To all our members and groups within the community sector in the north west, we want to try and support you as best we can over the next few months. If you need to put a call-out for support e.g. if you need volunteers to help you to continue to provide vital services within the community or have a support initiative that we can help you inform others about, please send on the information to us and we can post this in our weekly e-bulletin, Twitter or on our Facebook page.
Challenging times for us all but we want to work with you and work together so that we can support those in our community who will need it most in the coming weeks. Email any information to roisin@nwcn.org orneola@nwcn.org
Applications will be considered from charities, constituted voluntary and community groups that focus on:
Education – projects that address positive social mobility, disadvantage and raising aspirations. Initiatives that develop individuals’ skills and employability are also of high importance.
Health – projects that address mental and physical well-being and create opportunities for inclusion.
Social – Wesleyan Foundation aims to support projects that develop conscious inclusion, so will prioritise projects that bring the community together.
Other priorities – Projects that can demonstrate an ongoing sustainability, both from a financial and an environment perspective. In addition, projects which build in an element to help reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint.
We Will Fund
Groups that have been running for at least 2 years.
Salary, equipment or volunteer costs that are clearly budgeted and only used for the project – evidence will be required.
Grants can be made for a wide range of purposes including consumables, project or activity costs. For example:
Pilot projects
The purchase of equipment and resources
Extension and development of existing projects (though Wesleyan may give a lower priority to projects they have funded before)
The Wesleyan Foundation is in favour of funding:
Mental Health – all age groups
Bereavement
PSE (Personal Safety Equipment)
Domestic Violence (including women’s refuges)
Isolation /befriending /listening
The vulnerable and elderly
Dementia / quality of life
Social prescribing – alleviating the pressure from the NHS
Getting back to work – innovative travel (cycle schemes) / reducing carbon footprint
Employment – reskilling people (not so much those that support with CV writing) but those that actively prepare you for a new job / new career etc interview prep etc
Outdoor projects – making changes so that services can be delivered outside
The delivery of the projects needs to be following Government guidelines in terms of social distancing etc.
The DAERA Environment Fund 2018 Funding Priorities can be downloaded below. Please click on the tabs on the right for further information. This fund supersedes the previous DAERA Environment Fund 2015.
General information The Environment Fund is always oversubscribed. Successful projects will be those which, alongside existing and other proposed activity, will most effectively help to achieve the priority areas we have identified. These are outlined on this web site and in the Environment Fund Funding Environmental Impact Priorities document.
There are 3 Strands to the Environment Fund:
Multi-year Strategic Environment Fund
In-year Environment Fund including; Ulster Way and NIEA Properties and Land Purchase
4Edge Post Covid-19 Revival Fund How to build back better
We are delighted to announce the launch of the Edge Post Covid-19 Revival Fund. This is a one-off fund with up to £250,000 of grant funding available. Applications are welcomed for grants of between £10,000 and £50,000.
The purpose of the fund is to address the educational challenges arising from the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis. The fund will be a responsive programme of grant funding, open to institutions and not-for-profit organisations working in the educational sector to support the development of projects and initiatives to revive education and support the sector to build back better.
Applications for funding are invited to support medium and long term projects addressing a post Covid-19 education scenario.
Projects must support at least one of Edge’s strategic priorities:
A broad, flexible and engaging education
High quality respected professional and vocational education
Education connected to employers and the community
And address at least one of the following issues or challenges arising from the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis:
How professional and vocational education, including apprenticeships, can be delivered and supported by online learning. This can include the development of online curriculum and resources; and/or how to deliver training in the use of online and remote learning for teaching professionals
How to deliver mentoring and support for students and/or apprentices whether studying within educational institutions, in the workplace or remotely
How to deliver and develop essential employability skills in young people when relationships with employers and the community may have been disrupted or otherwise affected by the Covid-19 crisis
How education, including apprenticeships, could be delivered differently or better following the Covid-19 crisis.
Closing date for receipt of completed applications is midday on Thursday, 9th July 2020.
The Art Fund is providing Respond and Reimagine grants to help museums, galleries and cultural organisations respond to immediate challenges connected to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, and offer support to adapt and reimagine ways of working for the longer-term future.
These grants can provide practical support to fund what applicants need now. If an organisation is experiencing an immediate crisis with no alternative sources of funding, The Art Fund can consider offering emergency support to help organisations manage during this difficult period. Applicants are encouraged to let The Art Fund know what support will be most helpful, such as costs connected to re-opening:
Staffing
Equipment
Training
Planning for future activities.
