VAC Quarterly Update to Members and Subscribers (May 2022)

by Alex Charles6 May 20227 June 2022

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Quarterly Update to Members and Subscribers

6th May 2022

CEO Spotlight

Keith Morgan, Chief Executive Officer

I thought I would introduce this quarterly update with an insight into my first few months as the new CEO of VAC. We will see how this goes and if I avoid being flooded with letters of dissatisfaction, I just might make it a mainstay.
Some of you may know me from my time as CEO of Young Camden Foundation. For those that do and have wished me the best of luck in this new venture, thank you. For those that don’t (know me that is) I look forward to meeting you and over the coming months I will be extending an invitation for a coffee and chat.

Baptism of fire

On my first day at VAC, I attended a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) Integrated Care System (ICS) meeting. It was somewhat a baptism of fire and allayed any misguided thoughts I had about easing myself into the role. We spent the first part of the meeting reflecting on the important role the VCSE played during the pandemic to support those in our local community who faced the highest health inequalities. We also talked about the importance of North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group working in partnership with local communities and VCSE. This first meeting was extremely insightful and helped me to acknowledge and understand the importance of VCSE as a strategic partner of the ICS and recognise the unique contribution the sector makes to tackling health inequality in the borough.
VAC is a member of the Integrated Care Partnerships and works with health, social care and related VCS organisations to ensure Camden is the best place to grow, live and age well. On 15 June, 11am – 12pm we will be hosting a forum on the Integrated Care System. Please join us to hear more about what is happening at a neighbourhood level and how you can get involved. You can RSVP here.

Responding to the needs of our members

Throughout the pandemic VAC hosted forums focused on emerging challenges facing the sector. The forums provided an opportunity for local voluntary and community organisations and groups to continue to meet, collaborate and share. We have maintained these forums and I have been working with the VAC team to develop mechanisms to improve the way we consult with members.
We currently have two grant programmes open (Room Hire and Community Champions grant) that we think address some of the challenges community organisations and residents are facing. Please click on the links to find out more.

Emerging challenges

Like many others I’m concerned about the cost-of-living crisis and the impact it will have on Camden residents. As we did during the pandemic, VAC is watching the situation closely and stands ready to support the local community during this difficult period. I recently attended a briefing on the issue hosted by Greater London Authority and heard how London-based charities and community organisations were stepping up their advice and support to tackle the crisis head-on. The Mayor of London has launched a new Cost of Living Hub for Londoners facing financial hardship, as a result of spiralling inflation, increases in National Insurance and Council Tax, and the lifting of the energy price cap. The hub helps Londoners access information, support and advice about claiming benefits, dealing with debt, financial management and mental health support.
The situation in Ukraine is also very concerning. Camden has a long history of providing sanctuary to people fleeing conflict from across the world, and the outpouring of compassion shown by the large number of Camden residents signing up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme is heart-warming. In partnership with London Borough of Camden, VAC is establishing a sense of the responses planned by the local community to the Ukraine Refugee crisis. We have hosted a discussion on the community response and will continue to provide a space for community organisations to hear and discuss what is happening at a statutory and community level. Click here to find out more.
We are also keen to hear about the ideas you and others might have, and how best to coordinate the responses. If you haven’t already please click the link here to complete a short survey about Ukrainian refugee response.

Renewing VAC Strategy

We are in the process of developing a new strategy and we want to develop it with the input of our key stakeholders including our members and strategic partners. As a CVS, there are elements to what VAC sets out to do, and how, that are non-negotiable. However, after coming out of what has been an exceptional period, and facing a mercurial future, it seems imperative that our strategic plan is informed by our key stakeholders. Over the coming weeks we will be asking our members and strategic partners to help us with:

Reflecting on what we have achieved and failed to achieve during the last three years
Understanding the impact of external factors on the context of our work
Reviewing how we frame the language around what we do and what we’ve achieved
Setting out our ambition and priorities for the next three years, and agreeing the values and behaviours needed to achieve them.

Please look out for an invitation from us to complete a short survey.
I hope you enjoyed reading my update as much as I enjoyed reflecting on my first few months. I look forward to sharing more about the work that VAC is doing in the next quarterly update.

