Category: Newsletter

Camden Funders Fair for Local Community Organisations; Farewell Kentish Town; New Online Market Place for Social Care Providers; Reaching Communities Kotha Bol Conference; Free HR Courses for Camden Organisations; Camden Community Radio – What’s On; Improving how Camden Council talk to and engage with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition; Camden SAPB safeguarding adults conference; Royal Court Theatre Ticket Offer; What are your views of the police use of their Stop and Search powers?; Poetry workshops ; Third Age Project Respect for the Elderly Day; + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Thursday 22nd September 9.30am-12.30pm
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
This fair will be aimed at local, Camden-based community organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000 per annum who are engaged in excellent work in the borough, but are not necessarily used to approaching independent funders.
Community organisations and charities will receive welcome advice and tailored guidance on the day from national and local trusts and foundations and, following on from this, Voluntary Action Camden has pledged to provide further 1-1 support to the charities attending to help them in future funding applications.
Reasons to attend:
• Good way to reach a number of organisations efficiently, good use of time.
• Opportunity to meet local charities and give them invaluable face-to-face advice.
• Improve quality of funding applications to the benefit of all.
• Leverage additional support for the charities from VAC.
• Network and connect with other local and national funders.
know more then please contact either Simone or Jackie on:
Simone: shensby@vac.org.uk, Tel: 020 7284 6555
Jackie: jackie.crombie@bitcconnect.org, Tel: 07841 727172

Farewell Kentish Town
From September Voluntary Action Camden will be based in the West Euston Partnership offices at 29- 31 Hampstead Rd, London NW1 3JA. Email addresses and phone numbers remain the same.
Camden Carers Centre will be moving to Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre, Belmont Street, NW1 8HF on 12th September. Phone and email remain the same.

New Online Market Place for Social Care Providers
Camden council have developed a new online marketplace for adult social care in Camden. This will sit within the new Camden Care Choices website to be launched in October 2016. This is part of the Care Act 2014 offer to provide people with access to social care products and services.
Initially, the marketplace will allow users to source care and support services themselves and, in due course, the marketplace will be the primary source for Camden Council staff to commission providers’ services. All future contracts with providers will require registering services on the new website.
Camden council will be holding three information and registration events on Tuesday 13th September 2016 at St Pancras Community Association, 67 Pender Street, NW1 0LB (nearest tube stations are Mornington Crescent and Camden Town).
The events will enable people to find local services they want to help them live independently, with the benefit of a potential increase in the number of people using your service.
Staff will be on hand to help you register on the day. With this in mind, please bring with you details about your organisation (contact name, email address, business card/headed paper etc.) and ensure that you have the authority to sign up when you’re with us. Full details and registration can be accessed by clicking the link below:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/camden-social-care-online-directory-provider-launch-tickets-27088145372

Reaching Communities Kotha Bol Conference
The Kotha Bol project has supported South Asian women and their families by promoting economic independence through the provision of welfare benefits and employment advice whilst also tackling the perpetuating factors of domestic violence.
This conference will showcase and reflect on the work we have done in the last three years via live performance and share with you best practice.
We will have the privilege of three guest speakers who will share their expertise and experience on welfare, employment and domestic violence.
Monday 12th September 2016 10am- 2pm (Lunch will be provided)
Imperial London Hotel, 61-66 Russell Square WC1B 5BB
Please RSVP to kushba.bibi@hopscotchawc.org.uk or call us on 020 7388 8198

Free HR Courses for Camden Organisations
The Communities and Third Sector team at Camden Council are pleased to be able to offer Camden voluntary and community groups a series of HR training workshops. The workshops are free and will take place between 9.45 and 1pm at the Town Hall Judd Street. See Other Events section below for full details.

Camden Community Radio – What’s On
Careline Website; Camden People’s Theatre; Biscuits for Breakfast; Found at Foundling Museum; Book Camden Social Care Online Directory. Listen here.

