All neighbourhoods

Edinburgh Local Economy Day - Saturday 9 April

A city-wide group made up of members from Transition Edinburgh, Bridgend Inspiring Growth , and SEED invite you to a full-day event looking at ways to strengthen Edinburgh’s local economy. As the UK enters a period of austerity and as oil and food prices increase, they believe Edinburgh’s local communities should start thinking differently about how items and services are bought and exchanged.

The morning will include a speaker on alternative economics and relocalisation, followed by a workshop exploring people's relationship with money. Then in the afternoon there will be speakers on local currencies, TimeBanking, LETS and freeconomy. These will be followed by an interactive workshop session to explore these ideas in more details and think about what steps to take next in Edinburgh.

The event will take place on Saturday 9 April from 10:00am to 4:30pm at Riddles Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2PG. For lunch, please bring an indoor picnic and food to share.

This event is free to attend and all are welcome.

Please book a place to confirm your attendance and direct any questions to Transition Edinburgh.

Small grants available for community groups and charities: digital switchover

Edinburgh community groups and charities can easily access small grants in exchange for preparing service users for the digital switchover.

In Edinburgh, television signals are going digital over two dates, the 1st and 15th of June. (BBC 2 on 1st of June, all the other channels 2 weeks later.) The digital outreach project is led by Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council (EVOC) in this area to make sure that people who might not receive information about this are prepared, and will not be faced with a blank television when the analogue signal is switched off.

The project can give out information to the following groups:

• elderly people
• people with learning disabilities
• people with mental health problems
• people for whom English isn’t their first language
• people with sensory impairments
• people who are socially isolated.

For some of these people (people over 75 being the main group, with some other more detailed eligibility criteria), specific assistance is made available through the Help Scheme which entitles people to free visits from engineers and subsidised equipments.

For all of these people, groups can access information, in a variety of languages and formats, which explains what the switchover is and what they need to do to get their televisions set up.

If groups are prepared to pass on information to their members – this can be done in a short Question & Answer session, or through a 10-minute DVD - then they can easily access a small grant of £100-200 that would cover the cost of room hire or refreshments (though not staff time).

EVOC is running a free training date on 13 April at 2.00 pm, which will cover all you need to know to pass on information to others. Alternative dates/times can also be arranged.

Contact the project worker, Sophie Unwin, Digital Outreach Officer, on 0131 555 9100 about this or with any other queries.

Strategic Framework to Reduce Health Inequalities in Edinburgh - Consultation Draft for your views

It has long been recognised that there is a health gap between the richest and poorest in our society. This is evidenced most dramatically by different rates of life expectancy in people at different ends of the social scale. Despite considerable efforts to address them over many years these “health inequalities” have persisted in Scotland and in many countries throughout the developed world.

Statistics for Edinburgh continue to reflect this difference and although people are living longer, the gap between rich and poor is not narrowing. As a result the Edinburgh Community Health Partnership and its Health Inequalities Standing Group (HISG) have determined that a renewed focus on reducing health inequalities is needed across the city and is proposing a health inequalities framework for Edinburgh.

The aim is to promote a wider understanding of a complex issue, identify key players whose work makes a significant contribution to reducing health inequalities and to encourage effective joint action to achieve an improvement in outcomes.

Please see the draft framework .

The consultation will run until Friday 10 June. Please respond to it in one of the following ways:

• via the online survey
• or by post at the following address:

Feedback
Health Inequality Framework Consultation
City of Edinburgh Council
Level 2/1, Waverley Court
4 East Market St.
Edinburgh
EH8 8BG

If you have any further queries please contact Ailish O’Neill on 0131 469 3828.

European Year of Volunteering grants 2011

To celebrate the European Year of Volunteering, Voluntary Action Fund is making available small grants to promote and celebrate the work of volunteers in Scotland. They expect that the majority of grants made will be for around £500. Grants of up to £1,000 may be awarded for exceptional projects.

In addition, free training to help increase the skills of members, staff or volunteers will be offered to groups applying for a grant. Topics covered in the training include:

• Making Successful Fundraising Application
• Charity Law - what you need to know and do
• Managing Money in a Small Organisation; and Measuring Success.

Grants will be awarded for activities that clearly contribute to achieving the following outcomes:

• Increasing the number of people engaged in volunteering
• Increasing the diversity of volunteers, especially those from disadvantaged groups
• Volunteers feeling valued and supported.