Team Updates

Communications and Marketing

John Nellis, Communications Worker

I joined VAC as a part-time Communications Worker in September 2021 to help grow the VAC communications profile and implement our communications strategy. I’ve since taken over writing the weekly VAC newsletter upon the retirement of the CEO, Kevin Nunan, and have begun to use social media to promote VAC’s resources to the VCS community in Camden. We have been steadily growing our audience and are looking to increase the VAC membership. As my role becomes more embedded in the organisation, we hope to increase our abilities further with links to communications professionals within the VCS, increasing our capacity to support groups with communications and signposting to local events and opportunities, as well as promoting the successes of both VAC and our members, our partners and wider Camden VCS.

If you are looking for some support in developing you communications, get in touch with VAC to see how we can help, or email me directly at social@vac.org.uk

Digital and IT

Alex Charles, IT and Digital Manager

The main focus of the last few months has been a redesign of VAC’s Community Directories to improve overall the look and feel, whilst making it easier for groups to promote their services, and for service-users to search and connect with community-based services in Camden. We were delighted to launch our new Directory in January 2022, including a new Green Social Prescribing Directory to help residents and social prescribers connect with green activities in the borough. It’s been really interesting learning from the analytics about the types of services and activities users are searching for and how, using data, we can further develop and improve the Directories to meet the needs of our users.
We are applying a similar, iterative approach to our website, and using tools like Google Analytics and HotJar to understand how users are interacting with our website content. Our funding pages are particularly popular, enabling groups to search for the latest funding opportunities. We are also beginning to notice how our increased efforts around communications have started driving better engagement to our website and take up of our services. None of this would be possible without support from our excellent Website and Data Entry volunteer, Hasel Hooshiar.

If you are looking for support or advice on undertaking digital development or use of digital tools to support your work, get in touch with VAC to see how we can help, or email me directly at alexcharles@vac.org.uk

Keeping VAC information up to date

Hasel Hooshiar, Website and Data Entry Volunteer

Over the last quarter I’ve been adding the latest funding opportunities to VAC’s website, ensuring they have the correct tags and deadlines so that people can search for what they need accurately. I’ve also spent my time helping to keep the details of organisations on VAC’s database and Community Directories up-to-date. I’ve also been helping the staff to record their work on our internal Salesforce database so we have accurate stats to help monitor our work. My key focus over the next few months is ensuring the Directory and the funds are as useful as possible for Camden residents and organisations.

If you need any help adding or updating your details on our Directory, please get in touch with me at volunteer2@vac.org.uk.

Health Inequalities

Community Links Team: Donna Turnbull, Nasrin Rashid and Mandira Manandhar

Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service

During 2021/22 the Community Links team at VAC has increased the Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service offer to include a dedicated Green Social Prescribing offer via our new Directory, increased support from volunteers to encourage high intensity users of social prescribing to move into social and community activities, and a focus on exploring the type of activities that might benefit residents affected by Long Covid. Community Links still works closely with our emergency response collaborators Good Gym, Time to Spare and Volunteer Centre Camden who provide task-based volunteering support to residents. This includes shopping and chaperoning to health appointments.

The data and insights from social prescribing and health inequalities collaborations are shared with other VCSEs to develop activities through VAC’s core work. VAC is using the learning from all this work to develop a VCSE perspective in the emerging Integrated Care Partnership and System for Camden and North Central London (NCL).

Winter Resilience Programme
This can be seen in a recent project, delivered in partnership with Healthwatch Camden, Umoja and Life After Humus has illustrated the equalities issues for residents accessing health services, but also points to solutions that we have proposed to explore in a workshop with NCL commissioners. VAC is working with Camden neighbourhoods and with counterparts in the other 4 NCL boroughs to embed the voluntary sector in development and decision making in the health and care system. In parallel we are working with London Plus and National Academy for Social Prescribing to influence regional and national development of social prescribing and addressing health inequalities.

