newsletter nov web
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome
Inside Voscur’s MagazineBristol’s e-procurement system explained
Create your own domain name
E-Learning and Moodles
Forthcoming Funders’ Fair
Funding
Voscurs – winners announced
Tackling Hate Crime
Equalities Network
Conservative view on community empowerment
Supporting Voluntary & Community Action November & December 2008
!Im
age:
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le W
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Welcome
www.voscur.org 3
Contents4 Editorial
5 Voscur News Neighbourhood Learning Shadowing Scheme
Refreshed Voscur Board
Voscur staff ‘skilling up’
6-7 The Voscur Awards Awards to celebrate the work done by the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Bristol
8 What’s Happening in the Sector Community Development support
Equalities Network
9-14 Have Your Say Neighbourhood Partnership Seminar
Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’ Forum
New Bristol Partnership unveiled
Vox Pops – Impact of the credit crunch on charitable giving
An effective voice for Disabled people
The Conservative view on community empowerment
Bristol LINk
17 Volunteering Bristol
18-19 Equalities Equalities and Human Rights Commission funded research
20-21 Hate Crime Tackling Hate Crime
23 How To - ICT Create your own domain name
24-25 How To - Funding & Finance Bristol e-Procurement System (BePS)
Pre – Tender Questionnaire online toolkit
Funding Fair
News from Quartet Community Foundation
26-27 How To - Good Practice Supporting you to support yourself
28-29 How To - Green Pages Green Christmas
30-32 Children & Young People Action Research Project
Voscur Reps
34-35 Voscur Training & Learning e-Learning – Moodles
Virtual Learning Environments
36 Diary
Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent
those of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.
Thrive! is available on disc. Please contact
the office if you would like to
receive your Thrive! this way. The
newsletter is also available online as a pdf
at www.voscur.org/magazine
Why not advertise?Special discounts for Voscur members!Deadlines for January 2009 Thrive!:2 December 2008 for ads, 16 December 2008 for flyersDetails of prices at www.voscur.org/magazineor phone Polly Stewart on 0117 909 9949
“Professional, but warm and
friendly” was one of the many
compliments that we received
about our Annual General Meeting
and Conference held at the
beginning of October. Thanks very
much to all of you who came and
made it such a successful event.
Our first speaker, Councillor Helen
Holland used the inclusion of the
Environment for a Thriving Third
sector target in the Local Area
Agreement as an example of the
Council’s commitment to the
sector. Discussing commissioning,
Councillor Holland talked about
grants existing in the future but
‘not in the same way’, signalling
change on the horizon.
Workshops run by NAVCA,
Bassac, and ProHelp helped us
look to the future in terms of
the commissioning agenda and
partnership working. The Media
Trust talked about marketing of the
sector.
The Chief Executive of Bristol City
Council, Jan Ormondroyd, told us
about the difficult job of changing
the culture of a large organisation
so that it was more responsive and
flexible.
The highlight of the day was the
Voscur awards which celebrated
the excellent work of the sector in
Bristol and also recognised public
sector support.
The formal business of the Annual
General Meeting saw four new
members elected onto Voscur’s
board, so that we now have a full
complement of elected board
members – an indicator of a
healthy organisation.
It is usual Voscur practice to
announce our representatives to
the Bristol Partnership at our AGM.
We were not able to this year as
the Partnership was restructured
during the summer. We have now
seen the proposed new structure
and will be working to make sure
that the sector is fully involved as a
partner.
Jan Ormondroyd has told us that
she wants to see a transparent
commissioning framework for
the Partnership. The Partnership
is responsible for delivering the
Local Area Agreement target
Environment for a Thriving Third
Sector. Voluntary and community
sector organisations must be
in a position to influence and
deliver services. It’s important,
therefore, that Voscur members
are represented at all levels within
the Partnership.
We don’t want to get caught up in
processes, but getting the process
and structure right will make a
difference to the outcome. We
want to contribute to practical
partnership activities that make a
difference to people in Bristol.
www.voscur.org4
Editorial
Getting it Right
Wendy Stephenson - Chief Executive
?
Wendy Stephenson reports on Voscur’s Annual Conference and discusses representation at the Local Strategic Partnership
key to symbols
EqualitiesArticle
Training
Resources
Event
Voscur
www.voscur.org 5
Refreshed Voscur Board
Voscur News
Do you want to get a better understanding of what a Councillor does? Do you want to understand how the council works and how you can influence it? If so, why not take part in a Neighbourhood Learning Shadowing Scheme?
Following the successful Councillor
shadowing programme that Voscur
ran early in 2008, Voscur is running
a new shadowing programme from
January to March 2009. We are
expanding it this year to include
Councillors and senior managers.
Why should you take part? This
will give you the chance to
shadow a Councillor or senior
manager for a day, and is a great
opportunity for you to gain a
greater understanding of how
the Council works and the role of
local councillors. You will also be
able to share your ideas about the
needs of your neighbourhood or
community of interest.
For more information
please contact Hannah
Parker on
0117 909 949 or e-mail:
Voscur is pleased to welcome Max Beseke, Red Cottam, David Elson and
Joanna Holmes to our board, all bringing different skills and experiences
to the mix. We are particularly pleased to have different neighbourhood
perspectives (Red and Joanna), alongside a tenants’ (David) view, and the
experience that Max brings from the advice sector.
We are sorry to lose Ian Steele, who is stepping down as chair and board
member. He has been a great chair, bringing humour and direction to the
role. Thanks also to James Carpenter who has also stepped down this year.
For details of Voscur’s Board of Directors visit:
www.voscur.org/about/who
A Day in the Life of…
New Voscur Board members Joanna Holmes and Red Cottam
Skilling UpSophie Bayley, Hannah Parker, Ruth Pitter and Wendy Stephenson have
all completed the first year of the Diploma in Teaching in the Life Long
Learning Sector at City of Bristol College.
“It was great to be able to work as a team outside of the work environment
and improve and develop our skills together. The learning has been
really useful and will bring benefits to our members in that our training
and learning events will be even better” explained Hannah Parker,
Neighbourhood Learning Co-ordinator.
For further information on Voscur’s Training and Learning
opportunities visit: www.voscur.org/training?
www.voscur.org6
The Voscur Awards
and the winner is...
The winners of the first Voscur awards celebrating the fantastic and innovative work done by the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Bristol were announced at the Voscur Annual Event on Thursday 2 October 2008.
The awards were presented by Bristol City Council Leader, Helen Holland and Chief Executive, Jan Ormondroyd.
