VAC Weekly Newsletter
29th October 2021

Highlights

Announcement of New Council VCS Funding; Trustees’ Week; Somers Town win Future Neighbourhood Fund; Afghan Refugee Crisis Update; Health Inequalities Resources;  Health and Wellbeing Strategy Consultation; Communications Conference; Camden Deaf Advice Service Survey; Madcovid Fund; We Were Here; Camden Eduction Consultation; Roundhouse Young Entrepreneurs; The Budget + Newsletters + Resources + funding + jobs + volunteers & more

Feature 

Somers Town Wins Future Neighbourhood Funding

The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has just announced that Somers Town has been chosen as one of two London areas to receive Future Neighbourhood 2030 funding. The first phase funding is for £1.42M for Somers Town, which will be match funded by Camden.  Read the press release here.
 

Afghan Refugee Crisis

The Council and VCS continue to work together to help meet the needs of the Afghan Refugees in Camden.  A steering group (led by Hopscotch) meets weekly and there is a database of offers and needs held by the council.  You can donate to the Hopscotch appeal here.  Keep up to date at the council website here.

Health Inequalities – Voluntary Action Forum

All the resources, contacts and presentations from the last forum on Health Inequalities are available on the VAC website now.

Health and Wellbeing Strategy Consultation

Camden’s draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-30 six-week consultation opens on 1st November.  Look out for full details in next week’s e-bulletin on the consultation and ways to get involved.

The Gift of Communication: Create Connections

How can you address the challenges in our post Covid world where charities face an estimated £10bn funding short fall with increased demand for essential services?
This is the question addressed in our mini-conference open exclusively to those within charities wanting to review and improve their communication.
Full details and how to book at Eventbrite.

Camden Deaf Advice Service Survey

Camden Council wants to consult with residents who have used the D/deaf Advice Service to find out about their experiences of the current provision as well as with those who are not aware of or have never used the Service.  Your feedback will help us to shape the new D/deaf Advice Service which is expected to go live in May 2022.  
The survey’s target audience is Camden residents, aged 18 years or over who are:
~ D/deaf, deafened, deafblind, hard of hearing
~ Partners, relatives and/or carers of residents who are D/deaf, deafened, deafblind or hard of hearing can also complete the survey on their behalf
The survey link is here. Deadline Wednesday, 3rd Nov 5:00pm.

MadCovid Fund: Hardship Solidarity Fund

Small hardship grants of up to £200 available depending on individual circumstances.  You can also show solidarity by donating.  Full details here.

We Were Here

Emily Momoh BA,  presents a selection of biographies of significant individuals of African and Caribbean heritage who lived, worked, or studied in Camden. Their connections to the borough date back almost 300 years and have shaped our history. Full details and booking at Eventbrite.

Have your say on the future of education in Camden

The Council and Camden Learning are consulting on a draft Education Strategy, which aims to ensure local schools and sixth forms can respond to the challenges they face, including impacts from COVID-19, so they can be in an even better position to prepare children and young people for learning, higher education, training and work.
Anyone with an interest in education in the borough is invited to have their say before 6 December. Read the Draft Education strategy and respond to the consultation here or email your comments to comingbackstronger@camden.gov.uk

Supplementary Schools workshop

Online workshop for Camden Out of School Settings: Keeping children safe during after school clubs, community activities and tuition.
Wed 10th November: 10am To 12pm.  Details and booking at Eventbrite.

Roundhouse Young Entrepreneurs Talk

Calling all entrepreneurs and freelancers aged 18-30
Feeling like an impostor when starting out on your own is natural. To help with this, the Roundhouse is hosting a live talk to discuss the insecurities young people face when working for themselves and how to overcome them!
Monday 1st Nov, 7-9pm.  Get tickets: https://rhou.se/2WImGw6
Other programmes to help young entrepreneurs and freelancers here.

Newsletters

Latin American House
Creative Lives
Healthwatch Camden
Young Camden Foundation
AWN
West Euston Project (WEP)
 

National

The Budget

The Chancellor announced a range of support of interest to the sector:  Levelling up funds, money to support numeracy, and an extra £500M for Youth services. You can read the summary in Civil Society and an analysis from Directory of Social Change and Charity Tax Group.
 