Long Covid
The Community Links Team have also been working on an 8-week pilot project with the UCLH long covid clinic. Referrals are directly from multiple disciplinary teams, and we have been assisting patients across Camden and neighbouring boroughs access social prescribing as a suitable intervention, to support with their recuperation from the effects of long covid. Community Links volunteers have been an integral part in the process, with helping identify as well as motivate with potential opportunities open to individuals in their local community. Over the next few weeks, using data from referrals, we plan to start building a detailed picture of the impact of long Covid on Camden residents, and how the VCS is a vital player in supporting residents in Camden improve their health and well-being.

If you would like to find out more about VAC’s work on Health Inequalities and related projects, get in touch with either Donna Turnbull, Mandira Manandhar or Nasrin Rashid

Cultural Advocacy Project

Mandira Manandhar, Community Links Volunteer Coordinator and CAP Project Manager

You may not know already, but VAC runs a Cultural Advocacy Project (CAP), in partnership with Mind in Camden. The CAP supports and develops mental health projects with BME communities and groups to promote good mental health and well-being across communities. We were delighted to hear recently that we have secured funding for the project to continue for another year.

The project supports weekly peer support groups, individual support, workshops and wellbeing events to support people’s individual mental wellbeing. It provides practical help and support as well as opportunities to engage and connect with local activities/services to reduce isolation.
I deliver a peer support group and provide individual support to the members of Henna Women’s centre. Since our colleague, Zubair, left in February, a new well-being group in Rhyls School has been launched and the group is starting every week on Tuesday from next week.

We are currently working with Mind to plan out the key project deliverables for this coming year.

For more information on the CAP, or for advice and guidance on embedding health and well-being initiatives in your work, get in touch with VAC to see how we can help, or email me directly at mmanandhar@vac.org.uk.

Fundraising Support to Groups

Ricky Singh, Building and Finance Administrator

Over the last few months I have been busy administrating the Google Grants scheme. This is a pot of funding to help community groups pay for premises or space to meet or deliver their activities. The grant enables small groups that do not have the funding to pay for the venue and would otherwise not be able to hold their event. This grant not only helps the groups, but aims to help raise income for community based venues that have seen their booking income fall dramatically due to people working from home and less face-to-to face service delivery.
Currently we have supported 6 groups and 4 venues with pay-outs totalling nearly £2000, but we are looking to fund so much more so do check out the scheme on our website to see if we can assist. Whilst you’re there, check out our Community Champions grant to see if you can apply, or check our funding pages for other opportunities.

Other than the Google Grants scheme I have been supporting groups to search for funding opportunities using our Grantfinder Tool, as well as helping to keep the office and VAC finances in good shape.

For more information on fundraising or other capacity building support, get in touch with VAC to see how we can help, or contact me directly at rsingh@vac.org.uk.

Safeguarding: Community Safeguarding Partnership Service (CSPS)

Dianne Carlton-Ogunyemi, Community Partnership Lead

Funded by the London Borough of Camden since 2006, the Community Safeguarding Partnership Service (CSPS) continues its work to support, encourage, and assist all voluntary, supplementary schools and faith groups, to deliver safe and effective services for children and young people in the borough.
My name is Dianne and since taking over the project’s delivery in April 2018, my work has evolved to include an extensive training portfolio for volunteers, paid workers, senior staff and trustees, a safeguarding podcast at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and delivery of both virtual and face-to-face sessions.
Unlike standard accredited safeguarding programmes, the project offers training tailored to the child protective needs of individual communities. Over the past six months sessions delivered have raised awareness of issues such as on domestic violence, abuse linked to faith, radicalisation and private fostering arrangements.
If you are an organisation, group or supplementary school delivering services to under 18’s from marginalised, black, Asian, micro ethnic, refugee or disadvantaged communities in Camden, the project is here for you. Look out for our upcoming virtual sessions in May and June on women and girls’ personal safety, safer recruitment for voluntary organisations and groups and an introduction to safeguarding for new volunteers.

For more information on any of the above please contact Dianne Carlton-Ogunyemi at dogunyemi@vac.org.uk Monday – Wednesday.