To see details of all the nominations for the 2008 Voscur awards visit www.voscur.org/voscurnominations
www.voscur.org 7
The Voscur Awards
Winner
Wellspring Healthy Living Centre, www.wellspringhlc.org
Runners up
Pickle Factory, www.snipurl.com/picklefactory
The Vassall Centre, www.vassallcentre.org
The Withywood Centre, www.withywoodcentre.com
Community Venue of the Year
Winner
BCFM Community Radio, BCFM Community Radio
Runners up
Clover House, www.cloverhouse.org
PIPA, www.hartwood.org.uk/pipanew
Refugee Awareness Project, www.refugee-action.org.uk
Most Innovative or Engaging Project
Winner
Ricardo Sharry
Runners up
Faaduma Mohammed,
Kai Paulden,
Marryanne Kempf,
Paulette North
Most Active Community Activist
Winner
BREAD Youth Project, www.breadyouthproject.org.uk
Runners up
Werburgh’s Community Centre, www.stwerburghs.org.uk
St Pauls Afrikan Caribbean Carnival, www.stpaulscarnival.co.uk
Trinity Community Arts, www.3ca.org.uk
The ‘I Will Survive’ Award
Winner
John Bos (BCC Community Buildings Officer)
Runners up
Sally Oldfield (BCC Local Nature Reserves Officer)
Claire Teasdale (BCC Arts & Festivals Officer)
BEST (Bristol East Side Traders), www.bristoleastsidetraders.co.uk
Thanks for Supporting the Sector
What’s Happening in the Sector
www.voscur.org8
In changing times when the talk is of commissioning
and social enterprise, regionalisation and
modernisation, I am reminded of my colleague at
the Black Development Agency, Ayannah Griffith’s
question, ‘Who is watering the roots?’. Promoting
Voscur’s Neighbourhood Learning programme this
year, we have missed the support of Neighbourhood
Facilitators (part of the Neighbourhood Renewal
programme). Bristol City Council Development
workers, previously supporting groups at a grass roots
level, are now part of the Community Engagement or
Community Cohesion teams, which have a different
focus.
Through Bristol City Council investment and the
Capacitybuilders funded ‘Sustaining the Sector’
programme, Voscur and Black Development Agency
are able to provide some one to one support to
smaller groups and Voscur’s Neighbourhood Learning
Programme will reach out to neighbourhood groups.
As part of the programme we are running the course,
‘Ideas into Action’ for those who have an idea or want
to change something and want to know how to set up
a group.
We want to know: If you are a small group looking for
support; If you know of a group of people coming
together to try and achieve something locally; Are
there local issues not being addressed
Let us know and we will see what we can do.
Email: [email protected] with the subject ‘Needs’
‘Turning Ideas into Action!’ 4 and 11
November, Beacon Centre, Russell Town
Avenue, Bristol BS5 9JH, 6 – 9.00pm. Cost:
Free. Rebekah Hacker on 0117 909 9949
or go to www.voscur.org/training
Equalities Network 25 November, 10am – 12.30pm
The next Equalities Network meeting will include
a presentation by Qaiser Razzak, manager of the
Equalities and Human Rights Commission, English
regions, South West office.
The event will be held in the Terrace Room, the
Lighthouse Building, Barton Hill Settlement, Ducie
Road, Bristol BS5 9JH.
A hot lunch will be provided so booking is essential.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0117 909 9949
Book online at www.voscur.org
Who is Watering the Roots?
Qaiser Razzak will be at the next Equalities Network meeting
What community development support is available to Bristol’s community groups?
?
Human Rights on the Agenda
www.voscur.org 9
Have your say
The revised structure will see a
smaller Executive Board (for full
proposals see www.voscur.org/
bp). The council has identified
that ‘it is expected’ that either
the Chief Executive or Chairs from
Voscur and the Black Development
Agency would be Voluntary
and Community Sector (VCS)
representatives on the Executive
Board’.
Sub-boards that align with Bristol’s
Sustainable Community Strategy
are proposed. These are:
Prosperous and Ambitious
Partnership Board
Learning City (Children and
Young People’s Partnership
Board)
Safe and Healthy city (Safer
Bristol Partnership Board / Health
and Wellbeing Partnership
Board)
City of Thriving Neighbourhoods
(Neighbourhood Partnerships
Board)
Voscur raised concerns at the
cabinet meeting about the lack
of active representation from
Equalities Communities either in
influencing decision-making or as a
scrutiny function on the new Bristol
Partnership Executive Board.
Voscur has always held elections for
members to decide representation
to Bristol Partnership and the new
proposals would change this. As
Thrive! goes to press, a meeting
has been arranged for the Voscur
board and existing Voscur reps to
discuss VCS representation on the
revised new Bristol Partnership.
Look out for the insert with
details on the Voscur reps
elections in this issue of Thrive!
or visit www.voscur.org/
representation
New Bristol Partnership UnveiledAt the end of September, the cabinet members of Bristol City Council approved the accountability and governance framework for the relaunched Bristol Partnership (Bristol’s Local Strategic Partnership)
Driving the city wide modernisation agenda Tackling deprivation Ensuring the future economic, environmental and social well being of the city Promoting equalities & community cohesion Overview of the Partnership in its community leadership role Overseeing the delivery of SCS priorities, including the moni-toring of the delivery of Local Area Agreement (LAA)/Multi Area Agreement (MAA)
Prosperous
and Ambitious
Partnership Board
Learning City
Children and
Young People’s
Partnership Board
City of Thriving
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhood
Partnerships
Safer Bristol
Partnership Board
Wellbeing
Partnership Board
Safe and Healthy City
Bristol Partnership Executive Board
www.voscur.org10
Have your say
www.voscur.org 10
Neighbourhood Partnership Seminar
Bristol City Council’s Community Development Team is
organising a Neighbourhood Partnership Seminar on
Monday 10 November 12.00 –3.00pm at the Council
House.
The seminar, which is being held in advance of Bristol’s
second ‘state of the city’ debate is expected to focus
on what is working well and not so well in the city and
how this might be addressed through Neighbourhood
Partnerships.
The event will also include a question and answer
session with leading politicians from each of the
council’s political groups and leading council staff.
As Thrive! goes to press the full details are
not yet available but look out for updates
on the Voscur website:
www.voscur.org/brispartnership/np
Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’ Forum
The next Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’
Forum (NPRF) will take place on Saturday 22
November, 10.00 -1.00pm at the Greenway centre,
Doncaster Road, Southmead, Bristol BS10 5PY
The Forum is a meeting for residents involved
with their local Neighbourhood Partnerships.
Councillor Terry Cook, the Executive Member for
Neighbourhoods and Graham Sims, the newly
appointed Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods
have been invited to the next NPRF meeting to set
out the roles and responsibilities for Neighbourhood
Partnerships and how they see this new local
governance structure evolving.
The meeting is also a great opportunity to
network with other residents and enjoy a free
lunch. For more information or to book your
place visit:
www.voscur.org/brispartnership/np or
call Matthew Symonds on: 0117 909 9949
Graham Sims, the Strategic Director for NeighbourhoodsAre NPs pointing in the right direction?
Have your say
www.voscur.org 11
We asked a selection of Voscur
members attending our Annual
Event in October to give their views
on the potential impact of the
global credit crunch on whether
or not people make donations to
charities.
Local or Global Giving?
