The Dormant Accounts Fund NI will support the VCSE sector to be more resilient and prepared for the future by funding activity that increases capacity and sustainability. It will will support organisations to adapt to future challenges and be more financially resilient.
As part of the first phase, organisations can now apply for grants of £100,000 to support activity that improves long-term capacity, sustainability or resilience to best deliver their mission. There is no closing date, so organisations are being encouraged to take their time and carefully consider what activity they need to do in the long term to build their capacity, resilience and sustainability. For full details and to apply visit The National Lottery Community Fund website.
This first phase will also support larger Northern Ireland-wide or sector-specific proposals that will enable collaboration and develop new and creative approaches to sustainability. These could focus on specific themes such as volunteering, digital capacity or diversity and inclusion. These are examples of themes and not set criteria. If you have an idea that would fit with this or would like to find out more, please contact us on 028 4378 0003 or email enquiries.ni@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.
The Pathway Fund is one the Department of Education’s (DE) supports for the early years sector. In support of the DE vision “A system that is recognised internationally for the quality of its teaching and learning, for the achievements of its young people and for a holistic approach to education”.
The outcomes of the Pathway Fund are:
Improved development of children who are at risk of not reaching their full educational potential ; and
An enhanced, more sustainable Early Years sector.
The Pathway Fund is open to all registered providers or facilitators of early years (0-4) education and learning provision such as:
Registered Sessional Daycare Settings (including Out of Schools, Summer Schemes, Playgroups, Crèches).
Registered Full Daycare Providers (Day Nurseries).
Registered Childminders.
The Pathway Fund will be administered over two streams, Stream A and Stream B. Applicants can apply online to one or the other, not both. Only one application per organisation will be accepted.
Closing date for Stream A Applications is 4pm on Tuesday, 2nd February, 2021.
Closing date for Stream B Applications is 4pm on Tuesday, 26th January, 2021.
The NFU Mutual Community Giving Fund (CGF) was set up in 2005 to support community initiatives and charitable events, as well as to help boost staff fundraising initiatives.
What you need to know before applying
Donations are limited to a maximum of £1,000. Ideally we like to fund something specific so we can measure the difference our donation has made – whether it’s purchasing an item of equipment or furniture, or something else that will help people over a long period of time.
We are most likely to approve funding requests which meet one or more of our four areas of interest:
Connecting the community; reducing social isolation, providing opportunities, and encouraging resilience
Providing care and support to vulnerable members of our community
Relieving poverty; improving the health and wellbeing of our communities
Advancing education and experiences for young people
If you’d like to apply for a large donation for a rural cause, take a look at the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.
To apply, simply download and complete the application form [DOC: 579KB] and send it to doing_our_bit@nfumutual.co.uk. You will receive an automated reply from NFU Mutual’s ‘Doing Our Bit mailbox’ to acknowledge receipt of your application.
4New Funding Opportunity for community & voluntary groups in DEA areas of Derg, Faughan and Sperrin
The North West Volunteer Centre is the administrative body on behalf of Derry City and Strabane District council for allocation of DfC’s Volunteering Programme. The Volunteering Programme is designed to support volunteer involving organisations in the Derg, Sperrin and Faughan DEA areas in order to contribute towards the efforts of volunteers in response to Covid-19. Grant applications must focus on areas of expenditure that clearly support their volunteers so that they can undertake their roles to the best of their ability with the maximum impact eg. reimbursement of out of pocket expenses such as travel or refreshments. The grant is also designed to support building volunteer capacity eg. recruitment of new volunteers, training (including online) and Access NI applications for volunteers.
The minimum grant award is £250 and maximum £500 per organisation.
Applications Open – Friday 8th January 2021
Deadline for Applications – Friday 29th January 2021
Claims can be made for the period 1st November 2020 – 31st March 2021
To be eligible, organisations must be in the Derg, Faughan or Sperrin DEA areas and:
I. Involve volunteers
II. Be supporting community need in response to Covid-19
If your charity supports women, girls or those who identify as female, and is looking to reach new audiences, develop a campaign or raise awareness about your cause, then we invite you to apply for a place at Media Trust’s Women’s Voices, in celebration of International Women’s Day.
