octobers newsletter 3 draft edition
TRANSCRIPT
But first we decide to feed them
Following a visit and inspirational talk by
Matt Ellmer (RCO) Grenadier guards. We
have had a number of meetings to decide
the structure and way forward for a full
project. This has included meeting with
some of those wanting to help both able
bodied and disabled/injured soldiers.
We have also now engaged with other
military employment and recovery officers
Based in Chetwynd Barracks in Notting-
ham (Chilwell).
These disabled and injured will be trained
to help other civilian and military and
provide them with trained service and
companion dogs. Most dog trainers being
able bodied we decided to develop a train
the trainers program.
The unique irony of disabled helping to
train others in the same position and the
personal understanding of their difficulties
and problems has proven an employment
winner and helps de-stigmatise any issues.
This has a business sustainability program
under development. Real jobs, Real pay.
Real skills development are planned for
them and working with and alongside their
able bodied counterparts. A wider com-
munity focused project. ………
(read more inside)
We have an agreement to meet again
in the early New Year to discuss further
an employment collaboration with
Goodwill Solutions (Jobs, Jobs, Jobs).
Please visit their web site and see the amazing
Social Enterprise and employment program
inspired by their founder Mike Briton.
Their great work includes helping ex-
offenders and other disadvantaged members
of society. They have inspired some great
employability programs and its fair to say the
OATS and new project team have been truly
inspired by them. We hope to and will be
proud to collaborate with them with next
years projects.
Collaborate Why Compete ???
Jim Vernon (Snr)
Oakdale Arts & Training Spaces Employment & Training is focused
on the new K9 project this month
ARTICLES
CONTENTS
OF
INTEREST
Guest Article
Funding news
Members Fun
Up coming
Training News
Job club
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
It is a great way to do business…..
Helping those with needs or less
fortunate, to help ‘themselves’ and
to help others in similar positions.
Some Organisations
WE WORK WITH OR
SUPPORT (ED)
OATS has its first official Day with the
Guards Regimental Casualty Officers
and launch of its project
www.goodwillsolutions.co.uk
V O L U M E 1
Visit and help us to help
them. You probably
drink many coffees in a
week and it does no
more than quench your
thirst…..this one will !!!
OATS intergenerational
Job Club and Training News
Intergenerational Activities
WE ARE SUPPORTING
Anna has done it again
although now leading on her
own project. She has been busy
painting and drawing simple pic-
tures and patterns and putting
them in cheap picture frames
she has from donations and
charity shops been up-cycling
them with her OATS group
painted pictures inside to make
less attractive pictures in gaudy
frames more appealing. To sell
on the flea markets .This also
involved raiding all our
teams wardrobes for old but
serviceable clothes. So with her
teenage daughters and her
friends also contributing
clothes and pictures. I was
roped in with the Centers
Minibus for a few Wet 05.00am
starts (Arghhh).
Why? To raise £400 for fire-
works for a small group of single
mums unable to visit some of the
local events and no funds for
their own children. Brilliant !!!
WELL DONE all of you….
Now where did I put my favorite
jumper??? ….ANNA ???
Dominated this month by the launch of our project
to help train Soldiers to help others disabled both
military and civilian.
This is to be a real jobs for real pay project.
Training will be provided and overseen by this pro-
jects leader Gavin.
We are aiming high with World Centre of k9
training Excellence status within 5 years the target
for these disabled doing most of that training
alongside their able bodied colleagues. Integration
at its best.
OATS Latest employment Project
JOB
CLUB
JOE
Are you an employer looking
for genuine Job seekers?
OATS candidates come with
a package of employer
support and training and
mentoring for all their Job
Club members.
They are not job seeking to
satisfy some benefit require-
ment, they really want to
work and succeed…..
Our web site has stalled due
to time restraints by a will-
ing volunteer. We fully un-
derstand and empathise. So
we are looking for another
to help….
Some of the OATS K-9 training team
with the first three candidates, Sarah,
Duggie, Andy. (in the Centre) and
R.C.O. Matt Ellmer the Grenadier
Guards, on the right..
They were treated to a mornings intro
to the Way Forward model. Then on
to a Demo/Training session. Buildings
laid on courtesy of David Jones a local
C.O. from Alchemy in Sneinton and no
relation to David Jones in Wales….I
think? Ha ha.
Just a few more official thank you’s General notices
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 3
SERVICE DOGS FOR DISABLED
Have benefitted by a great discount on some
office equipment’s for this project given by
Nottingham Office Equipment
Supplies
(others reading this. We need more help?)
Linda Stevenson (Achieve)
For helping Lee with a funding bid and collabo-
rating with OATS to provide Matrix IAG for
candidates from the Job club projects and
similar support from (FUTURES)
Mike Briton from Goodwill Solutions for
facilitating our Team meeting in Northampton.
All the TEENS and Anna’s Artists for their
clothes and pictures for the flea market for
fireworks for some single parent families
Teen—Agers: The teens
helped with clothes dona-
tions and pictures recently
A few modest funding bids are in
with the ESF to help mostly our
job club and employment projects
lets hope this time your em-
ployability is considered wor-
thy by the ESF board…...
Work should start this week on
the new kitchen floor and large
rear classroom and windows.
OATS support Lady Bay Book
Club reading event.