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.
Access the Idox Camden 4 Community grant search here.

Together for our planet:

£1000 – £10,000 funding opportunity for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. This grant is for activities relating to climate action, including food, waste and consumption (and a number of other categories). I know that many of you touch upon the climate crisis/environmental sustainability in your work, and they are also interested in hearing from those who are just starting to think about taking action on climate change. Visit here for more information. Deadline: 18th November.

St Giles Charities

Grants are available to improve the educational opportunities of children and young people from birth to 25 years old who are resident, or attending an educational institution, in the area of benefit (Bloomsbury, Holborn part of Covent Garden). £3k to £10k.  Full details and how to apply on the website.

Free Data from Vodaphone

You can apply for free Vodafone SIMs, each loaded with 20GB data plus unlimited calls and texts to be used over 6 months. You can use these however you like.Multiple SIMs can be requested and repeat applications can be made if the organisation has a range of digital exclusion projects.
Applications will be reviewed and a decision to support made within 30 days. SIMs will be issued within 30 days of a positive decision. SIMs are available until 1 November 2022. Full details and how to apply here.

Mayor of London’s Sport Unites Fund

The Sport Unites Fund is offering grants of up to £50,000 for projects that use sport and physical activity to address one or more of these priorities:
~ Helping the most inactive people be more active
~ Improving people’s mental health and wellbeing
~ Decreasing isolation/loneliness
~ Strengthening connections in your local area and across communities
~ Reducing serious youth violence
Deadline: 12th November 2021. Find out more here.

We Make Camden Social Action Fund

Camden Giving has been awarded £90,000* to deliver the We Make Camden Social Action Fund. Organisations and individuals can apply for grants of £500-£1,500 for initiatives that support:
~ Social Action in the 4 mission areas (see below)
~ Social Cohesion
~ Local responses and solutions to challenges/ issues/ needs
In addition to the small grants, people can access support to apply, and you don’t need to be an incorporated community group or organisation to apply.
The “We Make Camden Kit” gives money and support to Camden residents and community groups who have great ideas for their communities.
Residents and community groups can apply via Camden Giving to receive up to £1,500 to deliver ideas that contribute to the four Camden missions:
~ Food poverty and sustainability
~ Diversity in positions of power
~ Health and sustainability of estates
~ Opportunities for young people

NAVCA Funders List

A useful list of small trusts and foundations most useful to small charities.

Lists of Emergency Funders

• Civil Society 
• Ian McLintok’s LinkedIn blog
• NCVO’s funding central site is currently free for non-members. 
• Charity Bank 
• Grants Online

VAC Events

Keep in eye on our Events Calendar to book and for more info.
 

Camden Voluntary Action Forum

The forum is open to all Camden voluntary and community  groups and organisations, community activists, social entrepreneurs, volunteers and anyone interested in local voluntary action. The Forum currently meets monthly online on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 11am. The next Forum is 17th November and will focus on Manifesto.

Past Voluntary Action Forums: Resources

You can find presentations, recordings and resources from past forums here.

GDPR Training Resources.

The video, slides and comprehensive notes from the two recent VAC online training sessions on GDPR are now available on the website. These will help you understand the theory and legal framework of the GDPR with practical steps on how to remain compliant.

Safeguarding Courses:

Check back for details soon.  Meanwhile you can listen to the latest podcast –
Safeguarding and Physical Security in Community Settings
Dianne Carlton-Ogunyemi our Community Safeguarding Lead talks to John Bayley –  of HA9 Consultancy
Topics include community policing and schools, gang crime, domestic violence, fraud investigation etc.



More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

Financial Wellbeing Workshop

These workshops are for Camden voluntary sector staff and volunteers giving practical tips and resources for supporting your clients and service users.
There are 3 workshops on the same topics to choose from (all on zoom):
Wednesday 3rd November at 10:30am
Thursday 4th November at 10:30 am
Tuesday 9th November at 10:30 am.
Topics included will be: income maximisation, discounts and exemptions, council tax, rent, gas and electric and other bills, how to reduce costs and find the best deals, budgeting and managing money.
To book email Sarah Lake financialcapabilityproject@camdencabservice.org.uk saying which workshop, your name, organisation and contact number. 