Keeping our Finances on Track

Manuella Bunketi, Finance Manager

For the last quarter, I have been dealing with the day-to-day financial transactions; sending invoices to the funders, paying our suppliers, processing salaries for staff and dealing with finance matters. I have prepared the management accounts for the year that has just ended for the Board of Trustees and have started gathering information for 22-23 budget and CF Forecast
For the next few months, I am looking forward to finalising the budget and Cash flow forecast for the new financial year 22-23, preparing the financial statements for the year ended March 21-22, in relation with the Independent Examiner for the Companies House and Charity Commission, and looking after the everyday financial transactions and reports.

…and finally

We hope you’ve enjoyed our quarterly update from the Team at VAC. Stay tuned for our next quarterly update in a few months. In the meantime, our normal weekly bulletin will resume on the 13th May. If you have any items for the newsletter, please email social@vac.org.uk and take a look at the publishing criteria on our website.
You can also check our website for our latest training and events, as well as more details on our projects and services, including the latest grants for Room Hire and Community Champions Initiative.

We wish you all the best, from Keith & the VAC team: Alex, Dianne, Donna, Hasel, John, Mandira, Manuella, Nasrin and Ricky and all the Trustees and Volunteers.

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Voluntary Action Camden e-Bulletin – 29th April 2022

by Alex Charles29 April 2022

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VAC Weekly Newsletter
29th April 2022

Become a Member

VAC Membership
Membership is free to local organisations and groups interested in contributing to a stronger Voluntary and Community Sector in Camden. As a member you will have access to high quality advice and guidance, local networks and support to grow and develop your organisation. Click the link above to learn more about the benefits of becoming a member and join us.

Highlights

In this week’s newsletter we spotlight the new Camden Community Vaccine Champion Project and a vacancy with VAC to manage the project. There is also a lot more about events and opportunities from around the Camden area.

VAC services spotlight

Camden Community Vaccine Champion Project: VAC, in partnership with London Borough of Camden, Healthwatch Camden and C4, is pleased to announce the launch of a new fund to help tackle vaccine misinformation and encourage vaccine take up in Camden.

We are inviting individuals, organisations, and groups, including unincorporated associations from Camden, to design new and expand existing initiatives to encourage vaccine take up in the borough. This includes projects and events that seek to tackle misinformation and encourage vaccine take-up.

Learn more here

The Philological Foundation grants for individual students and state-funded schools
The Philological Foundation is a charity that has been making grants to individual students and state-funded schools in the London Borough of Camden and the City of Westminster since 1982.
Our aim is to help schools and young people whose families cannot provide them with financial support so that they can pursue educational and training opportunities.
To check eligibility and to apply, please click here

UK Government Announces ‘Homes for Ukrainian’ Refugees Scheme with ‘Thank You’ Payment to Sponsors
A small monthly payment will be available for UK host families who volunteer to house Ukrainians fleeing their homeland due to the Russian invasion.
For more details please click here.

We Will Social Action Grant Fund
The Ormiston Trust is a grant giving trust that primarily supports schools and organisations that provide direct assistance to children, young people, and families across England. As a match funder awarding grants on the behalf of the #iwill Fund, the Ormiston Trust is offering open grants of up to £5,000 over a 9 to 12-month period to support the embedding of sustainable youth social action in schools.
Learn more and apply here

Camden Council Green Homes Grants
Keeping homes warm over the winter months can be difficult, especially with rising energy bills. The Green Homes Grant may be able to assist by providing funding of up to £10k for homeowners and £5k for landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. The improvements could help save up to £600 a year on energy bills and make homes warmer and more comfortable.
Find out more here

Funding to Improve Temporary Accommodation Standards in London
Application Deadline: Tuesday 17 May 2022
Better Temporary Accommodation for Londoners is a strategic initiative funded by Trust for London and Oak Foundation that aims to strengthen the voice, connections and influence of people in Temporary Accommodation (TA) and ultimately to improve people’s experience of TA. The programme will run from 2022-25, with the first grants awarded in June 2022.
For more information, please click here

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.
Alternatively, Camden Voluntary and Community groups can contact us for Grant Finder help, please email rsingh@vac.org.uk
Access the Idox Camden 4 Community grant search here.