Improving how Camden Council talk to and engage with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition
Camden Council would like to know how Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the borough engage with people, and what you think about our approach to engagement.
Please help us by completing our online survey by Friday 9 September.
We will listen to what you tell us when deciding what to do next.
The Council currently runs four forums, each held every three months, for people who are d/Deaf or have disabilities, and long term health conditions. These are:
• Mental health forum
• Learning disability forum
• Sensory needs forum
• Physical disability forum
The forums allow people tell us what they think of our services and how they can be improved. They were established in 2010. We are now looking at them again to see if any improvements can be made.
If you would like any further help, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us using the details below. You can also visit our project webpage.
Email: disability.engagement@camden.gov.uk Telephone: 020 7974 4835

Camden SAPB safeguarding adults conference
Working together towards lives free from abuse – 30 November 2016
This year’s conference will focus on how we can work together more efficiently and share information to keep Camden residents safe.
The conference will be an excellent opportunity for front-facing practitioners working with Camden communities to get together and share their experiences, as well as learn from each other’s practice.
A detailed conference programme will be circulated closer to the date. The event is free to attend for anyone working or volunteering with Camden adults, but we strongly advise booking your place early to avoid missing out.
The details of the event are as follows:
Wednesday, 30th November 2016
Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram Street, London WC1N 1HT
09:00-17:00. Please arrive promptly, registration starts at 9am.
Book your place HERE.

Royal Court Theatre Ticket Offer
There are £10 tickets for community and voluntary groups in Camden for the play TORN at Royal Court Theatre.
To make a booking on this offer they will need to call the Box Office on 0207 565 5000 and use the promo code TORN10.

What are your views of the police use of their Stop and Search powers?
Do you think Stop and Search helps prevent knife crime or maybe you think it contributes to the alienation of sections of our community?
Why not join Camden’s Stop and Search Monitoring Group? We meet several times a year with senior police officers to discuss reports into the use of Stop and Search in the Borough. We are careful to identify groups that have been disproportionately stopped. Prior to the meetings, some members of the monitoring group, including young people, dip sample ‘Stop slips’ and question the grounds for the stops.
The next meeting of the Monitoring group will be taking place on Tuesday 20 September at 6.30 pm. If you are interested in attending please email Peter Ward or for more information check out the Stop and Search page on the Camden Safer Neighbourhood Board website.

Poetry workshops
Led by regular Torriano host and Hearing Eye poet Lisa Kelly. Saturdays 1-5pm. September 24th; October 15th; November 19th. £19 /£15 per day. Book with Lisa by email: lisakellyuk@yahoo.com
‘From Page to Stage Poets’ led by Lisa Kelly. A unique opportunity for up to six poets to develop a set of poems for performance on 11 December at the Torriano Meeting House at 7.30pm. Over five workshop sessions you will develop your poems and performance techniques leading up to your Sunday night reading at the Torriano. Tuesdays 11.30am – 2.30pm. November 8th; November 15th; November 22nd; November 29th; December 6th. £95. Book with Lisa as above.

Swiss Cottage library’s change to opening hours.
As of September Swiss Cottage library will no longer be opening on Sundays.

Third Age Project Respect for the Elderly Day
2—4 pm Monday 19th September 2016
Workshops on Origami, Calligraphy, Japanese Language & greetings,
music, Japan knowledge quiz, go & shogi, mah-jong, Japanese
bon festival dance, How to put on a kimono and lots more…..
Venue: Diorama Arts Studios, 201 Drummond Street, London NW1 3FE
More information phone Third Age Project on 0207 383 4922

News From Centre 404
You can read the latest newsletter from Centre 404 here.

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre; Home Start Camden; Green Points; Camden Futures; Hep C Trust; Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

A year after the Kids Company’s demise, what have we learned?
Youth workers who rallied to help the young people whose support network disappeared when the charity collapsed, share their insights. Small voluntary organisations, with good links to the community, many volunteers, modest budgets and an absence of celebrity patrons and high profile trustees are the organisations that stepped in when Kids Company collapsed. See the Guardian

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Comic Relief Local Communities – Deadline soon!
The current theme is ‘Promote reduction of isolation and disadvantage and access to services’.
Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 will be available.
The programme aims to empower local people, enabling them to create lasting change in their communities. Projects should be run by people directly affected by the issues they are dealing with and priority will be given to small, locally based groups and organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community. Further details online.
Deadline for applications: 5pm Tuesday 6th September
If you have any questions please contact Thomas Flynn thomas.flynn@londoncf.org.uk or Matthew Harriot matthew.harriott@londoncf.org.uk