We asked:Many charities are concerned that the global credit crunch will reduce the number of financial donations they receive from individuals. Do you prefer to donate to local or national charites?
“I give to several local charities – mainly through
habit. There are so many national ones that I
wouldn’t know where to start.”
Ben Barker - Greater Bedminster Community
Partnership
“A lot of what I am involved with is local and
so I’m aware of how difficult it is for local,
especially really small organisations to get
money, so my donations are local but then I’m
also concerned about other issues globally, so I
occasionally go that way too.”
Alice Meason, Quartet Community Foundation
“Personally, I give to national charities and
campaigning organisations and the credit
crunch wouldn’t affect my decision whether
to give or not to give to those organisations. I
would always be more likely to give to a national
organisation than a local organisation.”
Stuart Griffin - Social Enterprise Works
“I donate to Unicef and I’ve done that for the
past few years. I’m dubious of people selling
(collecting for) charities door to door because
I’m not sure if they are legitimate or not.”
Alex Milne - Community at Heart
“I donate to charity but I don’t mind, just where
it’s needed most. I do international, I do local - I
do all that.”
Lisa Blackwood, St Pauls Unlimited
“I donate to Save the Children, which is
international, I think. I’ll still continue to donate
(despite the credit crunch) because I think there
is a lot going into local stuff and so it’s a chance
for everyone to get a piece.”
Mandy Cox, Wellspring Healthy Living Centre“10
Have your say
www.voscur.org12
“My colleague George Osborne,
the Shadow Chancellor, used
an interview with the Guardian
newspaper to talk about how the
progressive aims that many of us
share can be achieved by what we
hope will be the next Conservative
government and that created a bit
of a debate - about whether this
is something that society should
embrace or whether this is a twist
too far for public opinion, to
embrace the Conservatives as the
progressive party aiming to pursue
progressive goals.
I was struck by Kevin Curley’s
(Chief Executive, NAVCA), letter in
the Guardian responding to the
above. Kevin said that, “If George
Osborne wanted to harness the
voluntary sector then he should
learn from three decades of our
involvement in government funded
programmes. We know what has
worked and what has failed. Any
government would be wise to draw
on the third sector’s experience as
it plans its social programmes and
not simply to ask us to deliver them
when the decisions have already
been made’ - there is a challenge
to us that I hope we will rise to.
“I think it comes down to this
question of involvement - to
harness the energy, creativity
and everything the third sector
brings to bear - but what does
that involvement mean? Does
involvement mean recognising the
sector as the organised expression
of community or is the intention to
have the community sector there
as a kind of co-opted cog in the
machine of government?
“One of the key questions, as you
know, is whether voluntary groups
should have a greater involvement
in the delivery of public services.
My answer to that is, of course
they ought to able to if they want
to, but I think there is a danger if
The Blue View on Our Sector and Community Empowerment
Dr Colin Copus, senior Lecturer, Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham
Last issue we reported on the government’s Community Empowerment White Paper. Below are extracts from the Conservative Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering, Greg Clark’s speech to the National Association of Voluntary Community Action (NAVCA) conference in September.
L-R Greg Clark MP, Kevin Curley, NAVCA, Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund
you’re not careful, if through the
blunt instrument of contracting
you find that you’re not doing
something different, innovative
and new but you’re just doing it
the old way, but just by a different
group of people.
“Contracting isn’t the end game
especially for small or community
based organisations. Grants have
always been incredibly important
and I’m dismayed by the withering
away of grants. Since 2002/2003,
contracts have overtaken grants as
being the prime source, the most
common source of public sector
funding. In the last three years
according to the finance study
there has been an absolute decline
in grant giving by 13%.
“I think that is very regrettable
because grants say something
about the question of trust and
question of empowerment - to
say to an organisation we’ve seen
you, we know you do good work
in our community and we don’t
want you to operate specifically
according to our instructions. I’d
like to see more councils – and
government being more confident
in using the grant rather than
feeling constrained to turn grants
into contracts. So I hope that
we can establish through the
Compact a greater acceptance of
grants funding and I hope that we
only use contracts where that is
necessary or where that is the right
course.”
These are extracts from Greg Clark’s
speak to the NAVCA conference.
For a full transcript visit:
www.voscur.org/haveyoursay
Greg Clark, Conservative Shadow
Minister for Charities,
An effective voice for Disabled peopleSince the West of England
Coalition for Disabled people
closed, there has been no
effective voice for Disabled
people’s groups in Bristol. The
Disability Equality Forum, being
part of the Council’s structure
is restricted to monitoring and
scrutinising the Council’s policies
and practice. It wants to be a
more wide-ranging voice for
Disabled people in Bristol. The
Forum is currently considering
alternative structures including
a possible move out of the
Council. Members will vote on
the Forum’s future this autumn.
To find out more
contact Laura Welti
(Monday – Thursday
11am – 3pm),
email: [email protected]
or phone: 07810 506730
Have your say
www.voscur.org 13
“Contracting isn’t the end game especially for small or community based organisations. Grants have always been incredibly important.”
Have your say
www.voscur.org14
Bristol LINk has recently been
launched. It is a network of local
people, organisations and groups
that want to improve health and
social care services.
Pat Foster, LINk Manager explains,
“Bristol LINk’s membership is small
at the moment and urgently needs
people from the local community
who feel strongly about local
health and social care services”.
Bristol LINk will be expected to
represent everyone and will also
work with health and social care
professionals to make sure your
voice is heard.
It will not matter whether services
are provided by the NHS, a local
authority, private company, social
enterprise or a charity, as long as
they are paid for by the tax payer
they will be covered by the LINk.
This includes, for example, day
centres and care homes, home
care, family planning, hospitals
and GP surgeries, as well as health
promotion.
LINks do have teeth and have
been given powers as part of their
role. The LINk will be able to make
reports and recommendations and
get a reply within a set amount
of time, go into some types of
services to see what they do,
comment on local services and
receive a response from local
authority commissioners and
overview and scrutiny committees.
You can participate in the LINk as
much or as little as you wish, from
receiving information regularly
to being involved in working task
groups. You can join the LINk as an
individual or as a representative of
a voluntary or community group.
For more information about
Bristol LINk contact:
Caroline McAleese - Development
and Information Worker for Bristol
LINk, 0117 9589347, email:
Or write to the LINk at:
The Care Forum, Vassall Centre,
Gill Avenue, Bristol, BS16 3JE
Have a Say in Local Health and Social Care -Local Involvement Network for BristolAre you interested in having a say in health and social care locally? You can become part of a new way for local people to have their say about the way local health and social care services are run and developed by joining Bristol Local Involvement Network (LINk).