NAVCA Funders List

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

Lists of Emergency Funders

VAC Vacancy: Grants Manager (Community Champions Project)
Deadline for applications: 11 May 2022 at 23:59
Part time: 22.5hours
The Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC) have awarded Camden with funding to reduce inequalities in the uptake of COVID vaccination in our communities. To achieve this objective VAC is partnering with London Borough of Camden, C4, and Healthwatch Camden to design and deliver a new Community Chest Grant programme worth £160,000. The Grants Manager will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of this new grants programme.
Apply here

Open call for proposals for free meanwhile premises in Kilburn
Deadline for proposals extended to 6th May
Camden Council and Transport for London are inviting proposals from organisations, social enterprises, start-ups, and others that have ideas to bring a vacant premises in Kilburn to life to the benefit of the neighbourhood.
More information can be found here

The Winch Annual General Meeting
Thursday 28th April: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Join us for an evening of reflection, celebration and community at the beautiful Belsize Community Library.
Hear from our community, our Board of Trustees and from neighbours and friends, as we reflect on our progress and plan for our future.
Sign up here

Link UP London
Link UP London provides access to Skilled Support to charities, social enterprises and community groups for free on a project-by-project basis.
We’re a small friendly organisation with ambitions to help communities across London by matching professionals to free skilled Volunteering roles with local charities and social good organisations.
Volunteers are all experts in their fields and have industry specific knowledge in areas of crucial importance to any charitable organisation’s development such as finance, legal, human resources, marketing, communications, data analysis, social media, and much more.
If you’re looking for bespoke Skilled Support to grow your organisations, we’d love to hear from you! You can book to chat here.
You can also learn more about Link UP and the work we’ve been doing through our website.

Community Health Event
Saturday 21 May 2022, 12pm-4pm
Location: Kilburn Grange Park, Kilburn, NW6 2JL
As part of our long-term health inequalities work, which includes a Mobile Community Health bus, Camden Council, in partnership with NHS colleagues from Brondesbury Medical Centre, are holding a Community Health event on Saturday 21st May at Kilburn Grange Park, 12pm-4pm.
This event will bring together and highlight all aspects of health which will include education, physical activity, NHS health checks, sexual health testing, dietician advice and many more to be confirmed.
It is an opportunity to bring people together to open up the conversation of health and wellbeing, something that has become even more important since the Covid19 pandemic.”

Clarion Futures Digital Grants Programme
Application deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 18 May 2022
Round 10 of the Clarion Futures Digital Grants Programme is now open for applications.
Grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 will be available to organisations seeking to deliver innovative, well designed projects that support Clarion residents and the wider community to address digital exclusion.
For Round 10, applications must be submitted by 12 noon Wednesday 18 May 2022 via our dedicated Grants Portal FlexiGrant.
Please email grants@clarionhg.com with any questions.

Enter Camden’s Youth Safety Multi-Media Competition
Camden’s next Youth Safety Fortnight will be held this summer. Children and young people are invited to get involved by entering the 2022 Youth Safety Multi-Media Competition – in partnership with their youth centre, community centre or school.
The overall winner will receive a main prize of £500 for their youth or play organisation, community centre or school, plus vouchers for the young people participating.
The overall theme of Youth Safety Fortnight 2022 will be ‘Keeping Children and Young People in Camden Safe’. The focus this year will be on the following:
The Safety of Young Women and Girls. This includes staying and feeling safe in the home, in the community, and whilst travelling. It is important to consider the views and perspectives of all young people, regardless of gender identity, to widen conversations and understanding.
Youth Exploitation. What keeps young people safe from exploitation? How can young people steer away from crime and get involved in positive activities? What are the consequences of getting involved in crime and youth violence?
The purpose of the Multi-Media Competition, which is open to young people aged 10 to 18, is to raise awareness of the issues affecting the safety of young people in Camden and promote conversation. The competition is designed to encourage young people to come together and think about their concerns, aspirations and hopes for the future. Your project should focus on one or more of the elements mentioned in the themes above.
Entries should be emailed to youthsafety@camden.gov.uk by 5pm, Monday 6 June. For more details on the criteria for entries, please click here.