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Free HR training workshops for Camden voluntary and community groups
Many small to medium sized organisations do not have the resources to directly purchase HR support on an ongoing basis. In our experience, badly handled employment issues in small to medium sized organisations can destabilise the organisation and affect its delivery.
A robust HR function enables organisations to be more sustainable by strengthening the leadership of an organisation, supporting staff, trustees and volunteers effectively and by preventing crises.
The Communities and Third Sector team at Camden Council are pleased to be able to offer Camden voluntary and community groups a series of HR training workshops. The workshops are free and will take place between 9.45 and 1pm at the Town Hall Judd Street.
The workshops are for managers and trustees of voluntary and community groups based in Camden. To book a place on the workshops that you would like to attend, please click on the Eventbrite links.
HR Essentials Wednesday 28th September 2016
The aim of this workshop is to raise the awareness of potential and new employers about employment legislation and good practice in the workplace.
http://hr-essentials.eventbrite.co.uk
Managing Poor Performance through Capability Wednesday 19th October 2016
This workshop will focus on managing employees who are underperforming due to lack of capability
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-poor-performance-through-capability-tickets-27066873748
Managing Misconduct Wednesday 16th November 2016
This workshop will focus on managing employees who are underperforming due to misconduct
The training will reflect the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-misconduct-registration-27067000126
Handling Workplace Investigations Wednesday 7th December 2016
There are many occasions when an employer may wish to undertake an internal investigation including as part of the disciplinary and grievance process
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/handling-workplace-investigations-registration-27067050276
Staff Appraisals Thursday 12th January 2017
Appraisal is a two-way process of looking backwards to analyse past job performance, and looking forward into the future with a view to improving future performance.
The overall objective of an effective appraisal scheme should be to help each employee to maximise his or her job performance for the joint benefit of the employee and the organisation.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-appraisals-registration-27067569830
Managing Sickness Absence Thursday 9th February 2017
The aim of this workshop is to increase managers’ confidence and ability to manage staff absence.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-sickness-absence-registration-27067617974
Managing Restructure Wednesday 15th March 2017
Many voluntary and community organisations are considering some kind of restructuring in response to the current economic climate. This might include closing a team, amalgamating core functions, general downsizing or some sort of relocation.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-a-restructure-registration-27067674142
Managing Difficult Conversations at Work Wednesday 12th April 2017
Most of us dislike confrontation; we sometimes avoid it which can often lead to even more difficulty, misunderstandings and possible conflict.
In the current climate of continued economic uncertainty, we may find ourselves working with reduced budgets, constant organisational change and ongoing performance issues, as people try to make sense of all this.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-difficult-conversations-at-work-registration-27067711253
The workshops will be run by Shirley Briggs. Shirley is an independent HR consultant. Her background is in social housing where she worked as a HR manager for a number of large housing associations. She managed the PEACe (HR) service at LVSC from 2006-2016 supporting many hundreds of voluntary and community organisations with HR and employment law advice, consultancy and training. She is also a trained workplace mediator.

FREE places on Learning Disability Awareness Training from Training People
Wednesday 7th September
Training People will be delivering their popular Learning Disability Awareness Training for Camden Council on Wednesday 7th September 2016. The course runs from 1-5pm at the Crowndale Centre.
Places are getting booked up but there are still quite a few spots left and we’d love to see you, your colleagues or your volunteers there!
The training is suitable for anyone who comes into contact with people with a learning disability in their job. The group have had great reviews from commissioners, managers and volunteers alike.
We’ll be looking at effective communication, easy read, how to give great support, the law – and much more!
To find out if you are eligible for a FREE place, you need to contact Camden Training and Development Service. call 0207 974 2821 or visit their website at www.camdentds.co.uk.