Thriving Communities webinar

9 November 2021, 3-4pm
Global Social Prescribing Alliance
The next webinar in the Thriving Communities series will hear international perspectives on social prescribing from a number of community groups involved with the Global Social Prescribing Alliance.  Book here.

Support to Camden residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Are you working with a Camden resident who is homeless or at risk? Beam can support them into a new job.
Residents can use Beam’s platform to raise funds for training, technology (e.g. laptops and smartphones), childcare, travel to work and work attire. Beam’s caseworkers provide 1-1 support with CVs, applications and interview skills. Through Beam, residents also get priority access to local jobs with 90+ employer partners.
To refer clients, visit beam.org/refer or contact referrals@beam.org

Free research consultancy clinic for voluntary sector

Voluntary & community sector organisations or community groups can apply for up to 90 minutes with a trained PhD student to outline a research project that would be useful to the organisation. Your project outline will be advertised in January 2022 to master’s students who will be invited to make an expression of interest and suggestions for taking the project forward. Collaborating with them, your project could be carried out May to September 2022. A useful and useable product for the organisation will be part of the collaboration.
Contact Anne (a.laybourne@ucl.ac.uk) about this opportunity. The clinic is scheduled for 22 November at 13.00, online.

Ageing Better in Camden and Ambition for Ageing Manchester launch: “Before this, I had nothing.”

A Report on the Development and Impact of a BAME-Led Partnership for Tackling Social Isolation Among Older People in Camden.
Thursday, 11 November 13:30 – 15:00
Ageing Better in Camden funded a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Community Action Project. The BAME CAP set out to develop the capacity of micro-organisations to tackle social isolation and loneliness among older people from small African Heritage communities in Camden.
Report author Adwoa Manful will share learning from this innovative research alongside other speakers who have been instrumental in developing the BAME CAP.  Book your free ticket here.

British Museum Community Partnerships Volunteering focus group

A focus group discussion for community group
leaders and or community organisations and share your views on volunteering
opportunities at The British Museum.
Monday 8 November, 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Tuesday 23 November, 2.00pm – 4.00pm
To take part in one of these two events please RSVP to: jstarns@britishmuseum.org

A Diaspora Dilemma – Language and Culture

30th October 2021, open day of the Mother Tongue (Bangali) School, 12 noon,  at The Thanet Youth & Community Centre, Herbert Street, London NW5 4HD.  

A Space to talk about Space

Thu, 4 November, 18:00 – 20:00 at the Collective, Buck Street, NW1.
Camden Giving are inviting people who have space and people who need space to come together, chat and find solutions.  Details at Eventbrite.

The Living Centre Environment & Climate Community Events

A full programme of events from the Living Centre – from Urban Farming to Climate Friendly Food Swaps.  There will also be an Extinction Rebellion debate and a film screening of Made in Bangladesh about workers in the fast fashion business.
Click for the full programme.  Book at climateexhibition@thelivingcentre.org

Luminary Bakery Employability and Independence Programme

A 6 month training and employment programme for women who have been classified as experiencing ‘multiple disadvantages’ including gender based violence. They focus on providing support to find employment in a safe, trauma-informed space, and have 28 spaces for women starting in February 2022. All training takes part at Luminary Bakery in Camden. Visit here for more information. Deadline: 1st December.

How to help people struggling with energy bills

Wed 3rd November, 10 – 11am.  Find out more about the Green Doctor service and how we can help local residents to manage their energy use, save money and get support. Full details and booking at Eventbrite.
 

COP26 Camden Celebration Event

Join Camden Council and the CCCA to celebrate carbon reduction best practice within the borough and across London to mark COP26.
at Samsung KX Wed, 3 November 17:30 – 20:30 Book at Eventbrite.

CYP: Child Bereavement Training event – When a Child Dies

Wednesday, 10 November 2021 13:00 – 15:00
NCL Training Hubs – Bereavement Training International – Baby & infant loss Virtual Training Workshop – Supporting parents when a baby dies. Book here.
 