Activities likely to be supported include:

• Recruitment drives
• Training and other activities that enhance the skills of volunteers or their managers
• Contributing to volunteer toolkits and resources
• Development or improvement of volunteering policies and practice
• Development of new activities involving volunteers
• Award or thank you events (but not social activities such as parties, meals etc)

Other activities will be considered if they contribute to the outcomes listed above. Applications for the EYV programme are welcome throughout the year with two deadlines being Friday 15 April and Thursday 15 September.

For more information on grants visit the Voluntary Action Fund website.  For general information about the European Year of Volunteering visit the European Alliance website.

Wave of Friendship Volunteer Bursaries

Wave of Friendship are promoting two volunteer programmes that support volunteering. They are:

1. London/Scotland: bursaries of up to £500 in expenses to encourage volunteering between Scotland and London
2. Scotland only: bursaries of up to £100 in expenses to encourage volunteers in Scotland to take up a volunteering experience in another part of the country

This is an exciting exchange opportunity, take a look and see how your volunteers could benefit from this opportunity.

Training courses from EVOC Learning

Team Working (NEW COURSE) on Tuesday 10 May

Working in teams is a wonderful experience! Or is it? We will explore our understanding of team development, expectations and general team effectiveness. Do we expect too much or not enough of ourselves and other team members? Can we do things differently? More of something, and less of the other? Come and share knowledge and team-building ideas during this fun-filled morning.

Dealing with challenging behaviour at work on Monday 16 May 

Challenging behaviour from colleagues can create tension and add to stress levels. It often results in loss of morale, increased absenteeism and unpleasant atmosphere. Learn to recognise the trigger points of challenging behaviour; explore how to diffuse its escalation and identify what to do in situations that seem beyond your control through effective scenario planning.

Giving Feedback on Tuesday 7 June (1/2 day course)

The only way to manage people is by talking to them. This course will give you the tools to give feedback to staff you are managing and your other colleagues. We will explore different types of feedback, understand its importance when building relationships and work on realistic feedback scenarios. You will also have time to identify your own effectiveness when giving and receiving feedback and generate an action plan for your own development to be discussed back in the workplace.

Face to Face Communication on Tuesday 7 June (1/2 day course)

Are you a listener or a talker? Or are you both? It is amazing how much we can learn by asking right questions and really listening to answers. This course will enhance your communication skills in a flash. We will identify individual and organisational barriers to good communication and strategies to overcome these. Come and explore listening and questioning techniques, have fun with body language and go back to work with enhanced awareness, increased skill base and enthusiasm.

The Big Lunch

Since its launch in 2009 over a quarter of the population have heard of it and over a million people have taken part in thousands of street parties, public parks and gatherings on two summer days in 2009 and 2010.

The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project and receives funding from the Big Lottery .  The aim is to get as many of the 61 million people in the UK as possible to have lunch with their neighbours for a few hours of community, friendship and fun. This year's event will take place on Sunday 5 June and a record number of people are expected to take part. Since starting in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all kinds of communities and the best part of a million people have taken part each year.

A Big Lunch can be anything from a few neighbours getting together in a garden or on the street, to a full blown party with food, music and decoration.

The Big Lunch actually delivers what it sets out to do. An incredible 97% of people who attended Big Lunches over the last two years say that they now regularly keep in touch with neighbours. New relationships have been cemented and new local social groups have formed, and all because of one Big Lunch on a summer Sunday.

In real terms this can mean increasing awareness of your work and other initiatives in your area and helping to recruit volunteers and people passionate about their community. Successful outcomes from Big Lunches so far have seen people setting up local groups, skill swapping, car sharing and organising events. You can read more in the fact sheet and case study detailing a real life example of how a Big Lunch has made an impact on someone's life and their community.

To get a free Big Lunch Organiser's Pack, you can register an event at the Big Lunch website. The pack includes leaflets, posters, balloons and all that you need to start planning an event this summer.

For more information you can have a chat with Steve Williams, Communications and Social Marketing Officer for the Big Lunch Scotland, on 0141 242 1512 or 07703 189049.

Election Hustings: 7 April

Scottish Parliamentary Election Hustings will take place on Thursday 7 April from 7.00pm to 9.00pm at the Edinburgh City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh.

Come along and put your questions to the politicians.

This free event will be chaired by journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch. Everyone is welcome. There is no need to book, just turn up. If you have any specific requirements, please contact the Active Citizenship Group at least a week in advance by email or on 0131 558 3545.