How are small charities making big funds?
16th September at 6 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DA
£15 per person +booking fee
Whoever said ‘size matters’ knew nothing about crowdfunding! Crowdfunding is the new way for small charities to fund their projects by tapping into and utilising their existing networks.
Sounds hard? It’s not! GloablGiving UK have put together specially tailored workshops to teach you the techniques and tricks needed to successfully run your own crowdfunding campaign.
Last year alone more than 380 charity representatives attended the workshops and 82% subsequently saw an increase in their fundraising performance.
Questions – please contact Jess Bailey at Jbailey@globalgiving.org or read more about the workshop online

Leighton Project Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Thursday 8th September 10am-12pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The Leighton Education Project is a specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.
The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer. We also have spaces available for the 2016/17 academic year.
RSVP emily@elfridacamden.org.uk

Kingsgate Community Centre Bring and Buy Sale
4th September 12 – 4pm
Next to the play hut in Kilburn Grange Park
Clothes, jewellery, books, art, cakes, refreshments. Free entry.

Camden Intergenerational Network
Thursday 29th September 2016 at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA from 10am-12pm. Please email items for the agenda to Corinna Gray by Friday 16th September 2016.
Keep in touch via Ageing Better in Camden’s dedicated CIN web page.
Read the full network newsletter here.

September Volunteer Managers’ Forum + Lunch
Join VCC at our next volunteer managers’ forum where we will share our top tips for best practice in volunteer management. 14th September 2016.
The topics will be varied, and can be anything related to managing volunteers.
You will also meet (and network with) other volunteer managers in Camden – and lunch is included.
The forum will take place at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road, Camden Town, NW1 7EA
Check out the full details and book your free tickets on Eventbrite

‘Made of Money’ is running a 2 day Facilitator Training in London on 5th – 6th October 2016
We also offer ‘in house’ trainings for any organisation or group of organisations to suit you.
‘Made of Money’ is an award winning financial literacy resource, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills. It is ideal to help front line workers offer support to those on low income, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Universal Credit, and welfare benefit changes.
The cost per person for the 2-day training, (incl lunch), depending on the size of your organisation (£100 for small organisations).
You will also need a set of workshop resources, charged at a subsidised rate of £115. This gives you everything you need to run Made of with groups and 1:1 sessions. (These can be shared within the organisation or between groups of organisations)
Contact mompartner@qsa.org.uk

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre recruiting Four Posts
Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre is currently recruiting for an exciting new Big Lottery/ESF funded employment project. I would be grateful if you could forward the vacancies on to your contacts.
Please see below for details:
Project Manager
35 hrs per week , 3 year contract , £35,340 incl. ILW
Closing date: Thursday 22nd September 2016 at 12.00pm
Employment Advisors ×2
35 hrs per week , 3 year contract, £28,183 incl. ILW
Closing date: Thursday 22nd September 2016 at 12.00pm
Outreach Worker
35 hrs per week, 3 year contract, £25, 741 incl. ILW
Closing date: Thursday 22nd September at 12.00pm
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Isabelle Terrisson, Senior Operations Manager. For all other details and an application pack, please contact Ruksana Begum:
Tel: 020 7388 8198 E-mail: info@hopscotchawc.org.uk Web: www.hopscotchawc.org.uk

Home-Start Camden seeks Manager
After nearly five years, our current Manager is leaving us for pasture new.
Experienced Manager – Home-Start Camden – An opportunity to make a difference! Four days a week
Home-Start Camden (HSC) is looking for an experienced Manager to take this vibrant, established, local charity forward. The successful candidate should relish a challenge and be able to work strategically and creatively.
Application deadline: Thursday 22nd September 6pm
Interview date: Thursday 29th September at HSC office.
Further information here:

Green Points Scheme Vacancies: Recycling Advisors/ Team Leaders
35 hours a week for approximately 12 weeks starting 12th September 2016
Local Green Points are looking for a team of freelance Recycling Advisors to work on multiple projects throughout London. This will include participation monitoring, door-to-door engagement with residents and promoting a brand-new recycling rewards scheme across the boroughs of Westminster, Kingston upon Thames, Bexley, Camden and Hackney.
Recycling Advisors will be paid £60/day, Participation Monitors will be paid £65/day and Team leaders will be paid £75/day. Applicants that can drive and use their vehicles for work purposes will be reimbursed based on mileage. Bonuses will be paid in line with performance.
To apply please email Bradley Williams at jobs@localgreenpoints.com with a CV and brief covering letter explaining why you are suitable for this role and how you meet the personal description. Applications will remain open until positions are filled.
Training will take place on the Friday 9th September with work commencing 12th September.