Google Training Session for Camden VCS

19 November 2021  9:00 – 13:00
Location: Our Kings Cross Office – Six Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG
Find out how to make the most of Google, YouTube,  Google Analytics, Training the Trainer and more.
Virtual or F2F: F2F with an option to dial in. Please fill in this form to reserve your space.
 

Thriving Communities webinars

Sharing the Evidence – what you told us is important and what we have found
9 November 2021, 3-4pm Register here

Recovery College

Recovery College celebrates 7 years.  Autumn term has started but many courses are still open.  Find out more and register on the website.

Do you have regular conversations with Local residents and want to make a bigger difference to their lives?

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is about spotting opportunities in these conversations to deliver additional support and improve their wellbeing.
We are offering refreshed online courses
~ Good conversations – Supporting COVID-19 recovery: 2 hour course
~ Basics of Motivational Interviewing: 3 hour course
Bookings: camdenmecc.org.uk /islingtonmecc.org.uk.
Bespoke sessions: meccsupport@smgateway.co.uk

“Talk for Transformation” Autumn event dates

At a Taster session, you will get a glimpse of the Programmes, get to network with new colleagues and  decide if our 4-day Full Programme is for you:
Thursday, Nov 4th 3PM-5PM, please register at Eventbrite link.

Camden Adult Community Learning

Offers free courses to residents aged 19 and over, both online and in community venues across Camden. Enrol now for the Autumn.
Courses are relaxed, friendly and are aimed to help local people get back into work, overcome isolation, improve their mental health, develop their skills – or learn something new and exciting.
For a full list of autumn courses go to www.camden.gov.uk/adultlearning and then follow the link to www.webenrol.com/camden.
Adult Learning are always open to working with new partners.  If you think your members/clients will benefit from any of our courses, (IT, Family Learning, ESOL, Health & Wellbeing or Communities & local interests), and you would like us to run a course at your centre please contact us on 020 7974 2148 or send an email to adultlearning@camden.gov.uk for more information on how we can work together.

SHAK seeks Community Champions Project Coordinator

South Hampstead and Kilburn Community Partnership
£30,000 per year
Contract, Temporary, Project funding currently expires in April 2023, so is offered on a fixed term contract, Full-time
You will lead the Community Champions project which builds on the strengths, skills and knowledge of local communities, by recruiting local people as volunteers to tackle inequalities, improve health and wellbeing and address local issues of concern.  
Full details and how to apply at CharityJob website.

Maths on Toast Job opportunity

We’re recruiting a Community & Schools Outreach Practitioner to help us show families how to explore and enjoy creative maths. If you’re a creative learning expert or teacher with experience of working with children and families within the community, we’d love to hear from you.  Click here for full details.

London Irish Centre Vacancies

Including Survivor Support Liaison vacancy – a new role working with survivors of Irish institutional abuse.
Full details of all the vacancies and how to apply at the London Irish Centre website.

Latin American House is Recruiting Two Posts

Deputy Nursery Manager to join the team at Centro Infantil Menchu.  The Deputy Nursery Manager will work alongside the Nursery Manager to ensure a high standard of care and education for all the children who attend our nursery.
Candidates must be bilingual in English and Spanish and have a CACHE or NVQ Level 3 or above qualification in Childcare and Education or a recognised equivalent and Paediatric First Aid certificate.
Early Years Practitioner (Level 3) to join the team at Centro Infantil Menchu.  The role is for 30 hours, Monday to Friday, during term time.
Candidates must be bilingual in English and Spanish.
The deadline for applications for both is Thursday 28th of October at 5 pm.
To apply and get more information,follow the link:

Kilburn Older Voices Exchange trustees seek to appoint a new Chair

Kilburn Older Voices Exchange (KOVE) is an established charity in north-west London (primarily Camden & Brent). We want to appoint a new Chair and trustee to help manage our small staff team and support the Trustees and Steering Group to plan and prioritise our support and development work.
A commitment to the full citizenship of all older people will be essential. You will succeed two distinguished predecessors, Barry Peskin and the late Ags Irwin, and bring a comparable level of experience gained in business, public service, education, the arts, community work, or the provision of care. An experience of managing staff or of using small budgets to maximum effect is vital.
If you share KOVE’s ambitions, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
Contact: melwillwright@gmail.com

Warm Welcome toolkit: A free guide to running activities with older people.