Join us virtually on Monday 8 March 2021 from 10am – 3pm for a day of creative brainstorming and advice with your own dedicated team of media and creative industry experts.
Free advice from media and creative industry professionals
For the fifth year running, we will be celebrating International Women’s Day by bringing together 30 charities that support, campaign and advocate for women, girls and those who identify as female, with 150 media and creative volunteers from organisations such as adam&eveDDB, the BBC, BBH, Channel 4, Dentsu Aegis, Edelman, Facebook, Google, Hearst, ITV, MediaCom and Twitter to help raise their profile and voices, and the issues that affect them.
The event will also feature talks from inspiring campaigners and sector experts.
To apply, complete the application form below. The deadline for applications is Monday 25 January at 9am. Successful charities will be notified by Friday 29 January. Apply today
With only 30 places available, we are looking for strong applications that clearly outline a specific communication challenge that you would like help to solve, along with how this support will impact your charity and the women and girls that you work with.
This year, Media Trust are committed to support charities who focus on helping beneficiaries from one or more of the nine protective characteristics detailed in the Equality Act (2010): age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.
6Applications are now open for the next round of the Aviva Community Fund
Applications are open all year, with quarterly funding rounds for eligible charities. Funding is available for fresh ideas looking to secure up to £50,000. Plus, our Knowledge Library, Facebook Group and volunteer opportunities are available to all.
Submissions for round 5 close at 23.59 on 26 January. When applying, you’ll see our new eligibility requirements – check these closely to make sure your idea meets the new criteria.
7 Community Leadership in the West - Zoom event today
Details: Zoom Event
Date: Wednesday 13th Jan 2021
Time: 12noon-1pm
Fermanagh Trust, Holywell Trust and Rural Community Network would like to invite you to an online event providing an update on their 'Investing in Community Leadership' programme. An outline will be provided of the programme to date and upcoming training opportunities. During the event partners would welcome your feedback, discuss the challenges ahead for the community and voluntary sector and help support your future activities.
Who should attend: Community and Voluntary sector, local decision makers, funders and all those with an interest in developing leadership capacity.
‘Investing in Community Leadership' an ambitious five-year project which includes new and specific qualifications that support the next generation of leaders, to build their capacity to respond and react confidently to the challenges they face and give them the skills they need to make sure community voices are heard when working with statutory organisations. The £500,000 project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, to help secure a positive future for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. This has the potential to make an important contribution to the future of the VCSE sector in the West and is managed by three organisations based in the West of Northern Ireland - Fermanagh Trust in partnership with Holywell Trust in Derry/Londonderry and the Rural Community Network a regional support organisation that is based in Cookstown
The webinar will feature interviews with some of the contributors to the new issue. The issue will look at the issue ‘shared society’ and will feature articles with a range of perspectives.
We hope that you can join us for this lunchtime session.
Hope Matters is a new skills programme developed by RESILIO. It is based on research that suggests ‘Hope is a teachable skill’. The three-hour programme aims to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to grow and maintain hope within themselves and others during these challenging times.
Hope is one of the strongest protective factors in reducing the risks of suicide and self–harm.
Contents of the 3-hour interactive workshop will cover:
Introduce the concept of HOPE
Explore the evidence and how it is linked to supporting the recovery of trauma
Introduced to skills and knowledge to develop and maintain hope, even during these challenging times
Have the confidence to act as an ambassador of hope in your families, communities, and workplaces Booking Form / Flyer
11 Level 5 Substance Misuse Theory & Interventions
This is a unique programme dealing with Substance misuse issues, theory and interventions.
Entry Requirements:
Minimum 19 years old. Good reading and writing skills in English & Ability to work at Academic Level 5
Photographic proof of ID Who should do this course:
The course is suitable for those seeking to develop a career within the Substance misuse field or for those who are already trained as counsellors, to create a speciality within their practice. What will I get on completion of the course?
Everyone who completes the Level 5 Academic course will receive a Level 5 Diploma in Substance Misuse Theory & Interventions. Those choosing to complete the Counselling component, will be awarded, on provision of suitable evidence, The Specialist Practitioner Award.