Trustees Wanted
Volunteer Centre Camden are seeking trustees and a treasurer. Contact dominic@volunteercentrecamden.org.uk if you are interested.

Primary Care Navigator
Local Government Scale SO1 £29,133 – £30,830 pa fixed term contract to March 2017 plus weekend allowance plus 6% contributory pension. (This post may be extended subject to funding)
The Navigator will support those aged 60+ with long term conditions and their carers to access timely care and community support services. Close work with GPs and other practice staff is required as is accurate record keeping using IT systems. Through timely intervention and care co-ordination, unnecessary hospital admissions, GP appointments and residential placements will be reduced.
The successful candidate will come from an information/advice, social care or health background, must be computer literate, an excellent communicator, and able to work in a multi-disciplinary team. Experience of person centred planning and of working with volunteers is desirable. It is important that a candidate promotes a culture that values, protects and uses information for the success of the organisation and benefit of its clients/patients
The post is based at a GP surgery in Camden and some travel round the borough is required. AUC offers a contributory pension, and season ticket or bicycle loan facility. Limited rota (one in four) based work at weekends is required. GPs may make online referrals and remotely navigators will respond.
For further details and an application form visit our website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk or telephone 020 7239 0400. A secondment may be considered but no CVs, no agencies please.
Closing date: Wednesday 7th September 2016, 9.30 am
Interview date: Monday 12th September 2016

Opening Doors London seeks Community Outreach Officer [LGBT* Connect]
7 hours per week Hourly rate: £15.49
Area to be covered: London Borough of Camden
Opening Doors London (ODL) is the largest service working with and for older LGBT* people in the UK, and is in a unique position to assess the need for, and impact of, focused work with this largely under recognised and often marginalised group. This is an exciting opportunity to join the ODL team as we have just become a charity with our own Board of Trustees and are looking to develop our services across the whole of London.
We are recruiting a worker to support work with older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* (LGBT*) people in and around the London borough of Camden as part of the LGBT* Connect project.
LGBT* Connect is a partnership of older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* (LGBT*) people and a number of Camden organisations, working together to reconnect older LGBT* people to local networks, both to improve their wellbeing and to strengthen local communities.
With the help of your line manager and volunteers you will work with members of the older LGBT* community to help them to set up and manage social groups. You will have a focus on finding isolated individuals within and around Camden who may not have heard of the service. You will also be responsible for leading on the collection and inputting of monitoring and evaluation data for the project.
If you are interested in this role please see the application pack including the full job description and person specification at www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.
Closing date: Monday 26th September 2016 – 9.15 am

Camden Futures Community Connectors
Are you a parent or carer living in Camden? Have you ever thought of helping other parents by sharing tips, interesting activities happening in your community and places to go with your family and friends?
Camden Futures is recruiting parents volunteers to become Community Connectors. We are holding information sessions on
08/09/16 from 1 to 3 pm and on 16/09/16 from 9.30 to 11.30 am at Elfrida Rathbone Camden, 7 Dowdney Close, London NW5 2BP. For info contact Francesca on 02074241622

Hep C support group in Camden
Use your experience of living with Hepatitis C to educate and support others through the process of getting tested and treated.
We are recruiting a team of 6 people with lived experience to form a Hep C support group in Camden. The group will deliver
Peer Led Drop In; Peer Support Group; Outreach; Peer Education; Help with attending appointments
You will Get
Training from the Hep C TRUST; Reward and recognition; Supervision and support
If you are interested, contact Alex, Dan or John at VoiceAbility on 020 3355 7113 or camdenuserinvolvement@voiceability.org
We need to recruit a team quite quickly, so early applications are especially welcome

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Action Plan for Camden CCG
The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