All public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives in the UK are eligible to apply. Organisations that are a visual arts agency or festival are eligible to apply providing they can meet the above criteria and have a strong visual arts focus.
Grants from £10,000 to £50,000 are available. The Art Fund will consider offering 100% funding.
The next deadline for applications is 6 July 2020.
We previously reported that the Executive has agreed the funding arrangements for the £15.5million COVID Charities Fund. It will provide access to funding for charities who have exhausted all other support options and who are facing imminent closure. Applications to the fund opened on Monday 15 June 2020 and will close at 4pm on Friday 10 July.
We hope you continue to find these updates useful – don’t forget to check our website and nidirect regularly for the latest information on the impact of COVID-19 on our services.
Working Together to Live Well with the ongoing impact of COVID-19 Free online seminar, Monday 29 June 2020, 2.30pm-4.30pm
The restrictions created by COVID-19 on our day to day lives are affecting our physical, mental and social well-being as well as exacerbating inequalities.
Statutory agencies and community and voluntary sector organisations have been responding creatively and finding new ways of working together.
This online seminar, organised by the Derry and Strabane Healthy City and District initiative, brings together people from both the public and community and voluntary sectors who are at the frontline of the response. Participants will share their experiences and explore how we can all build on what we have learned to find new ways of working together in the future.
The seminar will also feature the launch of Developing Healthy Communities’ report Living Well with the ongoing impact of COVID-19, which draws on findings of their recent survey, and learning from the local Community Mobilisation Hub, led by WHSCT in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
All are welcome to take part. We especially encourage anyone in public or third sector organisations involved with helping people deal with the challenges of the pandemic in the Derry City and Strabane District area.
The programme includes:
A Healthy City and District response to COVID-19, Developing Healthy Communities Report launch - Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney
Working together during a time of COVID-19 - Paul Cavanagh, Commissioning Lead (West), Health and Social Care Board
Living Well with the ongoing impact of COVID-19, a view from the C&V sector - Erin Richardson, Chief Executive, Developing Healthy Cities
Sharing the learning from the Community Mobilisation Hub - Seamus Ward, Head of Health Improvement, WHSCT
Breakouts / Group Discussion, on;
How do we build on the potential for shared working in the future, taking into account the learning that we have explored?
How do we build on existing structures and relationships to improve our day to day working?
Please Note:There are limited spaces & advance booking essential
The Women's Regional Consortium is completing a piece of research on Universal Credit and its impact on women and their families. Universal Credit, and particularly the 5 week wait for the first payment, has caused many people hardship and made it difficult for them to provide for themselves and their families.
It is important for Government to hear about the difficulties that you have experienced with Universal Credit. Please complete the following online questionnaire only if you/your family unit have claimed Universal Credit by clicking on the link below. The deadline for receipt of your completed questionnaire is Friday 10th July 2020.
Do you have staff working 21+ hours per week?
Would like to upskill them to achieve a NVQ Level 2 & 3?
Would you like to receive this training for FREE?
Would you like to receive £1000 for every applicant who successfully completes the programme?
You're in luck! In conjunction with The Department for the Economy, Global Horizon Skills are providing incentivised upskilling opportunities for businesses looking to invest in their staff with £1000 going to each business for every successful participant they have completing the programme.
This programme is for new and current employees and offers:
Upskilling opportunities for your existing staff (a number of our programmes have no age restrictions).
Flexible delivery which includes remote support online, as well as on site training.
100% training is delivered on the job during normal working hours, with no requirement for day release.
Qualifications are available to match industry standards across all sectors.
Added Value: Health, safety and compliance-related training also integrated into programmes.
Get in touch if you are interested in exploring this further!
We are a wee bit late in sharing this article but still relevant whatever the dates...
Team AWARE in collaboration with our friends at Place Proud, will be using this opportunity to shine a light on men’s mental health issues this week.
There’s a stigma surrounding mental health in Northern Ireland, with a mounting pressure on men to ‘Man Up’. Men are less likely to open up to their family and friends about their struggles with mental health, which can have worrying consequences.
In fact, suicide is the leading killer of men under 50 in Northern Ireland with 1 in 3 men having experienced suicidal thoughts as a result of feeling stressed. WE THINK IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE…
And so do many others…
Please click here to watch men of all ages and walks of life, come together to stand up for men’s mental health in Northern Ireland
We hope you’ll stand up too by checking-in on 3 of your male friends, tagging 3 of your friends to do the same and donating £3 to AWARE (if you can!). You can also share your own message about how you are standing up for men’s mental health. For more information and to find out how you can get involved, please click here.
