Sticker printing at the Resource Centre

15/10/2014

Groups can now print stickers at the Resource Centre.

Choose between:

Black & white or Colour, on matt or glossy paper
Round stickers – 25mm – 70 per page
Round stickers – 37mm – 35 per page
Single A4 sheets that you can cut down to the desired size

We have Resource Centre sticker template instructions on how to get the best results for designing stickers onto our sticker sheets. There are also templates available in PDF or MS Publisher formats. Publisher is available on our public computers in the Centre.

Prices:

Back & white on matt paper: 30p per sheet
Black & white on glossy paper: 65p per sheet
Colour on matt paper: 45p per sheet
Colour on glossy paper: 80p per sheet

Governance Surgeries for Trustees and Managment Committee Members

10/10/2014

When: Tuesday 11th November, 5-7pm (drop in any time between 5.00pm and 7.00pm, as long as they know to expect you)

Where: Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD

What: The people in charge of a community group or voluntary organisation are called trustees, directors, board members, committee members, or governors. They are the ones responsible for directing the business of a group or organisation. They play a vital role, usually as volunteers, and make the decisions that really matter about a group or organisation’s finances, resources, activities and plans for the future.

If you are in this role, or you are considering stepping into a governance role in a community group, voluntary organisation or charity, then this governance surgery is for you! Community Works are bringing together all of the expertise, information and advice you could need, to answer those questions you might be afraid to ask or don’t know who to ask. The experts will be able to give you information and honest advice on a range of areas, including:

  • Employment law and staffing issues
  • Charity finance and financial management
  • Charity law
  • Roles and responsibilities of trustees or management committee members
  • Good governance practice
  • Developing a management committee or trustee board
  • Effective relationships between staff and management committees or trustee boards
  • Best practice in volunteer management, safeguarding and equalities

Community Works are also looking to develop a support network for trustees and would welcome your thoughts on whether this would be helpful to you, either at the Governance Surgery or by getting in touch with them directly on [email protected] or 01273 234023.

Many thanks to the Skills Exchange Network who are kindly supporting this surgery. To find out more go to: www.bhcommunityworks.org.uk/business/skills-exchange

The Governance Surgery is taking place as part of the Community Works Annual General Meeting and Sector Star Awards. To find out more visit: www.bhcommunityworks.org.uk/cw-surgery-agm-awards.

Cost: FREE to attend, but is only open to trustees or management committee members from organisations operating in Brighton and Hove

Book Now: cw-surgery-agm-awards.eventbrite.co.uk

For more info:

[email protected]

01273 234031

@bh_cw

Free first aid for babies and children course

10/10/2014

Brighton and Hove Councils Community Learning team offers a free one day (3h 15m) first aid for babies and children course.

The course is currently offered to both Children’s Centres and schools citywide. The course is also free to community groups who have group members who are:

  • Brighton & Hove resident
  • Unemployed (and in receipt of income related benefits)
  • Looking for work
  • On a low income
  • Have 5 or fewer GCSE’s /below Level 2

The free course covers:

  • Managing burns and scalds
  • How to deal with choking
  • The recovery position
  • Basic life support for children and babies

An optional booklet resource is also supplied at the end of the course at a subsidised cost of £2. Feedback has said that this booklet is extremely useful. Free ‘Key Notes’ handouts will also be available for those who do not buy a resource booklet.

The course runs on either Wednesdays or Thursdays (available dates change from day to day so please always double check for availability) and they aim to run the session so that it starts after drop off and completes before pick up times for school.

Community groups can get this tutor led course for free. You need to supply the venue/room and find a group of between 8 and 12 people to take part.

Call Lawrence Latham on 01273 290563 if you are interested in having a free course for this, or next term. Or call or email if you would like to discuss the course in more detail.

Free online publicity for community events and groups

09/10/2014

My Brighton and Hove, the largest local history and community website which has been established since 2000, have a new section, Community Matters, which will promote community groups and community events.

They would like to give community groups who would otherwise not have the facility to promote themselves online, the chance to reach thousands of local website visitors.

My Brighton and Hove are a ‘not for profit’ group and so their constitution precludes them from promoting any event or group which involves any commercial gain.