New Online Market Place for Social Care Providers; VAC is moving offices; Last Chance to Apply for Camden Young People’s Foundation jobs; Camden Funders Fair for Local Community Organisations; Camden Futures Community Connectors; News from Camden Sure Start Children’s Centres; Leighton Project Coffee Morning; + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Camden council have developed a new online marketplace for adult social care in Camden. This will sit within the new Camden Care Choices website to be launched in October 2016. This is part of the Care Act 2014 offer to provide people with access to social care products and services.
Initially, the marketplace will allow users to source care and support services themselves and, in due course, the marketplace will be the primary source for Camden Council staff to commission providers’ services. All future contracts with providers will require registering services on the new website.
Camden council will be holding three information and registration events on Tuesday 13th September 2016 at St Pancras Community Association, 67 Pender Street, NW1 0LB (nearest tube stations are Mornington Crescent and Camden Town).
The events will enable people to find local services they want to help them live independently, with the benefit of a potential increase in the number of people using your service.
Staff will be on hand to help you register on the day. With this in mind, please bring with you details about your organisation (contact name, email address, business card/headed paper etc.) and ensure that you have the authority to sign up when you’re with us. Full details and registration can be accessed by clicking the link below:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/camden-social-care-online-directory-provider-launch-tickets-27088145372

Farewell Kentish Town
From September Voluntary Action Camden will be based in the West Euston Partnership offices at 29- 31 Hampstead Rd, London NW1 3JA. Email addresses and phone numbers remain the same.
The other organisations based at 299 Kentish Town Road will all be moving to new premises as well: Camden Carers Centre, Healthwatch Camden, Camden Psychotherapy Unit, Camden Mediation Service, The Advocacy Project, Irish Survivors Support Network, Solace Women’s Aid, the Bereavement Service and CADFA..

Camden Young People’s Foundation
This is an exciting initiative that aims to support activities for young people in Camden. Three posts are being recruited – see ‘Jobs’ section below for full details. Deadline Monday!

Camden Funders Fair for Local Community Organisations
Thursday 22nd September 9.30am-12.30pm
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
This fair will be aimed at local, Camden-based community organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000 per annum who are engaged in excellent work in the borough, but are not necessarily used to approaching independent funders.
Community organisations and charities will receive welcome advice and tailored guidance on the day from national and local trusts and foundations and, following on from this, Voluntary Action Camden has pledged to provide further 1-1 support to the charities attending to help them in future funding applications.
Reasons to attend:
• Good way to reach a number of organisations efficiently, good use of time.
• Opportunity to meet local charities and give them invaluable face-to-face advice.
• Improve quality of funding applications to the benefit of all.
• Leverage additional support for the charities from VAC.
• Network and connect with other local and national funders.
know more then please contact either Simone or Jackie on:
Simone: shensby@vac.org.uk, Tel: 020 7284 6555
Jackie: jackie.crombie@bitcconnect.org, Tel: 07841 727172

Camden Futures Community Connectors
Are you a parent or carer living in Camden? Have you ever thought of helping other parents by sharing tips, interesting activities happening in your community and places to go with your family and friends?
Camden Futures is recruiting parents volunteers to become Community Connectors. We are holding information sessions on
08/09/16 from 1 to 3 pm and on 16/09/16 from 9.30 to 11.30 am at Elfrida Rathbone Camden, 7 Dowdney Close, London NW5 2BP. For info contact Francesca on 02074241622

News from Camden Sure Start Children’s Centres
Children’s centre news and activities for families with children under 5 years and those expecting a baby.
Information about the Family Nurse Partnership is online here: http://fnp.nhs.uk/
Information about 2 year places- http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/education/pre-school/help-with-childcare-costs.en
Look on the new website www.camden.gov.uk/surestartcamden
•To register online- it’s quick and easy
•To view all 5 Services Timetables – a new leaflet with maps and weekly timetables

Leighton Project Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Thursday 8th September 10am-12pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The Leighton Education Project is a specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.
The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer. We also have spaces available for the 2016/17 academic year.
RSVP emily@elfridacamden.org.uk