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Open: Mon to Fri 10am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm
Advertisment
All courses run from 9.30am - 4.30pm
at accessible venues in Bristol
Managing Teams12 Nov Appraisals
2 & 3 Dec How do I manage? – Management essentials * £250 + VAT
20 & 21 Jan Supervision skills
20 & 21 May Project management (3 day course) & 18 June * £295 + VAT
People Skills10 & 11 Feb Motivational interviewing
26 & 27 Feb Groupwork skills
10 & 11 Mar Brief solution focused therapy
23 Mar Difficult & aggressive behaviour
25 Mar Lone working
21 & 22 April Keyworking & support planning
9 June Effective communication
Training & presentation3 & 4 Mar Training for trainers
Specialist knowledge & skills 9 & 10 Dec Dual diagnosis
29 Jan Addiction, dependency & change
2 & 3 Feb Mental health first aid
29 April Alcohol & poly drug use
Training Programme
2008
/09
For further details and electronic booking
forms, please contact Steve, Val or Alex at:
The Training Exchange, Easton Business Centre,
Bristol BS5 0HE - Tel/Fax 0117 941 5859
www.trainingexchange.org.uk
One Day Courses £125 + VATTwo Day Courses £210 + VAT
Fees include: certificates, training pack and home-cooked lunch
Courses run with a maximum of 18 peopleFull course outlines on requestWe also run a specialist drug & alcohol training programme
In-house courses:All these courses and many more can be adapted and delivered for your organisation or in your area.
Change through PeopleBring out the best in your organisation
Volunteering Bristol
www.voscur.org 17
Although four-fifths of volunteers said that they had
access to someone within the organisation from
whom they could seek advice and support, other
elements of recognised good practice in volunteer
management were less common. More than three-
quarters of volunteers reported not being provided
with a role description and almost as many had not
received training for their role. Even so, the majority
of volunteers also felt that although support was
available, they did not feel they needed it, nor did the
majority particularly want written role descriptions.
In fact many volunteers felt that a written role
description would make their volunteering too rigid
and formal.
Whilst volunteers seem not to be particularly
demanding when it comes to formal management
practices, Volunteering Bristol’s own research among
volunteers reveals that they are really frustrated by
organisations that fail to respond to their enquiries
about advertised volunteering roles, or do not inform
applicants of the length of time their recruitment
processes could last. Several volunteers reported that
they had left volunteering because they had not felt
valued, and some because they had been insufficiently
occupied.
Volunteering Bristol encourages volunteering -
involving organisations to join its Volunteer Organisers
Forum where members can exchange ideas and
experiences with their peers to help them use the
good practice advice that is available to achieve the
style and standard of volunteer management that
suits their organisations’ needs.
The different ways in which volunteers are involved
and managed, across activities as well as the different
approaches to involving regular and occasional
volunteers means that there has to be different
models and strategies to managing volunteers and
organising their involvement – one size will not fit all.
Volunteering Bristol will advise organisations that are
looking to involve volunteers for the first time on
what processes they should have in place that will help
them involve their volunteers successfully.
The Volunteer Organisers’ Forum meets about four
times a year, with additional ad hoc workshops on
particular issues arranged as required. The Forum will
be discussing the issue of recruiting and retaining
volunteers in a workshop on 12 November and its next
network meeting is on 20 November.
“Volunteer Management is about achieving a ‘choice blend, in which organisations combine ‘choice and control’, flexibility and organisation’, informality and efficiency’ and ‘personal and professional support’ “
Gaskin (2003) A Choice Blend: what volunteers want
from organisations and management. Institute for
Volunteering Research (IVR)
Main article sources: Helping Out: a national
survey of volunteering and charitable giving.
(2007) The Cabinet Office, and Volunteering
Bristol: Survey of volunteers using the
Volunteer Centre services (2008).
A Choice Blend A national study of people volunteering with organisations or groups published by the Institute for volunteering Research, looked at the provision of volunteer management. It found that the way in which volunteers reported being supported and managed varied considerably.
Change through PeopleBring out the best in your organisation
Research from other cities
indicates that Black Minority Ethnic
and Faith LGB people are often
isolated from the services offered
by both statutory and voluntary
organisations. The findings from
the study will be made available in a
detailed report in Spring 2009. This
will be ground-breaking research
as there is a dearth of studies of
this kind in Bristol or elsewhere.
The views of: Black Minority Ethnic
individuals; LGB people from a
Faith community; LGB and BME
organisations respectively will
be canvassed through the use
of focus groups, one-to-one
interviews, and questionnaires as
well as through online forums. We
hope that the project will lead to
greater recognition and support
for LGB people from Black Minority
Ethnic and Faith communities.
Since July this year two workers,
Leiza McLeod and Edson Burton
have been recruited to the
post. They have researched
the background literature, are
in the process of contacting
Black Minority Ethnic and Faith
LGB people in Bristol, and
are promoting the project in
community print and on local radio.
The first focus group took place in
October this year.
The research is supported by a
steering group, the members
of which have a broad range of
research, project management and
personal experience.
If you are a Black Minority Ethnic
and Faith LGB person who would
like to become involved in the
project through: focus groups; one
to one interviews; questionnaires
or an on-line forum, please email
either Leiza: leiza@bristol-lgb-
forum.org.uk or Edson: edson@
bristol-lgb-forum.org.uk or call
0117 352 5633. You will also be
able to share your experiences via
an online Forum.
For the sake of security and honest
engagement access to the online
Forum has first to be vetted so
please contact the above emails or
number in the first instance.
Equalities
www.voscur.org18
Equalities and Human Rights Commission Funds Ground-breaking ResearchIn Spring this year the Bristol Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) Forum was awarded a grant by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to research the needs of LGB people from Black Minority Ethnic and Faith communities in Bristol.
Edson Burton and Leiza McLeod, Development Workers
The interactive website is the
offspring of a project operated
by national charity Refugee
Action. Both refugees and British
people from all walks of life have
volunteered with the project.
They have visited local groups to
give the facts about asylum, and
refugee volunteers have told their
stories of fleeing persecution and
war.
Rob Wotherspoon volunteered in
Bristol because of the way refugees
and asylum seekers, some of the
most vulnerable and marginalised
people in British society, are
treated. He decided to do
something to counter that.
“In running awareness workshops
with local people, I’ve found that
a lot of people are initially hostile
about refugees. However, their
opinions are not based on any real
facts and as soon as you explain
the reality, they understand why
we should offer asylum seekers
protection and admit that they’ve
been misled by some parts of the
tabloid press.
“The refugee volunteers on the
project have been a real inspiration
to me. It’s so impressive that
they’re brave enough to go out
and speak publicly after all they’ve
been through and in a language
that’s not even their mother
tongue!”
The new site gives people
everything they need to become
community ambassadors for
refugees, including tips on how
to offer practical help and pocket
booklets that put the facts at
their fingertips. The website’s
‘info vault’ is a fantastic one-stop-
shop for facts and figures about
asylum, providing resources and
activities that trainers, teachers
and community activists will find
especially useful.
Bristol’s RAP co-ordinator Claire
Stern, said that many thousands of
people up and down the country
are hungry for information and
want to know how they can make
a difference. The RAP website will
empower those people to act.