If you would like to find out how you can raise the profile of your community group or promote your fundraising event please contact Jennifer Drury, My Brighton and Hove Website Editor

[email protected]

Community First Grants for St Peters & North Laine and Queens Park Wards

26/09/2014

Deadline 31st October 2014 

St.Peter’s North Laine
has £11,655 in grants to allocate for projects that benefit the Ward and meet locally identified priorities.  Amounts of up to £2500 can be applied for by voluntary and third sector groups.  Projects need to be completed (or the Community First funded part of the project) by 1st March 2015 and need to bring at least equal amounts of Match Funding – can be in cash or kind (includes volunteer hours).

Completed application forms have to be received by email by 5pm on 31st of October with projects being able to start as soon as they have had confirmation of the grant.  Further details and application forms can be found at:

http://spnlfirst.wordpress.com/meeting-grant-deadline-dates/

Queens Park Ward
has £17,037 in grants to allocate for projects that benefit the Ward and meet locally identified priorities.  Amounts of up to £2500 can be applied for by voluntary and third sector groups.  Projects need to be completed (or the Community First  funded part of the project) by 1st March 2015 and need to bring at least equal amounts of Match Funding – Can be in cash or kind (includes volunteer hours).  Completed application forms have to be received by email by 5pm on 31st of October with projects being able to start as soon as they have had confirmation of the grant.  Further details and application forms can be found at:

http://qpwnfp.wordpress.com

For further info and/or application forms contact [email protected]

 

Free Action Learning Set for local Volunteer Coordinators and Managers

24/09/2014

The Volunteer Centre Brighton and Hove is pleased to be able host an Action Learning Set for local Volunteer Coordinators and Managers.

This Action Learning Set offers the opportunity for a group of volunteer coordinators and managers to meet regularly to find solutions and share learning on volunteer management.

The benefits include; getting support from your peers on volunteer management,  the opportunity to find solutions and reflect on your practice, gain new skills

How does my organisation benefit?

  • Peer learning is cost effective as learning is entrenched and brought back to the organisation
  • The process is about finding solutions
  • It is FREE to participate
  • The group will be facilitated by experts in the field of Action Learning, Suzanne O’ Hara and Tom Bourner

Action Learning Set is FREE to participants. All we ask in return is that you:

  • Attend taster session
  • Attend 6 Action Learning Set sessions and closing session
  • Bring along a current work issue to discuss at each meeting
  • Complete the pre and post questionnaire for evaluation

All sessions are ½ day and will take place at set intervals agreed with the group, over a 6 month period.

The taster session is Wednesday 15th October, 9.30-1pm, Venue TBC

Places are limited and restricted to one participant per organisation

To register your interest or more information, please contact Sue Shaw: [email protected]

 

Free training: supporting volunteers with mental health needs

24/09/2014

Better Futures is hosting a *free* day’s training exploring practical tools to support people with mental health needs.

8th October 2014 – 10-4.30pm to tie in with World Mental Health Week

On the day participants will:

Understand how mental health affects the journey of volunteering – with tips for recruitment, retaining your volunteers if they have difficulties, how to talk about mental health, manage risk and when to signpost to local specialist services.

Click here to learn more and book your place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/supporting-volunteers-with-mental-health-needs-tickets-12794752449

Learning Outcomes – By the end of the day you will be able to:

  • Explore expectations around medical diagnoses such as Schizophrenia, and Borderline Personality Disorder and how they may be a barrier to volunteering
  • Understand ways to get people talking about mental health, how to do a disclosure policy and manage personal information in your volunteer team.
  • Gain confidence in an approach that you can apply to all mental health issues, to identify helpful ways to support someone in their role.
  • Learn from direct experience about what helps and what doesn’t, from both a volunteer perspective and a volunteer supervisor.
  • Gain strategies to deal with: Welfare Benefits, Medication and some of its side effects, Risk management, and what to do when a role doesn’t work out.
  • Learn useful language and ways to approach volunteers if they are having difficulties.
  • Clearly understand the boundaries around a supervisor role and when to signpost to specialist services.

Entry level

  • Suitable for people working with volunteers, without any experience with mental health.
  • You might already be supporting volunteers with mental health and want to gain more confidence with this.
  • You may want to make your volunteer service more inclusive.
  • You might be new to a volunteer supervisor role.