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is monthly and contains information and news on funding and training. To access it go to www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Clean Break; Fitzrovia Youth in Action; Camden Young People’s Foundation; Healthwatch Camden; Solace Women’s Aid; Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Mens Sheds
Out of the wood: how carpentry is helping men tackle loneliness
According to the Guardian, the Mensheds movement is spreading across the UK. Curously they claim there are 4 in Britain – actually there are hundreds. Find out about the Camden Town Mens Shed here.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Comic Relief Local Communities
The current theme is ‘Promote reduction of isolation and disadvantage and access to services’.
Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 will be available.
The programme aims to empower local people, enabling them to create lasting change in their communities. Projects should be run by people directly affected by the issues they are dealing with and priority will be given to small, locally based groups and organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community. Further details online.
Deadline for applications: 5pm Tuesday 6th September
If you have any questions please contact Thomas Flynn thomas.flynn@londoncf.org.uk or Matthew Harriot matthew.harriott@londoncf.org.uk

From paintbrushes to iPads: £3m fund to entice over-75s into the arts
Shakespeare may have described old age as “mere oblivion”, a depressing stage of life “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.
But Arts Council England disagrees, as it allocates £3 million of funding to organisations that encourage pensioners to take up creative pursuits.
Older people are to be invited to pick up their paintbrushes, dancing shoes or iPads as part of a major new project, Celebrating Age. Story from the Telegraph

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Free HR training workshops for Camden voluntary and community groups
Many small to medium sized organisations do not have the resources to directly purchase HR support on an ongoing basis. In our experience, badly handled employment issues in small to medium sized organisations can destabilise the organisation and affect its delivery.
A robust HR function enables organisations to be more sustainable by strengthening the leadership of an organisation, supporting staff, trustees and volunteers effectively and by preventing crises.
The Communities and Third Sector team at Camden Council are pleased to be able to offer Camden voluntary and community groups a series of HR training workshops. The workshops are free and will take place between 9.45 and 1pm at the Town Hall Judd Street.
The workshops are for managers and trustees of voluntary and community groups based in Camden. To book a place on the workshops that you would like to attend, please click on the Eventbrite links.
HR Essentials Wednesday 28th September 2016
The aim of this workshop is to raise the awareness of potential and new employers about employment legislation and good practice in the workplace.
http://hr-essentials.eventbrite.co.uk
Managing Poor Performance through Capability Wednesday 19th October 2016
This workshop will focus on managing employees who are underperforming due to lack of capability
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-poor-performance-through-capability-tickets-27066873748
Managing Misconduct Wednesday 16th November 2016
This worshop will focus on managing employees who are underperforming due to misconduct
The training will reflect the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-misconduct-registration-27067000126
Handling Workplace Investigations Wednesday 7th December 2016
There are many occasions when an employer may wish to undertake an internal investigation including as part of the disciplinary and grievance process
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/handling-workplace-investigations-registration-27067050276
Staff Appraisals Thursday 12th January 2017
Appraisal is a two-way process of looking backwards to analyse past job performance, and looking forward into the future with a view to improving future performance.
The overall objective of an effective appraisal scheme should be to help each employee to maximise his or her job performance for the joint benefit of the employee and the organisation.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-appraisals-registration-27067569830
Managing Sickness Absence Thursday 9th February 2017
The aim of this workshop is to increase managers’ confidence and ability to manage staff absence.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-sickness-absence-registration-27067617974
Managing Restructure Wednesday 15th March 2017
Many voluntary and community organisations are considering some kind of restructuring in response to the current economic climate. This might include closing a team, amalgamating core functions, general downsizing or some sort of relocation.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-a-restructure-registration-27067674142
Managing Difficult Conversations at Work Wednesday 12th April 2017
Most of us dislike confrontation; we sometimes avoid it which can often lead to even more difficulty, misunderstandings and possible conflict.
In the current climate of continued economic uncertainty, we may find ourselves working with reduced budgets, constant organisational change and ongoing performance issues, as people try to make sense of all this.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-difficult-conversations-at-work-registration-27067711253
The workshops will be run by Shirley Briggs. Shirely is an independent HR consultant. Her background is in social housing where she worked as a HR manager for a number of large housing associations. She managed the PEACe (HR) service at LVSC from 2006-2016 supporting many hundreds of voluntary and community organisations with HR and employment law advice, consultancy and training. She is also a trained workplace mediator.