You can also download the flier for this event.

Elections Hustings: 26 April

Poverty and Inequality: The Challenge for Scotland

The Poverty Alliance in conjunction with Oxfam , Save the Children, Child Poverty Action Group and Playbusters is organising a hustings event in Edinburgh.

Candidates participating include Alison Johnstone (Greens), Malcolm Chisolm (Labour), Andrew Hardie (Conservatives) and Jacquie Bell (Liberal Democrats). More participants also to be confirmed.

Tuesday 26 April from 6pm to 8:30pm at SYHA, 9 Haddington Place, EH7 4AL

From the Local to the National: Tackling Poverty During Austerity

As the first round of austerity cuts begin to hit organisations and services across Scotland, Poverty Alliance is holding this seminar to provide an opportunity for all those concerned about poverty to look at what the implications are, both locally and nationally. It is intended that the discussions will feed into debates about tackling poverty during the Scottish Parliament elections.

This seminar will:
• Give an overview of key trends in poverty at the national level
• Provide an overview of the key impact on poverty of the changes so far enacted/proposed by the Coalition Government with respect to poverty
• Be an opportunity to exchange information on the local impacts of current budget cuts
• To identify key challenges and how these can be addressed after the elections.

As well as providing information to members and supporters, the Poverty Alliance will get a better understanding of where the cuts are hitting local organisations and services.

Tuesday 12 April from 10:30am - 12:30pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL

This seminar is free to attend. However please note that travel expenses will not be covered and lunch will not be provided.

Poverty in Scotland 2011 - Towards a more equal Scotland?

Poverty in Scotland 2011 is the latest edition of a series providing a detailed overview of poverty and anti-poverty policies in Scotland. It provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, account of the state of poverty in Scotland, highlighting the main trends and the impact poverty has on people and places. The book is edited by John McKendrick, Gerry Mooney, John Dickie and Peter Kelly.

Reviewing Scottish and UK anti-poverty policies since the last edition in 2007, Poverty in Scotland 2011 identifies approaches that have had a positive impact while critiquing those that have failed to ameliorate poverty, worked to deepen its effects or have increased the stigma people experiencing poverty face.

Drawing on the latest data, the book explores:
• how poverty is defined and measured
• what causes poverty in Scotland, and whether poverty is falling
• how poverty has been presented in public debates and popular culture
• how policies, practice and service provision have impacted on people in poverty
• the links between poverty and the environment, health, housing, education, the early years, debt, income maximisation and cultural participation.

Contributions from leading academics and voluntary sector campaigners and practitioners highlight the distinctive features of Scotland’s experience of poverty and the extent to which reserved and devolved policies have contributed to progress in tackling it.

With Scottish parliamentary elections looming and a new coalition in power at Westminster, the book concludes with a discussion on how policy needs to develop if poverty in Scotland is finally to become a thing of the past.

Poverty in Scotland 2011 is an essential guide for voluntary groups and community activists, teachers, policy makers, students and academics working in the anti-poverty field.

Published by Child Poverty Action Group Scotland in association with the Poverty Alliance , Glasgow Caledonian University and the Open University in Scotland.

The price is £11 + postage and packaging. For more details about the book's content see the website, and to order a copy please contact Poe McHugh on 0141 353 0440.

The Christie Commission

The Scottish Government has asked a commission chaired by Dr Campbell Christie CBE (the Christie Commission) to bring forward proposals on the future delivery of public services, reporting in June 2011.

The Commission homepage includes useful links to the Commission's 'remit,' 'membership,' 'evidence,' 'events,' etc.

The Commission's 'remit' starts thus:

"Facing the most serious budget reductions for at least a generation, there is an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of Scotland's public services. At the same time we must continue to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland: by driving up the quality of services (so the average meet the standards of the best); and by redesigning services around the needs of citizens, tackling the underlying causes of those needs as well as the symptoms."

The future 'shape' of Public Service delivery is self-evidently of major relevance to the Third Sector, perhaps your organisation may wish to provide an input to the Commission.

Given that the Scottish Government is currently in pre-election 'purdah,' Commissioners may be unlikely to meet respondents. The Commission Secretariat, however, is able to answer questions or provide guidance.

You can contact the Commission Secretariat at:

Commission Secretariat:
Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services
First Floor, Thistle House,
91 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh EH12 5HE

as well as by telephone on 0131 479 5091 or 0131 479 5014, or by email.

