, making it even more difficult for ordinary people in a range of challenging situations to have full access to their Right to Clothing.

Join Sharewear Clothing Scheme’s campaign to bring equal access to the Right to Clothing to everyone in the UK.

https://sharewearclothingscheme.org/clothing-poverty-awareness-week-2022/

The Survey is open to young people aged 13-25 until Friday 17 June 2022

The survey aims to:

•  Understand young people’s lived experiences of policing 
•  Examine trust in policing and police complaints
•  Look into local differences across England and Wales
•  Involve young people in developing future solutions
  

The survey’s results will be published later this year. They will be used to create national recommendations for change and will be shared with policing stakeholders, locally and nationally.

          Youth Led Police and policing complaints survey

Community Matters are undertaking some research to look at the costs of hiring community spaces across the country.

Closing date Monday 20 June 2022

More Details