Those seeking to be awarded the SMTI – Assessment Skills Specialist Practitioner, again, will receive this on the provision of suitable evidence. Assessment requirements:
Learning Portfolio 2 assignments. 1 Academic essay and 1 case study 100% attendance
120 hours of classroom contact make up the guided learning hours and 100% attendance is required to receive the award.
Those seeking to achieve the Level 5 Academic Award – with a Specialism in Assessment, will be required to complete additional assessments and will find they are more than qualified to support people presenting with substance misuse issues. This ‘assessment’ specialism will be of great benefit to anyone seeking to pursue a career in this field.
New Professional training date released! Autism NI are facilitating a full day ‘Fundamentals of Autism’ training course for professionals on Tuesday 9th March 2021.
The course will cover:
What is autism?
What are the key characteristics of autism and how might this impact a person using my service?
How can I adapt my service delivery to support autistic clients and provide a high quality service.
This live course will be delivered virtually on Zoom and include interactive activities and group discussion to support engagement and learning.
This course also comes with the option to complete a Level 1 AQA Accreditation (further details within booking form).
Our courses are certified by CPD certification service, demonstrating our commitment to high quality training provision and professional development.
13Attracting and Selecting Volunteers - Online Training Course
Volunteer Now and Volunteer Now Enterprises Ltd are excited to announce the release of our new online training course - Attracting and Selecting Volunteers.
We have been working tirelessly in the last few months to improve our product offering and service, and we believe that this course will help you enjoy your experience with online training even more.
So what is it all about? This unique training will support you and your organisation to follow, innovate and create good practice ideas when planning a recruitment campaign and selecting the right volunteers for your organisation, to meet your mission, vision, aims and objectives for your volunteer involvement, programme and projects.
With visuals, innovative features and practical exercises to enable in-depth learning, this course will offer personal development in a flexible way, whenever and on whatever device…
The course offers a comprehensive overview of good practice and is tremendous value for money at £45 plus VAT per person, with a certificate on completion. It is not time consuming - an average 3 hours of learning. It is user friendly and is suitable for those organisations, volunteer managers, co-ordinators or anyone who manages and involves volunteers on a regular basis.
Organisations have been looking for flexibility and affordability when it comes to Volunteer Management training and we are positive that we have produced just that.
Our thanks go to the Department for Communities for financially supporting our organisation in the development of this forward thinking, innovative and user-friendly training course.
In our own small way Volunteer Now and Volunteer Now Enterprises Ltd want to play our part in connecting, building and changing volunteering now and into the future.
In what is likely to be one of the final, if not the final opportunity for participants from the UK, to take part in an Erasmus+ funded non-formal education (in-person) Training Course, The Inside Out Programme, Claudy, is looking to recruit three participants for the following Course: Humour is Serious Business
22nd (arrival day) - 29th (departure day) March 2021
Food and Accommodation is provided and a Travel Allowance of up to €275 is also available, all of which is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. There will be a small fee of €30.
Participants should be aged 18 and over and resident in the UK. As The Inside Out Programme is based in Northern Ireland we target participants primarily (but not exclusively) from Northern Ireland.
We are looking to recruit three participants aged 18 and above. We are specifically looking for one young person (with fewer opportunities) and two others drawn from any of the following categories:
- young leaders (18-30);
- qualified youth work practitioners (in paid employment or voluntary); and
- practitioners (not youth work qualified/trained) with a remit for young people.
All participants must be willing to not only fully participate in the programme but are prepared to engage in post-programme activity that ensures learning is maximised and shared within their organisation, but also willing to initiate activity with young people.
If you are selected to take part and require a PCR test for entering Austria or to re-enter the UK, the Host Organisation, Europahaus Klagenfurt, will cover the costs (on production of an invoice).
Europahaus Klagenfurt has experience of organising socially-distanced covid-compliant programmes. They will of course liaise with not only programme partners to ensure safe delivery of the training but also with the Austrian National Agency to ensure risks are minimised and all necessary precautions are employed in order to ensure compliance and good governance.
HOW TO APPLY
YOU should complete the on-line Application Form and you can access it by clicking here and submit by midnight, Friday 29th January, 2021.
15Active Citizens Leadership Training Opportunities
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE
Would you like to be; a change maker be Inspired, Learn new skills, engage in intercultural dialogue, Build new relationship Gain confidence
Then this training is for you.