To see the new website
and find out how your
organisation can receive
a refugee awareness workshop
go to www.raproject.org.uk
Equalities
www.voscur.org 19
Brits stand shoulder to shoulder with refugees Refugees and British people are standing shoulder to shoulder across the UK thanks to an innovative project in Bristol which recently launched its new website. The Refugee Awareness Project (RAP) website www.raproject.org.uk will act as an inspirational ‘toolkit’ for the many people nationwide who support asylum seekers and refugees in their communities and want to make their voices heard.
RAP volunteer delivering awareness workshop
www.voscur.org20
Hate crime
Hate crime is extremely under-reported in our city and the Bristol Hate Crime strategy is working to address this problem.
Reporting of hate crime incidents needs to
be encouraged in order to ensure that people
can get support; to paint a better picture of
how hate crime is affecting the city; to identify
where the ‘hotspots’ are and how best to tackle
the problem and to make Bristol safer.
Race, faith, ethnicity, disability or sexuality
based bullying, prejudice or harassment is a
hate crime. It can be any incident directly
against individuals believed to belong to,
or believed to be associating with persons
belonging to, a specific group, therefore it can
affect anyone.
It can be any incident committed against a
person or property that is perceived to be
motivated by the offender’s hatred of people
based on prejudice (as above), and should
be determined as a hate crime by the person
affected and not by agencies involved.
Whilst not all incidents constitute a criminal
offence, the effects nevertheless can be just as
serious in terms of impact. Hate crime offences
can range from name-calling, harassment,
criminal damage, graffiti and assault to violence
against the person and murder.
Contacts for reporting hate crime and further information:
EACH – Homophobic (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transsexual): 0808 100 143 (Mon-Fri 10am-
4pm) www.eachaction.org.uk
SARI – Faith-based / Racist: 0117 942 0060 (24
hrs), www.sariweb.org.uk
WECIL – Disablist: 0117 903 8900 voice and
minicom (Mon - Fri 9am-4.30pm)
www.wecil.co.uk
Victim Support Avonvale: 0845 45 66 099,
(Mon-Fri 8am-8pm)
www.victimsupport.org.uk/avonvale/
Avon & Somerset Police: 0845 4567000 (dial
999 in an emergency, 24hrs)
www.avonandsomerset.police.uk
Safer Bristol Partnership: for locations
of reporting centres in Bristol; to report
hate crime online or to download the Hate
Crime Strategy 2006-09 (Easy English version
available): www.bristol.gov.uk/hatecrime
Home office:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/
reducing-crime/hate-crime/
Tackling hate crime in Bristol
The Bristol Hate Crime strategy
was initiated by a small working
group including Voscur, and was
developed from wide consultation.
It is managed by the Safer Bristol
Partnership.
Major successes of the strategy
include the joint working processes
involving voluntary and public
sector organisations tackling hate
crime and developing strategies
to increase reporting. Sharing of
information and data has been
vastly improved, more effective
signposting and support is available
to those who report and a range of
third-party reporting centres have
been established in Bristol.
Reporting centres are community
venues where staff have been
trained to receive reports about
hate crime from the public;
information is then forwarded
on to the relevant agency if the
person reporting wishes this to
happen; the process also enables
better tracking of hate crime
incidents and activity in the city.
The training given to organisations
which serve as reporting centres
is delivered by a consortium of
voluntary sector organisations:
Support Against Racist Incidents
(SARI), Education and Action
Challenging Homophobia (EACH)
and West of England Council for
Independent Living (WECIL) who are
key providers in challenging hate
incidents and supporting those
who report.
For example:
A white person is victimised
because they have a black
partner.
A person leaving a gay venue is
verbally abused by passers-by.
A disabled man’s house is
constantly being vandalised with
graffiti, and sometimes rubbish
is put through his letterbox.
A person with learning difficulties
is frequently verbally abused by
a neighbour, who also plays loud
music and refuses to turn it
down.
Mr X gets constant racial abuse
when walking down his street so
he tends to drive a lot. A brick
was thrown through his
windscreen and now Mr X and his
family are too scared to leave the
house.
Anything like this is hate crime
and should be reported.
www.voscur.org 21
Tackling hate crime – the Bristol picture
Recognising a hate crime incident. Would you report it?
Hate crime
Reporting ensures people get help. No one should suffer in silence – you can help make a difference.
Advertisment
www.voscur.org22
Caring at Christmas runs the 24 hour emergency
shelter over the Christmas week. We rely on
donations and volunteers to keep the shelter
open. This year the shelter will be open from
3pm 24th until 10am 30th December.
We need volunteers to come and
help with cooking, cleaning and socialising
with our guests. We ask that you work a
minimum of one shift over the week. We also
need volunteers in the run up to Christmas to
help in the office, sorting donations and with
fundraising.
We provide 50 beds, showers, 3 meals a day,
services and entertainments in a safe and
supportive atmosphere for people who would
otherwise have nowhere else to go at this time
of year.
We would also gratefully accept donations of:
food, clothing, toiletries and beddingContact Gary on 0117 924 4444
or visit www.caringatchristmas.org.uk
this Christmasgive a gift
that someonereally needs
How To - ICT
www.voscur.org 23
What’s in a Name?How to have and use your own domain
A domain is the part of a
web site or email address
after the www and @, like
voscur.org for [email protected]
or www.voscur.org or bristol.gov.
uk for mailing the City Council or
going to their website.
If you want professional looking
looking email rather than the aol.
com or blueyonder.co.uk your
Internet Service Provider has given
you, you can set one up in 10
minutes for less than £5.
Step One: First set up a Google mail
address – go to www.google.co.uk
and click on mail in the top left
hand corner and follow the simple
instructions to set up the address,
we recommend a user name
format of name dot organisation
(e.g. sean.voscur).
Step Two: When you’ve done that,
head over to www.123-reg.co.uk
and find a suitable domain name
that’s available. Registering a org.
uk domain costs £5.58 for 2 years
with 123-reg, the cheapest we’ve
found.
Step Three: Once you’ve bought
your domain log into the control
panel and choose the section
“manage domain” then choose
“email forwarding”.
You will see a section to fill in that
asks you to add a username (you
can use your own name, or office
or info) @thedomainyouhave.
org.uk and a box asking where
you want to forward that mail to.
Enter the googlemail address you
set up in Step One. Click Update
Forwarding at the bottom of the
page and log out.
Step Four: Return to your new
googlemail account and click
“Settings” (in the top right corner
of the page) and then select
“Accounts” from the list of tabs. In
the section “Send mail as:” click on
“Add another email address”.
A pop up box will appear
prompting you to enter
the address you want to
use – enter the address
you set up with 123-reg,
press “Next” and then “Send
Verification”.
After a short period of time
a mail will appear in your new
googlemail inbox, click on the
link to verify your ownership of the
address.
Step Five: Go back to Accounts
and you will see your new domain
address added, click on “Make
Default”. Your new email address
is now live! Any mail you send will
come from [email protected].
uk and you can tell all your friends
and colleagues the new address.