Older people say that being offered a Warm Welcome is essential when encouraging them to take part in activities and remain connected in their communities.
Ageing Better in Camden worked with older members, delivery agencies and Ageing Better friends around England to produce the Warm Welcome Toolkit. It offers activity providers information and resources which will support them to run welcoming activities. Click here to view and download the Warm Welcome toolkit. You can also download the Warm Welcome toolkit summary and video.

Hopscotch’s Afghan Crisis Appeal 

Hopscotch is working as one of the leads with Camden Council and other major charities.
We have, on standby, four Afghan Family Advocates who are professional leads to deliver:-
Essential Cultural Orientation Training for council staff, charities and volunteers so everyone is interacting appropriately and effectively
To act as referral specialists with refugees in a trauma-informed way
Click here to donate.

Do you want to be at the heart of changes planned for community Mental Health Services? 

Co-production partners required for the Camden Community Framework Coproduction Alliance
Would you like an opportunity to make a difference to community mental health services?  We are a group of local people, professionals and commissioners working together to redesign mental health services in the community. 
We want Camden residents with experience of mental health services to join us.  We welcome creative perspectives and common sense to help create a joined-up service that meets people’s mental health needs in the community.
We are particularly keen to hear from people who can contribute wider views – for example from Carers, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, people who have disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and young people.
Interested? Please email Maureen.brewster@advocacyproject.org.uk by 5pm 25th of October. Deadline for applications is 5pm Monday 25th of October. Interviews will be held on Friday 29th October.

Do you have experience of homelessness or rough sleeping? In the past, have you used any of Camden’s hostels, refuges or supported accommodation?

Camden are looking for people with lived experience of homelessness or rough sleeping and who may have previously used our shelters/refuges or supported accommodation to be part of panels (with other people who have used services) to help decide on future accommodation services for vulnerable people in Camden.
You must have had experience of homelessness or rough sleeping to take part.  We are keen to hear from people representing diverse backgrounds, preferably resident in Camden. We are also looking for women who have used women’s services (eg domestic violence services). 
The Borough of Camden and FLIC will provide training and support and you will receive a £10 voucher per hour for your input to meetings and panels which will take place online.
To register your interest or find out more – please email Bex Oldham boldham@hshp.org.uk or phone 07799 700594 by 22 October.

Supporting People with Long-Covid in Camden

The Camden team support people with signs & symptoms lasting for longer than 12 weeks (NICE) to be diagnosed as Long-Covid. They may occur in conjunction with other conditions.  Referrals need to come from GP’s or the Post-Covid clinic at UCLH. They should be sent to, camdenreferrals.cnwl@nhs.net
The Long-Covid team consists of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy with a Rehab Assistant to support and  access to psychology if required.
Contact Rob Clarke on rob.clarke6@nhs.net for any information or enquiries.

How to Volunteer and How to Recruit Volunteers in Camden

Volunteer in Camden at Time to Spare.
Volunteer for the NHS at GoodSAM.
Join a neighbourhood Mutual Aid group.
Organisations that are signed up to Time to Spare can now request volunteers through a brokerage team making it much easier to access the volunteers. The brokers can help match volunteers with voluntary and community organisations who have a need for verified/ vetted volunteers. The service will also help to verify or carry out new DBS check with volunteers.
Get support and resources from Volunteer Centre Camden
The council has a  page of resources to help community organisations
UCL are looking for new volunteering opportunities to promote to their students.  Visit their info for recruiters page to find out more.

Keep in touch and up-to-date via the e-bulletin and @onecamden twitter.  We have a comprehensive COVID-19 update page and a resources page.

Got an item for the e-bulletin?

Send your item to knunan@vac.org.uk or info@vac.org.uk by noon on Thursday for publication in the following day’s edition.  The e-bulletin comes out every Friday. Submissions should be 50 – 75 words.  Please send plain text or a format that can be copied (ie not embedded in an image). Send links to documents rather than attachments. Make sure to include contact details.

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