Group 2 ; Jan/Feb - spaces available Start Date; Thursday 14th of January
Time - 5.30pm
Via zoom
Register your interest via the link below; https://bit.ly/nwmfActiveCitizenTraining
Our Active Citizens training is for people who feel inspired to influence positive change. People who have the drive & the know-how but want to build Intercultural Dialogue skills, knowledge & confidence to facilitate peace building conversations in a diverse setting.
16NWMF's first ever series of “Choose to Challenge” Programmes
It is evident that BME voices, women, men, young people are largely absent from civic and public spaces, so this year we are calling on you to Choose to Challenge!
Throughout February & March 2021, we hope to celebrate international women day with a series of exclusive events themed “Choose to Challenge- Reclaiming our voices in civic & public spaces”
For many years Women have faced inequalities and gender injustices within society, this is particularly true for those from BME communities. We believe it is time for women to come together to have their voices heard and challenge the inequalities that they face. It is extremely important that these conversations are had to ensure change is made in both civic and public spaces.
Join us as we explore;
Women's Participation and Transformative Leadership; Valuing BME women voices in leadership- on Saturday 6th February (online event)·
Gender Mainstreaming; Reclaiming BME voices in NI history -on Saturday 20th February (online event) · Gender justice and BME women's rights on 27th February (online event)·
Choose to challenge- BME women Call to Action on Saturday 6th March (online event)
Pregnancy Loss Meeting: Pregnancy Loss-Fertility Network have organised an online meeting for anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss. The meeting will be led by Anne Chien who is a specialist Fertility Counsellor Wednesday 13th January 7.30pm
To register please follow the link below https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlde6orD4iG9HnaK7s8b2JbVAxp3EiMw8f
Yoga: Back by popular demand, we have 6 more weeks planned of online yoga with Annie Perry, no previous experience required! Thursday 14th January at 6.30pm. (14th, 21st, 28th Jan and 4 th, 11th and 18th Feb)
To join the yoga please follow the link to register below https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/events/join-fertility-yoga-jan-feb-21/
ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP NI: Focus Group on Injectable Fertility Treatment- join us for a short discussion on behalf of Ferring on injectable medications, followed by a chat and catch up. All welcome. Tues 19th January 7.30pm
Email Rachel or Hilary for the link rachel@fertilitynetworkuk.org/ hilary@fertilitynetworkuk.org
ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP NI: Recurrent Miscarriagejoin Professor Sheena Lewis to discuss her recent research on sperm DNA fragmentation and early pregnancy loss. Tues 2nd February 7.30pm
Email Rachel or Hilary for the link rachel@fertilitynetworkuk.org/ hilary@fertilitynetworkuk.org
ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP NI: Fit and Fun- join Kathy with lots of tips and advice on realistic ways to keep fit and flexible! Tues 16th February 7.30pm Email Rachel or Hilary for the link rachel@fertilitynetworkuk.org/ hilary@fertilitynetworkuk.org
Mood Matters Adult Workshop (2hrs)
This light and interactive mental health awareness training session is an opportunity for you to think about how to look after your own mental health. We will explore mental health stereotypes and look more closely at how to spot the early signs of mental health Illness: stress, depression, anxiety disorders and bipolar. This session will teach you coping skills for everyday life, how to avoid getting caught in a vicious circle, how to break unhelpful habits that we sometimes have when our mood is low, and where to get further help and support. This session will focus on you as an individual and will then allow you to apply these skills to supporting family, friends and other colleagues.