If you need any more help setting
up more addresses for your office,
or transferring address books,
or using the free calendar, or
setting up a website with your new
domain, feel free to contact us at
Voscur or use the contact form
on our ICT Development services
web page at www.voscur.org/
ictdevelopmentservices, or phone
Sean Kenny at Voscur on
0117 909 9949.
Please note: Voscur does not endorse any specific company, and those named above have been given as examples. It is important to research products and companies best placed to suit your organisation’s requirements. When entering into any agreement ensure that you are aware of the full terms and conditions.
How to – Funding and Finance
www.voscur.org24
The Bristol e-Procurement System
(BePS) is the web-based system
used by Bristol City Council to hold
information on service providers,
contracts and tenders. BePS is
going to be the only way that the
Council manages its contractual
relationships with VCSE groups in
future, including grant funding.
All tendering opportunities over
£10,000 are now processed
through BePS and the council will
only accept tenders submitted on
the system. Over the next year all
follow-up contract management,
monitoring and payments will also
be managed through BePS.
Once you have received your
username and password you’ll be
able to search the bulletin board
of advertised tenders, receive
tender alerts and express interest
in opportunities.
All organisations’ information is
kept securely and only authorised
personnel will have access to it.
Training on Commissioning
and BePS
Bristol City Council and
Voscur have set up BePS
training opportunities for
VCSE groups:
Wednesday 12 Nov,
10.30am – 12pm
Thursday 27 Nov, 2.00 – 3.30pm,
For further information and to
book online visit:
www.voscur.org/training
or contact Sabrina Lee on (0117)
909 9949
Bristol e-Procurement System (BePS) - it’s coming your wayIf you’re a Voluntary, Community or Social Enterprise sector (VCSE) organisation which receives any sort of funding from Bristol City Council you are encouraged to register on BePS.
?
BePS is free to use, and you can register via this link: www.procurement.bristol.gov.uk/. It’s as easy as opening an account with Amazon or Facebook.
A new toolkit has been launched
to help small and medium sized
enterprises develop a pre-
tender questionnaire (PTQ). All
organisations need to complete
a PTQ to be considered for an
advertised Bristol City Council
contract.
For further information and to
download the toolkit visit
www.bristol.gov.uk/ptq
Why is BePs importantto the VCSE?
How will BePs work for the VCSE?
Tendering Toolkit
Voscur Receives Beacon Grant Award
How to – Funding and Finance
www.voscur.org 25
Dependent upon grant funding? Concerned about grant funding drying up?Need to learn new skills to generate income for your organisation?
…then look no further than the Voscur and BDA Annual Funding Event, where you can learn how to:
Plan and price your services to
help you generate income
Make winning applications for
long-term grant funding
Participate in commissioning
processes and take up contracts
Start trading goods and services
The event acts as a follow-up to
the very successful ‘Introduction
to Sustainable Funding workshop’,
which Voscur ran in partnership
with National Council for Voluntary
Organisations (NCVO) on 16
September.
The Annual Funding Event, entitled,
From Surviving to Thriving:
Making your Organisation
Sustainable, will include four in-
depth and interactive workshops
to equip Voluntary, Community
and Social Enterprise organisations
with skills to think beyond grants
and understand how to access
more sustainable and diverse forms
of funding. The event promises
workshop facilitators and speakers
who are experts in their field,
funding information, resources and
guidance, networking and much
more…
19 November 2008, from
9.30am – 5pm at the
Greenway Centre,
Southmead, Bristol BS10 5PY. Book
online at www.voscur.org/training
?
All the Fun of the Funding Fair!
Voscur has been awarded a
Beacon grant from the National
Association of Voluntary and
Community Action (NAVCA) for
our work training Children and
Young People’s organisations in
outcomes-based commis-sioning.
During the Summer training
sessions, groups told us the
kind of support they needed to
engage in the commissioning and
procurement process.
The small grant will help to
support consultation events
linking commissioners and the
voluntary sector on how to
achieve outcomes for children,
as well as further capacity
building training for the
Children’s workforce in outcomes
development and monitoring
For further information
visit:
www.voscur.org/commissioning
?
Pippa Adamson from Red Kite
Partnership highlights the
importance of support.
Successful leaders in the private
and public sectors often work with
a mentor, a coach or an external
supervisor who supports them in
developing good judgment, clear
decision-making and strategic
skills. This helps them deal with the
pressures and stresses of running
an organisation.
To improve the situation, the
organisation might pay for external
support, where a manager/leader
can go and talk through the
current issues in a confidential and
supportive environment. The labels
or names of supporters are much
debated but some of the options
are:
Mentoring – a mentor can guide,
encourage and help you to develop
as a person and as a leader and
manager.
Coaching – Coaches are concerned
with learning and development
through increased self-awareness,
self-regulatory strategies, insights
and commitments.
Non-managerial supervision or
external supervision – providing
support in your work but not from
your line manager.
External managerial supervision –
this is where the organisation asks
someone to provide managerial
supervision, for example while a
manager is away.
Counselling – working on issues,
which get in the way of your work
but may not be work-related;
sometimes provided for staff and
volunteers who have been through
difficult incidents at work.
Action Learning Sets – in an Action
Learning Set, people work in a
group to support and challenge
each other, with the help of a
facilitator. This helps develop
questioning and reflective skills,
as well as working through some
difficult management issues.
Why do it? What are the benefits for you and your organisation?
Role modelling of how to do
supervision well can improve
the quality of supervision in the
workplace.
Off-loading can help you see the
issues more effectively and
can help you be more focused in
your role.
Seeing a mentor or coach one-
to-one can provide personalised
management training. You can
improve your influencing skills,
your communication skills and
get help with problem-solving.
If a Management Board knows
that its Chief Executive is
receiving good support, then it is
fulfilling its responsibility to
support the leadership of the
How to – Good Practice
www.voscur.org26
Supporting you to support yourselfDo you feel isolated in your role? Are you fed up with not getting enough support? Could external support be right for you? Many people who lead organisations can feel isolated in their roles, often due to insufficient support being in place.
How to – Good Practice
www.voscur.org 27
organisation and thereby
improve its effectiveness.
When might my organisation look for external one-to-one support?
When your organisation is
experiencing change and there
may be stress within the staff
team
When a new Chief Executive/
Manager has been appointed
Where the Board and Chief
Executive, Manager have been
in place for many years
Where the Chief Executive or
Manager has little or no support
in the organisation and/or has
no line manager
Where the person’s line manager
is on sick leave
How can Voscur support you?Voscur has already run Action
Learning sets for Leaders,
Development Workers and
Chairs of Voluntary, Community and
Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector
organisations for our members. We
also have a directory of external
consultants (see below).
Internally, we encourage our
managers to have non-managerial
supervision and have peer support
through our Development Team.