Google Community NGO Training Session
13 May 2022: 12:00 – 15:30
You are invited to the next Google Community NGO Training Session for local NGO community partners at the Kings Cross Office – Six Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG.
This is a Face to Face session, with an option to join virtually
Please reserve your space here

Culturally specific cookbook for Camden residents
Camden council, in partnership with our NHS colleagues are working on a culturally specific cookbook for residents of African and Caribbean heritage, who are at increasing risk of overweight and diabetes.
We recognise that literature around this very important and are keen to get your views to make sure the book is as relevant as possible.
Please complete the questionnaire which will take no longer than 3 minutes to complete. Your answers will be invaluable in helping prepare the cookbook.
To take part, please click here

Sadler’s Wells Ticket offer
Sadler’s Wells are offering £5 tickets for their double bill, Shades of Blue /Warrior Queens
The £5 tickets are for performances on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th May at 7.30pm.
To access the £5 tickets, book here and use the promocode WSBID5

Elfrida Rathbone Camden vacancy: Community Champions Project Co-ordinator
Closing date: Sunday 29 May. Full time position
The Community Champions Project Coordinator will work to engage and support vulnerable individuals, families and groups in the Kentish town area, by recruiting local people to volunteer as Community Champions. For more details and how to apply, please click here

SHP looking for Peer Mentor Volunteers
Applications deadline: 5pm, Friday 6th May
SHP is looking for Peer Mentor Volunteers to join our growing team!
SHP Peer Mentors use their lived experiences of substance use recovery, mental health problems, homelessness, or the criminal justice system to inspire, motivate and support others to make positive changes in their lives.
You can watch a series of short videos by Peer Mentor Sarah talking about her volunteering experience.
For full details of the training and volunteering opportunities please email peermentoring@shp.org.uk to request an application pack

Training Link vacancy: Operations Manager
Application deadline: 5pm, Monday 16 May 2022
Part-time (7 hours per week)
Training Link is a local charity providing basic skills training to help people find work. We are based in Somers Town near the British Library.
We are looking for a part-time Operations Manager to help develop our courses through outreach work and look at new opportunities. The postholder will also support our small staff team and follow up with learners who have completed courses.
For a full-job description, person specification and application form please email director@traininglink.org.uk
For an informal discussion about the post please phone Peter Lush on 07973-845285.

The Kids Network: Volunteering Opportunity
The Kids Network are looking for committed, fun and passionate volunteers who live or work in Camden to make a real difference to the children of London. Their year long mentoring programme supports children with their social and emotional development before they transition into secondary school.
As a mentor, through weekly 1-3 hour sessions, you would:
Help build confidence, resilience and curiosity through child centred, activity-based mentoring.
Experience London through the eyes of a child and make a real impact in your local area.
Build a peer network with fellow mentors, who come from all walks of life, to share your experiences and learn from one another.
Apply here
If you know a child that would benefit from having a mentor, please e-mail Flick f.tennant@thekidsnetwork.org.uk

Please note
Our newsletter content email address has changed. Please send any information that you would like included in our weekly newsletter to social@vac.org.uk

Local Newsletters:

SHAK
Latin American House
Creative Lives
Healthwatch Camden
Young Camden Foundation
AWN
West Euston Project (WEP)
London S port (sign up)
Forum+
Charity Tax Group
Dragon Hall Newsletter

National

VAC Events

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

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.

Past Voluntary Action Forums: Resources

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

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

London Health Creation Spring Festival
Thursday 5th May 9:00-1:00pm
London Health Creation Spring Festival is a virtual festival, led by NE London, and open to everyone working in health and social care across London, with speakers and discussion coming live from the Bromley by Bow Centre
Influence the future as we come through the pandemic:
The programme includes discussion on: fairer systems and healthier places; restoring trust; moving from trauma to healing; kindness; gratitude; relational leadership; commissioning compassionate care; overcoming racism and exclusion; losing the primary/secondary care interface; inclusion health; prescribing clean air and examples of health creation in action!
Regenerating ourselves, our systems, our world.
For easy access and registration, please click here

NHS Big Conversation for Improvement
The NHS Big Conversation for Improvement is taking place on Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May 2022. It is a fully virtual (online) space and is open to everyone at no cost to join. You simply need to register in advance.
The Big Conversation will bring people together for a range of interactive discussions, workshops and presentations, giving a space for people to talk through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, explore continuous improvement opportunities and share fresh insights and ideas on how to promote the improvement of health and care for the benefit of everyone, those who experience services and those who provide them.