To register for a place visit Mood Matters Adult https://www.aware-ni.org/booking-mood-matters-adults/ Living Life to the Full (6 weeks @ 2hrs per week)
This 6 week course looks more closely at the ways in which mental health can be impacted by life events and unhelpful thinking styles which may also then affect our physical health and overall enjoyment of life. This programme looks at a different topic each week, and it is broken down as follows:
Week One: Why Do I Feel So Bad - This enjoyable, interactive session introduces the 5 areas approach and shows that what you think and do influences how you feel. Week Two: I Can’t Be Bothered Doing Anything - We’ve all said this to ourselves when we’re feeling down. This session encourages you to start doing things which can make you feel better. Week Three: Why Does Everything Always Go Wrong - This session teaches you to recognise and control your unhelpful thinking patterns. It encourages you to challenge your negative thoughts and replace them with more helpful ones. Week Four: I’m Not Good Enough - We’re not born with doubts like these! Things others have said creep into our heads and we begin to believe them. Re-build your self-confidence and learn to like yourself again. Week Five: How to Fix Almost Everything - Everything is achievable if broken down into small enough steps. This session introduces a 5 step plan to help you tackle problems and make positive changes in your life. The Things You Do That Mess You Up - This session helps you to identify things such as drinking, comfort eating or spending money which may make you feel better initially but which may lead to problems over time. Week Six: Are You Strong Enough To Keep Your Temper - This session helps you to recognise what winds you up and teaches you how to control your anger and improve your happiness and relationships. 10 Things You Can Do To Fell Happier Straight Away - This last session sums everything up and shows you some simple things that you can build into your everyday life to help you feel happier, fitter and more positive.
Vacancies on the Research Ethics Committees (HSC RECs) at the Office for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland (ORECNI) at BSO
Do you want to make a difference? Is the protection of the rights, safety and dignity of patients who are research subjects important to you? Are you interested in research which benefits patients and service users? If so, then we would welcome your involvement and support in the ORECNI service at BSO. Research Ethics review has never been more important especially in the fight against COVID-19 as we must ensure that all research is both ethical and beneficial for the public.
We are seeking new committee members for the Health and Social Care Research Ethics Committees (HSC REC) in Northern Ireland. An HSC REC consists of a Chair, Vice-Chair and up to 16 committee members. At least one third of the membership must be lay, the remainder being experts with a clinical, social care or research background. A diverse range of research studies are reviewed by committee including commercial and non-commercial clinical trials as well other research involving patients/service users, and use of their tissue and data.
To discuss the role of a research ethics committee member please telephone Tamla Ervine or Fiona McNally on Tel: 028 9536 1400.
Should you wish to apply to be a member of the HSC Research Ethics Committees, full information and an application form are available at http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/1985.htm. The deadline for applications is 4 pm on Thursday 28 January 2021. Interviews are scheduled for 22 and 23 February 2021.
Although these appointments do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, they are being made using a process which takes into account the Commissioner’s Code of Practice.
Please see the link to the advertisement and associated documents for a public appointment competition to appoint 11 Members to the Board of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI):
22Positive ‘Birthday’ Parties for Children – Online Positivity, Fun, Laughter, Games and Cake!
Lockdown for the 3rd time and CHILDREN aren't able to have their Birthday Parties.
We all remember as kids, what fun it was to get together with our friends for fun, games and cake!
Nowadays for a Birthday day Party, normally kids can have one at home, go to the movies or a bowling alley or a Go-Cart track, but it's still all about connecting with their friends.
And here we are again, no school, no afterschool activities or sports and clubs AND NO BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
The bigger picture is to save lives and keep our health service from crashing, yet young children, preschool and primary school age, are really feeling it right now. Birthdays are so exciting for little kids. It's the build-up, the excitement, the Birthday presents AND the BIRTHDAY PARTY.
Positive Parties can deliver a FUN Birthday Party ONLINE. Children can be joined on zoom with their family, friends, & cousins from all over the world.
And we don't shy away from the Pandemic, by asking them to share all the positive things they have done and learned during these #stayathome times.
And we play party games, dance and everyone has some cake, in their own homes, as we all sing Happy Birthday to the birthday Boy or Girl.
Dr Lindsay Broadbent, a Virologist at Queen's will be joining us on Chatty Women to answer all your questions about COVID-19. If you have any questions for Dr Broadbent about COVID-19 please email info@fwin.org.uk before Thursday 14th January.
As part of our #DryJanuaryFeelGoodFeb campaign we are facilitating a FREE online music session with singer Barry Kirwan on Thursday 21st January, 8pm.
Barry is an Irish Country Music star and a local to the West of Northern Ireland, but his music hasn't stopped there. Barry has played all over the world including Nashville and in support of Dry January this year, is going to host a live session for you to enjoy over Zoom.
We would love it if you could join us. Please book your place via our Eventbrite page:
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a change maker