Where next?If you want extra support
here are some places to
go to:
1) Check the Trainers and
Consultants Directory on the
Voscur website under www.
voscur.org/directories to find
appropriate support
2) If you are interested in Action
Learning Sets, Voscur may be
able to help. Contact Sophie
Bayley on 0117 909 9949
3) Voscur is looking to develop
a Chief Officers’ Network to
support you in your role. If you
are interested contact Wendy
Stephenson at Voscur on 0117
909 9949 or email:
4) Go to Trainers and Consultants
Direct at NAVCA www.trainers
andconsultantsdirect.org.uk
5) Funds might be raised to
cover costs if it relates to
capacity building and increased
effectiveness of the organi-
sation. Contact Sabrina Lee,
Voscur’s Funding Advisor on
0117 909 9949 or Quartet:
www.quartetcf.org.uk or call on
0117 989 7700
Thanks to Pippa Adamson
www.red-kite.net
You can improve your influencing skills, your communication skills and get help with problem-solving.
Get back to your roots
Over six million trees were
bought last Christmas in
the UK, most of which
were thrown out after
December, creating
over 9000 tonnes of
additional rubbish - that’s
the equivalent weight of
160,000 of Santa’s little
helpers! So, if you’re
buying a real Christmas
tree, make sure it has
roots so it can grow again.
If it can’t grow again, take
it to one of your local
recycling centres where it
will be chipped and turned
into nutritious compost.
Re-post
It is estimated that up
to 1 billion Christmas
cards (17 for every man,
woman and child) could
end up in bins across
the UK after Christmas.
After you’ve finished with
the seasonal greetings
from your partners and
colleagues makes sure
they are recycled at one
of the many Christmas
card recycling centres. If
you take them to one of
the supermarket recycling
centres you’ll help raise
money for charity too.
You could also try sending
e-cards this year. E-cards
mean no paper at all but
the sentiments are still
there.
How to – Green Pages
www.voscur.org28
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
Follow these top tips to help make your Christmas a bit more environmentally friendly
Switch off
If you’re taking a holiday
over the Christmas or New
Year period then make
sure that all your work or
home computers, moni-
tors, printers and other
electrical equipment not
in use during the holiday
is switched off to avoid
wasting energy and help
keep your bills down.
Buy better
If you’re buying Christmas
presents, keep an eye out
for recycled products.
From fashionable bags
and drinking glasses to
cushions and clothing -
you’ll be amazed at what
you can find.
Visit: www.recyclenow.
com to see a full range of
recycled goods that make
ideal gift ideas!
How to – Green Pages
www.voscur.org 29
Keep some-one else warm
More than 80,000 tonnes
of old clothes are thrown
away over Christmas - if
you get a whole new
wardrobe, donate your
unwanted clothes to
charity shops.
Pack in the bags
Say “No” to unwanted
carrier bags when doing
your Christmas shopping,
take a re-usable shopping
bag with you or re-use
plastic bags. Don’t accept
bags that you don’t need
this Christmas. Cloth
bags also make a great
Christmas gift.
String ‘em up
It is estimated that over
Christmas as much as 83
square km of wrapping
paper will end up in UK
rubbish bins, enough to
cover an area larger than
Guernsey. Use string to
tie up your parcels so that
the paper can be reused.
Umm... thanks
If somebody gives you a
present that you don’t
really want or your
children receive a toy that
is soon discarded - rather
than throw it away, pass it
on to your local hospital,
play centre, charity shop
or school.
Bin those usual resolutions and make a New Year recycling resolution! If you’re not already recycling at work visit www.recyclenow.com/what_can_i_do_today to find out how you can turn your workplace green.
Find out more details on recycling and Christmas opening hours for the Bristol recycling centres at: www.bristol.gov.uk/recycling
Children & Young People
www.voscur.org30
Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) is an organisation
engaged in developing the creative, social and
educational potential of people within the surrounding
community and the wider city. The centre offers
opportunities for young people to participate
in a range of creative projects mobilising video,
photography, graphic design, music, and multimedia
and online platforms.
Since October 2006 Doctoral research student,
Emma Agusita, has been working collaboratively with
KWMC and the University of the West of England to
develop an action research project “Platform Futures
(PF)”. The project is evaluating ways in which young
people engage in creative media activities in informal
educational settings and will look at what kinds of
digital media technologies can be used to extend and
enhance project work with young people.
Emma has been developing a participatory approach
to the research project so that young people are not
simply a ‘source of data’. PF is providing the chance
for young people to become actively involved as
co-researchers and evaluators and there will be a
young researchers group looking at key aspects of the
research. This approach reflects the ethos and practice
of KWMC where young people are encouraged,
through creative means, to participate in decision-
making processes regarding issues that affect them
and their local community. KWMC knows that young
people have a valuable contribution to make to their
communities and that they can have a positive impact
on the perception of young people both within the
communities in which they live and beyond.
Recently, young people from KWMC were engaged
as evaluators in the development and delivery of an
Highlighting the Work of Our MembersAction research project: ‘Platform Futures’ Young People as researchers and evaluators
Emma Agusita outside Knowle West Media Centre - Picture by Tanya Hazell
Children & Young People
www.voscur.org 31
evaluation of the South Bristol Urban 2 programme.
The young people involved had been central to the
‘Archimedia Project’ which received funding from
the SB Urban 2 programme. The Archimedia project
involved young people in every element of decision-
making regarding the planning and creation of a new
purpose built flagship building for KWMC.
By working closely with KWMC’s youth media worker,
Sandra Manson, and with support from independent
research and evaluation consultant Roz Hall, the group
planned the evaluation process and carried out the
majority of the evaluative work. The team then worked
with input from Emma to develop the content of the
evaluation into a publication.
The book In Our Opinion – Young People as Active
Participants in the Regeneration of Their Communities
(2008), suggests a number of effective ways of
working with young people as evaluators. These were
developed in collaboration with the young people
involved and can be applied to the evaluation of
programmes, initiatives, projects and activities that
involve young people:
Be willing to acknowledge that young people are
experts on the issues and matters that affect them
Work to develop a mutual sense of trust and
respect with young people as a basis for developing
effective practice
Be honest with young people. If they are aware of
the facts of a situation they are better equipped to
deal with them
Involve young people throughout the entire
process; don’t just bring them on board to suit your
own timetable or agenda
Aim to enable young people to be involved in
shared decision making about the form of,
approach to and tools used for, evaluation. For
example, allow young people to set relevant criteria
which reflect their priorities, don’t just use pre-
existing ones
Consider ethical issues in relation to evaluation
such as: consent, inclusiveness, confidentiality
and anonymity, recognition, ownership and social
responsibility. Aim to raise awareness, and involve
young people in thinking and decision making about
these issues
Treat young people as equals
Make the evaluation process clear and easy to
understand
Always genuinely listen to what young people have
to say
Sharing the outcomes of the Platform Futures
research project will help to develop and promote
inclusive practice, particularly young people’s
participation in research and evaluation. This
will improve service provision and enhance the
effectiveness of creative media activities such as those
at KWMC that support young people’s personal, social
and educational development.