By dressing up and story telling to the
children with Rory’s idea of an Ali-
ba-ba theme and Anna’s art for the
children’s parents to also get them
involved. We ran out of coffee after a
marathon and rushed service on
cakes n coffee for the area that after-
noon Lee tells me .
We also raised £140 for
MacMillan cancer research
Catch 22 run an amazing event for young
budding entrepreneurs and Lee was asked
to assist with motivational speaking and to
assist with a Dragons Den type of event
for the teens to propose their ideas as a
team having worked up a biz model to-
gether in small groups Peter Jones and
Lord Sugar watch out your jobs might be
under threat soon.
Unfortunately Lee has had to cut down
his volunteer work load due to illness. But
he punches well above any normal work-
load, so hasn't disappointed too many.
Watch this space…( News & Events )
“Govern a
family as you
would cook a
small fish…...
very gently.”
Chinese Proverb
Lee helps young entrepreneurs
If you have projects or needs from within the Lo-
cal community of Bakersfield and Sneinton locally
or within the City of Nottingham generally, that
you think OATS can assist you with. Or just good
ideas for Community projects that will benefit this
area or some minority group locally. Then please
email us initially. [email protected]
More Volunteers from 16 to 60+ needed for
community projects full time, or just a few
hours per week. Please also e-mail or write
first to :
OATS 7 Oakdale Rd, Bakersfield NG3 6NR
Re-fit currently. But mailbox checked regularly
Wales?...Not so distant from OATS vision for
our own Community Goals. ( Guest article Jim Vernon OATS Projects )
1987 a dream of a 4th emergency service was born…..
What is it you ask? Is it that TV commercial for the AA?
Nope! It was an idea to engage communities in being more
responsible and contributing to their independence and family
spirit, yawn! Yep you’ve heard similar many times.
Occasionally the country is gripped by Street party mania or
Football led gatherings of family and pub comradery around
the world cup, or Olympic games in London etc.
But nothing seems to bring communities together like a major
disaster such as a flood or when children go missing….
But then its usually too late. It’s re-active, not pro active and
often short lived….people get busy with their own lives again
and putting bread on their tables.
So how to harness all that community and family spirit? How
to provide longevity to that energy and all the varied talents
and manpower and equipment's available?
The Emergency services have finite resources that get
stretched to breaking almost at times of major disasters. Yet
often there are too many (untrained) volunteers when search-
es for lost children are required for example….A distraction for
the emergency services and how to feed and manage and coor-
dinate or even toilet requirements for a thousand locals turn-
ing up suddenly wanting to help?
Well a blueprint was drawn up by a K9 unit way back in
1987….It still holds good today and it was called the Fourth
Emergency Service Project.
It’s a partnership of the local emergency services and Commu-
nity organisations and its woven into the everyday fabric of
life and community. It is therefore ever-ready, low mainte-
nance but high impact and modest cost to set up and run.
The key is simply training education and co-operation.
SIMPLE? …. I wish.…..But certainly not impossible.
Well nearly three decades on and high unemployment and the
world bank crisis now actually make it a financial necessity and
much sought after resource, or in many cases a needed out-
source. Outsourcing/Volunteering/Community and third sector
funding and employment/Drains on the traditional Local
service budgets etc. now make it easier to grasp/understand.
There are existing portions and local initiatives taking place
right now over many organisations around the country.
But nobody has really developed a standardised package
of measures that can be deemed to be generic to most
communities. Indeed it would be impossible to create a
one size fits all solution. But in fact there are many aspects
that CAN be developed nationally and tweaked to suit local
problems.
I don't want to steal our own thunder here in this News
Letter trying to explain further…..but as per the OATS sym-
bolic logo….(An Oak tree). I’m sure you know the saying
“Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow”
Well a cross border intergenerational and employment
creation model was born this week, to start sowing
acorns across Britain. Starting with an Anglo Welsh pro-
ject launch aimed at community/Employment/Voluntary
sections.
It’s a small acorn...sorry pilot. Being lead by a Welsh K9
rescue organisation and a Communities First and OATS
collaboration to roll out using exciting and innovative
thinking to engage people and communities and create
employment, stronger community spirit and an effective
4th Emergency Service.
Who are they….well its potentially everyone. But primarily
the TRAINED general public. WATCH THIS SPACE
Somerset levels: volunteer spirit rises during flood crisis
How you can join volunteering organisations in the spirit
of the Telegraph's Lend a Hand campaign
We need to learn more about how self-organisation
works: what more can be done to facilitate it; and how
links with more established volunteering agencies can
be strengthened. Not to try and take over, but to see if
there is a way of harnessing such energy for the future.
There is a suggestion that those people, moved to help
out in a crisis, often catch the altruism bug and later
look to more established organisations to see how they
can continue to be involved.
Connecting the self-organised with more formal agen-
cies such as Volunteer Centres could bear rich rewards
in the future.
Random Pictures Gallery
Phil Haig (late of DESA) shows his rescue Dog in training for Earthquake victim searches
Local Landmark “Green's Windmill” backdrop for Launch of our dogs for disabled project . Injured Soldiers will lead this program to help others
Lee plays ‘Peter Jones’ of Dragons Den to encourage young
budding business entrepreneurs at a Catch 22 event
Employability training (CCTV) for disadvantaged
or long term unemployed