Keeping Children Safe

'Keeping Children Safe' also known as the 'Community Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme' was launched in Lothian and the Borders on Thursday 31 March, following successful roll out in all other regions of Scotland.

The scheme means that parents, carers and guardians of children under 18 can ask the police if a person who has contact with that child has a record for sexual offences against children.

If it is found the person does pose a risk of harm to the child, information may be given to the parent, carer or guardian as a protective measure. If there is a serious or immediate risk, measures to protect the child will be taken through recognised Child Protection Procedures.

Anyone wanting to raise a concern about a child can do so by calling Lothian and Borders Police, where their call will be directed to the Keeping Children Safe co-ordinator based at Fettes. A dedicated team of officers will be based at the Amethyst Unit from 31 March 2011 to ensure a timeous response is provided to members of the community who make an application through this scheme.

This newsletter provides basic details around the scheme and further information will follow to ensure you are kept updated with progress in Edinburgh as well as the Community uptake on this scheme. If you require further information please contact John McKenzie at your convenience.

City Centre

The next meeting of the City Centre Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Thursday 12 May from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in the City Chambers Business Centre. For more details contact Alan Dean on 529-7519.

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Craigentinny and Duddingston

The next meeting of the Craigentinny and Duddingston Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Tuesday 17 May from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Lochend Restalrig Community Hub. For more details contact Mary Dunbar on 529-4415.

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Inverleith

The next meeting of the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Tuesday 24 May from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Stockbridge Library. For more details contact Elaine Lennon on 529-5270.

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Leith

Elementary Food Hygiene course

Cyrenians Good Food are running their next Royal Environmental Health Institute Scotland (REHIS) Elementary Food Hygiene course on Monday 18 April at their depot in Leith. This all day course costs £55 (or £40 for Good Food members). Please get in touch with Jeanie to book a place.

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Pentlands

The next meeting of the Pentlands Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Tuesday 19 April from 7:00pm to 9:00pm - venue to be confirmed. For more details contact Graham Budd on 527-3884.

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South West

Meet the Funders

Meet the Funders is a drop-in market place for public/voluntary groups. A wide range of funders will be there including CEC Community Grants Fund, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Big Lottery, John Watson's Trust, WREN, Prince's Trust Scottish Youth Business Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, CEC Working for Families, The Lintel Trust, Changeworks, Pass IT On, Gettingthere & Sponsorfinder, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, ECAS and Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council.

The event will take place on Thursday 28 April from 2 to 5pm at Gate 55, Westburn Primary School, 55 Sighthill Road, Edinburgh EH11 4PB.

For more details please contact Maureen Thompson on 0131 469 3595.

WHALE Arts Easter Activities and Open Day

WHALE Arts invite you to a day of free events, fun activities and entertainment for all the family to try!

On Monday 18 April from 10:00am to 4:30pm there will be a cafe, cinema, circus skills, dance, drama, exhibitions, food, puppets, performances, photography and more...

Come along and find out more about what’s on at WHALE Arts. See the flier for more details.

Please also see this flier for details about events for children taking place at WHALE Arts during the week of Monday 11 April to Friday 15 April.

Clean-up this Sunday 10 April 10.00am at the Visitor Centre

The Water of Leith Visitors Centre will have a clean-up this Sunday 10 April in the Slateford to Gorgie section of the river. Meet at the Visitor Centre at 10.00am. All are welcome even if you are not a registered volunteer. Tea and biscuits will be available for all workers.

Book now for kids easter holiday events at the Visitor Centre

Easter Holidays children’s events 2011 at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre.

Events cost £4 per child (accompanying adult free) and start at 2.00pm until around 3.30pm.

Booking is essential. Call or email to reserve your space on 0131 455 7367. Suitable for children aged from 4 to 12 years

Thursday 14 April - A Hunting We Will Go
Track, seek and scavenge through the Dell.

Tuesday 19 April - River Dipping
Join us IN the river for this favourite activity.

Thursday 21 April - The Eggcellent Easter Event
Get ready for Easter with this egg themed event.

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West Edinburgh

The next meeting of the West Edinburgh Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Tuesday 24 May from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at Murrayfield Parish Church, 2b Ormidale Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 6EQ. For more details contact Eleanor Gaw on 469 5479.

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Send us your news

Do you have any news to be circulated among the Voluntary Sector Forums? For inclusion in the next issue, please send your announcements and events dates to Julia.

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