*NB-* This day is not focused on any specific diagnosis, but gives strategies that can be applied to all mental health issues, when working with volunteers. Better Futures can signpost you to courses on specific issues, if you let us know

Better Futures helps people with a variety of support needs find volunteering opportunities that teach them real skills that will help them get the work they’re looking for in the future. They also provide a wide range of support both to the people volunteering, and the organisation they are volunteering for, allowing people who’ve never volunteered before to have all the help they need to make a success of volunteering. To learn more about Better Futures, please follow this link: http://www.bh-impetus.org/get-support/#better-futures

 

Safety Net training – October 2014

24/09/2014

Safety Net are pleased to offer the following courses running during October. Please click on the course title to book via Eventbrite or contact [email protected]

Supervising to Safeguard – Wednesday 8th October  

This course is suitable for all managers who, as part of their role, have responsibility for both supervision of staff and safeguarding children. This whole day programme is designed to support managers in developing their supervision practice to promote safe effective practice in a children’s service or organisation, in line with their organisation’s  supervision policy. There will be opportunities to build on existing skills and deepen understanding alongside managers from other professional backgrounds.

**New venue** Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton

10am – 4pm, Cost – £50

Sexting Workshop – Wednesday 22nd October

This new half day workshop aims to explore issues associated with the fairly modern phenomenon of ‘sexting’ (sending and sharing explicit sexual content via digital and social media) and the impact this has on young people’s attitudes, knowledge and safety. This workshop would be useful and suitable for anyone working with young people. You will gain a greater awareness of the motivations behind sexting, the legal context and ways to educate and support young people about the associated issues.

Safety Net Offices, Portslade

9:30am – 12:30pm, Cost – £25

Introduction to Safeguarding & Child Protection for Community Groups – Thursday 23rd October

This course is an introduction to safeguarding and child protection issues for those who have contact with children or young people as part of a small community project/group. You will gain a basic understanding of your role in establishing a safe environment and safe working practices in protecting children and young people from harm and abuse.

Safety Net Offices, Portslade

10am – 1pm, FREE

Listen to Us! – Friday 24th October

A one day training course for all those working with children and young people who want to learn practical and fun techniques to increase young people’s involvement in your organisation.Topics covered include: why we need to listen to young people; using art to explore views and opinions; how to make the most of affordable easy to use video equipment to increase participation; and benefits of participation to you and your organisation. The training will be co-delivered by young people who have co-designed the training session.

Safety Net Offices, Portslade

9:30am – 3:30pm, Cost – £50

Disability Awareness Workshop

24/09/2014

Date: Tuesday 11th November

Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm

Venue: Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton

Trainer: Jon Hastie from The Fed Centre for Independent Living and Ingrid Ashberry and Sarah Watson from Brighton & Hove Speakout

To book a place contact [email protected] or call 01273 234031

This session will provide an overview of the social model of disability and look at the obligations for groups and organisations under the Equality Act.  It will also present findings of recent local research highlighting the barriers faced by disabled people in Brighton & Hove.  With both increasingly challenging operational conditions and widespread national reforms, it is more important than ever that groups and individuals have the tools and the confidence to identify both needs and solutions for disabled people in the city and can use this to develop accessible services.

By the end of the workshop session members will be able to:

  •  Understand the definition and types of Disability in the Equality Act 2010;
  • Identify the barriers disabled people may experience and their impact;
  • Identify ways in which barriers can be removed or minimised to ensure disabled people may access services and employment opportunities and access channels of influence so that their views may be represented

Diversity Awareness Workshop: with a focus on race and religion

24/09/2014

Date: Tuesday 14th October

Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm

Venue: Community Base Conference Room, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG

Trainer: Yaa Asare, BMECP

To book a place contact [email protected] or call 01273 234031.

 

This session will explore the concept of ‘difference’ as compared with ‘normality’ within the framework of the 2012 Equalities Act of 2010, with a particular focus on the protected characteristics of race and religion.  It will investigate key terminology to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of injustice.  A short film will be viewed to explore the effect of religious stereotyping and ways in which we can challenge prejudice and discrimination will be considered.

 

By the end of the workshop session members will be able to:

 

  • Explain key definitions and concepts
  • Understand their role in relation to the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.
  • Understand the experience of difference for people with a legally protected characteristic – race and religion
  • Recognise how personal values and perceptions can inform unconscious bias and the potential impact in communities
  • Gain awareness of approaches they may use to challenge racial discrimination