Here at Team AWARE, we think men deserve better, which is why we will use the funds raised from our #StandUpForMen campaign to develop an awareness programme tailored specifically for men, giving them the tools they need to look after their mental health and well-being. #StandUpForMen with us and be part of the change.
The Community Family Support Programme is still here, working remotely with new and current participants’ offering Health, Social and Employability support. Current lockdown may be causing isolation, CFSP is here to ensure participants NEVER feel alone.
Community Family Support Programme (CFSP) help individuals / families address the employment,educational, training, health, social and economic issues which are causing problems getting into education, training or employment.
Want to find out more? Talk to a member of your local team today by calling 07710971549 we are happy to answer any questions you might have.
13Plinth Commissions recipients named - Alan Phelan and David Beattie
Void Gallery is delighted to announce artists Alan Phelan and David Beattie as the recipients of the Plinth Commissions for 2020 and 2021.
Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Plinth Commissions is a collaboration between Void Gallery, The Siege Museum and Friends of the Derry Walls. The Walker Memorial Plinth was built in 1826 - a 25 metre high column topped by a 5 metre high statue of the Reverend George Walker who was Governor of the city during the siege of Derry in 1688; the column and statue were blown up by the IRA in 1973. The remaining plinth has historically been a contentious space in the city. The ambition of the commissions is to reclaim the space as a public area for collaboration and collective participation.
Through an open call, artists both North and South of the border were invited to propose a project involving the community that surrounds the Plinth, creating sculptural interventions as part of the collaboration.
The first commission by Alan Phelan will launch in September 2020. Phelan’s project is a crowd-sourced sculpture made by participants in isolation, then assembled to create a final sculpture. This collective making process acknowledges and commemorates the COVID-19 crisis. The sculpture will be of a hyacinth flower; using the red, green and blue colours with petals made in papier-mâché, and is an enlargement of a small work due to be exhibited at Void Gallery as part of Phelan’s exhibition ‘echos are always more muted’.
Launching in 2021, David Beattie proposes a project that will unfold as an invitation to the community to collectively examine the River Foyle as an interconnecting body of water, a richness of biodiversity, and a measure of perpetual time. Participants will be invited to engage with the river through a series of engagements that record their experiences and allow them to rethink their relationship with the river and their natural environments. The project will culminate in a sound recording that will be played from the Plinth and will mark the high and low tide of the river, bringing awareness of the rhythm of the river, and movement of time to people within the city.
Void Director Mary Cremin: “We are very excited about this public art programme that we have been developing as part of an ongoing partnership with The Siege Museum and the Friends of the Derry Walls. There was a great response to the open call and we are looking forward to realising both Alan Phelan and David Beattie’s project and working with the surrounding communities.”
Alan Phelan: “I am delighted to be part of the Plinth Commissions for 2020. My idea is to work with the community to mark this strange time we have all experienced and harness the people power of socially distanced activity to make this public sculpture. I look forward to working with Void Engage and bringing people together by staying apart, as they say, for this project.”
David Beattie: “I am delighted to be selected for this unique commission. It feels extra special to be supported to produce new artwork during a precarious time for artists and art workers. I look forward to working alongside the team at Void and the communities on both sides of the River Foyle to realise the project for the Walker Plinth.”
Void is delighted to announce that we will run an online art bootcamp with Karen Cassidy in July and August this year (1 day per week, 40 min per class) for ages 8-12. Please complete this 2 question survey and tell us when would suit YOU for these to run - we just need to know what day of the week and what time of the day - and we'll tailor it to suit your schedule.
Do share with anyone you think will be interested.
Join FWIN for live events on Facebook! Come together, chat in the comments, learn some new skills and have a laugh.
Wednesday 24th June, 11am - Six-Week wellness!
Take part in our new six-week programme focusing on replenishing, revitalising and renewing the self!
Week One: Uncover links between food and mood with Jade Bradley!
Thursday 25th June, 1pm - Chatty Women Live!
Join FWIN staff Catherine, Amanda and Maeve for an hour of chat and craic - with special guest TBC!
Friday 26th June, 8pm
We are joined live once again by the fantastic Gribbin Girls! The Girls will be singing classics, new tunes and taking requests!
RT @FoyleHospice: Do you have a few hours to spare?
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