Sources of further information:
Knowle West Media Centre www.kwmc.org.uk;
Platform Futures Blog
www.platformfutures.blogspot.com
National Youth Agency – see Young Researchers
Network www.nya.org.uk
For further information contact Emma,
Email: [email protected]
Children & Young People - Reps
www.voscur.org32
Reps represent the views of,
and are accountable to, Voscur
Children and Young Peoples
Network members. All of our
Reps are volunteers and are
undertaking this responsibility in
addition to their organisational
roles. Representation is a two way
process and network members are
requested to contact the Reps with
concerns, feedback and questions.
More information about
your Reps can be found
at: www.voscur.org.uk
Introduction to Your New RepWelcome to Sandra Meadows -
the newly appointed rep to the
Diploma Development Group, a sub
group of the 14 - 19 work stream
group. Sandra introduces herself
below:
“I am the Co-ordinator of the
Play & Early Years Training Unit
(PEYTU), a local charity and training
provider for the Children & Young
People’s sector. In my new role as
a member of the 14-19 Diploma
Development Group (sub group
of the 14-19 Work stream) I am
keen to assist in ensuring that
the voluntary sector perspective
is communicated and included in
strategic and operational plans and
developments. My past experience
of working in partnership and
across sectors will assist in
gathering and communicating the
views of those I represent. I look
forward to speaking with many of
you during my tenure – please do
get in touch.”
Email: [email protected]
What are Diplomas for 14-19 year olds?The Diploma is a new qualification
that combines academic study
with work based learning. It will
be available in 17 subjects across
England by 2013. Diplomas cannot
all be taught in one school and
will be offered in partnership with
other schools and colleges. Also, in
2010, £7bn will be transferred to
local authorities from the Learning
and Skills Council, therefore Local
Authorities will be responsible for
commissioning the annual spend
on education and training for 16-
19 year olds.
For more information
go to: yp.direct.gov.uk
/diplomas
Voscur Reps Voscur Reps are there to ensure that the views of the sector are heard and represented at strategic meetings.
Sandra Meadows, Rep to the Diploma Development group
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Training & Learning
www.voscur.org34
e-Learning - Oodles of Moodles
Electronic learning (e-Learning or
eLearning) is a type of education
where people learn through
computer technology. In some
instances, no person-to-person
interaction takes place. It is defined
as teaching/learning experience
that uses a wide spectrum of
technologies, mainly Internet or
computer-based, to reach learners.
Introducing Moodle
Moodle stands for Modular Object-
Oriented Dynamic Learning
Environment. Moodle is one type
of e-Learning and is designed
to help educators create online
courses with opportunities for rich
interaction. Moodle is a Course
Management System (CMS) - a free,
open source software package
which you can download and use
on any computer. You can put on
different modules, activities and
podcasts to help people learn.
Moodle’s modular design makes it
easy to create new courses, adding
content that will engage
Jo Weenink, Development Worker,
Bristol Learning Communities.
learners. This is one way of
reaching people who cannot afford
to attend training sessions. Many
organisations are using them now
and Voscur has its own which
Barton Hill Settlement is currently
using.
Hot Topic
“I’m really excited about this, it shows that digital technology allows partnership working not seen in the sector before and I think it could be the future for community learning”
Oodles of Moodles
New West of England
Community Learning Moodle
Four Local Authorities: Bristol,
South Gloucestershire, North
Somerset and Bath and North
East Somerset have been working
in partnership to develop a
cross authority Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE).
The partnership has been about
sharing good practice, resources
and standardising access to
community learning information
across unitary boundaries.
www.communitylearningwest.
gov.uk
The Virtual Learning environment
(VLE) is being used as
A place to store, access and use
materials
A platform on which to build and
deliver learning activity
A set of communication
possibilities, including
information sharing, videos
and dialogues
A system to track and monitor
learner activity
What does this mean for
Voluntary, Community and Social
Enterprise (VCSE) organisations
and the people we work with?
There is now one place to go to
access information about Local
Authority Community Learning
in the region. This includes the
contact details of all the teams,
what courses are running where,
support for learners who have
attended courses and up to date
newsletters and information
relevant to the sector.
Over the next year, Learning
Communities Bristol are looking
at ways in which other learning
providers can use this resource to
promote courses and services.
In the fast changing world of ICT
and e-Learning we in the VCSE
sector need to make sure we are
not being left behind. This new
VLE for community learning may
provide a model of good practice
of how, in an environment with
scarce recourses we can work
together to promote and support
teaching and learning in the
community learning sector.
To find out more contact: Jo
Weenink on 0117 9039750 or
e-mail: [email protected]
Learning News
The Showcase section
provides links to examples
of interesting online
courses, learning materials and
other e-learning solutions:
www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/
eclipse/showcase
www.bartonhillsettlement.org.uk
www.moodle.org
Learn Direct runs many courses
online, that could be useful for
you: www.learndirect.co.uk
?
Training & Learning
www.voscur.org 35
www.voscur.org36
Voscur Ltd. The CREATE CentreSmeaton RoadBristolBS1 6XN
Tel: 0117 909 9949Fax: 0117 933 0501Email: [email protected]: www.voscur.org
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Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks
Voscur Diary November/December 2008Tue 4 & 11 Nov Turning Ideas into Action (Neighbourhood Learning) Beacon Centre, BS5 9JH (6pm – 9pm)
Thu 6 Nov Hate Crime Awareness St Werburghs Community Centre, BS2 9TJ (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Dragons’ Den – Pitching your Proposal Greenway Centre, BS10 5PY (1pm – 3.30pm)
Wed 12 Nov Bristol e-Procurement Training City Learning Centre 3, BS16 2HD (10.30am – 12pm)
Thu 13 Nov Conflict – Dealing with Difficult Behaviour Gatehouse Centre, BS13 9JN (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Wed 19 Nov Funders’ Fair (Voscur & BDA Event) The Greenway Centre, BS10 5PY (10am – 5pm)
Sat 22 Nov Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’ Forum The Greenway Centre, BS10 5PY (10am – 1pm)
Tue 25 Nov Voscur Equalities Network Barton Hill Settlement, BS5 0AX (10am – 12.30pm)
Wed 26 Nov Making Meetings Work for you (Neighbourhood Learning) @Symes, BS13 0BE (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Thu 27 Nov Bristol e-Procurement Training The Park, BS4 1QD (2pm – 3.30pm)
Wed 3 Dec Auditing your Building for Energy Southville Centre, BS3 1QG (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Thu 4 Dec How to Win Tenders Barton Hill Settlement, BS5 0AX (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Tue 9 Dec Full Cost Recovery @Symes, BS13 0BE (9.30am – 3.30pm)
Introduction to Voscur for small and new groups Windmill Hill City Farm, BS3 4EA (10am – 12 noon)
To book or for further information visit: www.voscur.org or tel: 0117 909 9949
!