Euston Community Engagement Advisor role at Euston with Lendlease.
Application deadline: 2nd May
The candidate would work directly with the Euston Project’s Socio-Economic Development Manager and they welcome applicants from the local community.
For more information, please click here

Street Storage Volunteer Vacancy: Marketing Volunteer
Street Storage – the only UK charity providing storage for people experiencing homelessness – is growing fast and looking for a Marketing Volunteer. This role can be done remotely or at our Hackney offices and will be approx. 2-4 hours a week. It will focus mainly on website improvement, creating and managing social media content and general branding development.
We have a more detailed role description and are keen to hear from anyone with the relevant skills and time! For more information please email rachel.woolf@streetstorage.org

Volunteering during the pandemic
The latest guidance for Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus (COVID-19) is available here

Chancellor’s Spring Statement impact on charity sector
Following the Spring Statement from the Chancellor, Pro Bono Economics has released its same-day analysis, looking at the challenges that lie ahead for households accessing charities’ services, estimating the impact on charity finances and the sector’s ability to meet increasing need.
To read the full analysis, please click here

Food insecurity blog series from London Plus: The cost of living & food banks
This blog series from London Plus explores the current cost of living crisis, why this has led to an increase in food bank usage, and the role & capacity of food banks to support Londoners.
Read more here

Google Analytics Update: What this means for charities and other voluntary and community groups
Google has announced that they’re turning off their Universal Analytics Platform next year, replacing it with Google Analytics 4. VOSCUR have written a great blog on what this means for charities and other voluntary and community groups. Read more here.

Have your say in improving stop smoking services in Camden
Camden and Islington Public Health have launched an easy-read survey to hear from residents and service users on current stop smoking services and future needs.
We would like to hear from people who smoke or used to smoke about what support they might want or need to help them stop smoking and what worked for them in the past.
Participants will be entered in a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher. The survey will close on Friday 29 April.
Please complete the survey here and/or share with relevant contacts.

Volunteer Centre Camden update
Since 2019 Volunteer Centre Camden is encouraging people who live and work in Camden to be Participactive, through carrying out acts of participation, volunteering or social action to support the community.
Looking to recruit volunteers?
It’s quick and easy to advertise a volunteering role. Simply add it to our online database Simply Connect which is free to use, completely self-service and quick & easy to get started.
Looking to volunteer in Camden?
You can search for a volunteering role 24/7 via Simply Connect on our website, which is entirely self serve and gives you direct contact with the organisations recruiting volunteers.
Alternatively, find out when you can come and see us by checking out the Events page on our website.
DBS Workshop for Volunteer Managers:
Got questions about DBS checks for volunteers? Join us on Tuesday 10th May, 2-3pm for a free online workshop with Kiran Rehal (DBS Regional Outreach Advisor for Greater London). She will explain the purpose of the DBS and how it plays a part in safer recruitment. Book your free place here

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.

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Voluntary Action Camden e-Bulletin – 15th April 2022

by Alex Charles15 April 202229 April 2022

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VAC Weekly Newsletter
15th April 2022

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Highlights

In this week’s newsletter we spotlight our new Ukraine Response resource page on the VAC website, plus information on the impact of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on the sector, the London Health Creation Spring Festival and much more from the local area.

Please note that we will be unable to send out a newsletter next week

VAC services spotlight

Camden Ukraine Response: We have complied a list of resources on our website for all Camden residents and voluntary and community groups would would like to assist with the Ukraine Crisis and response efforts.

Click here for the latest updates.

National Lottery Community Fund Invites Dialogue on Future Community Support
Rolling deadline
The Bringing People Together funding can support projects that will build stronger connections across communities, and improve the infrastructure and conditions that are needed to strengthen these connections.
For more details please click here.