FREE places on Learning Disability Awareness Training from Training People
Wednesday 7th September
Training People will be delivering their popular Learning Disability Awareness Training for Camden Council on Wednesday 7th September 2016. The course runs from 1-5pm at the Crowndale Centre.
Places are getting booked up but there are still quite a few spots left and we’d love to see you, your colleagues or your volunteers there!
The training is suitable for anyone who comes into contact with people with a learning disability in their job. The group have had great reviews from commissioners, managers and volunteers alike.
We’ll be looking at effective communication, easy read, how to give great support, the law – and much more!
To find out if you are eligible for a FREE place, you need to contact Camden Training and Development Service. You can call them on 0207 974 2821 or visit their website at www.camdentds.co.uk.

Older Men’s Health Sessions
Wednesdays 11am – 1pm throughout August (24th, 31st)
Fun and enjoyable weekly workshop
Third Age Project, Crypt Centre, Munster Square, London NW1. Tel 020 7383 4922

Kingsgate Community Centre Bring and Buy Sale
4th September 12 – 4pm
Next to the play hut in Kilburn Grange Park
Clothes, jewellery, books, art, cakes, refreshments. Free entry.

Camden Intergenerational Network
Thursday 29th September 2016 at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA from 10am-12pm. Please email items for the agenda to Corinna Gray by Friday 16th September 2016.
Keep in touch via Ageing Better in Camden’s dedicated CIN web page.
Read the full network newsletter here.

September Volunteer Managers’ Forum + Lunch
Join us at our next volunteer managers’ forum where we will share our top tips for best practice in volunteer management. 14th September 2016.
The topics will be varied, and can be anything related to managing volunteers.
You will also meet (and network with) other volunteer managers in Camden – and lunch is included.
The forum will take place at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road, Camden Town, NW1 7EA
Check out the full details and book your free tickets on Eventbrite

‘Made of Money’ is running a 2 day Facilitator Training in London on 5th – 6th October 2016
We also offer ‘in house’ trainings for any organisation or group of organisations to suit you.
‘Made of Money’ is an award winning financial literacy resource, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills. It is ideal to help front line workers offer support to those on low income, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Universal Credit, and welfare benefit changes.
The cost per person for the 2-day training, (incl lunch), depending on the size of your organisation (£100 for small organisations).
You will also need a set of workshop resources, charged at a subsidised rate of £115. This gives you everything you need to run Made of with groups and 1:1 sessions. (These can be shared within the organisation or between groups of organisations)
Contact mompartner@qsa.org.uk

Recovery Collge Taster Courses Drop-in
Understanding Drug & Alcohol Use
Thursday 25 August, 2.30-3pm
All of these workshops take place at Phoenix Main Space at: Mind in Camden – Barnes House, 9-15 Camden Road, London, NW1 9LQ
Tel: 0207 241 8998. You can enrol for Autumn term after each session
Call The Recovery College on: 0203 317 6904 Visit our website : www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Elfrida Rathbone seeks Employment Support Coordinator
Salary £28,845 pro rata (including ILW)
28 hours per week (some evening and weekend work as required)
Two year fixed-term contract with potential to extend
To coordinate the delivery of Inclusion Works, a project supporting young people with learning difficulties and disabilities into sustainable employment and helping them to achieve their aims for community inclusion and financial independence.
For more information about this role, please contact Jennifer Ellis on 020 7424 1639 or email jennifer@elfridacamden.org.uk
The closing date for applications is 10am on Friday 2nd September. Interviews will be held on Friday 9th September.

Fitzrovia Youth in Action seeks Mentoring Programme Staff
Manager
Salary £30,000-£32,000, depending on experience
Fitzrovia Youth in Action (FYA) is seeking to employ a Project Manager to co-ordinate an exciting project, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, aimed at raising
young people’s aspirations and learning while developing their employability skills and giving them an insight into the world of work and higher education.
Working in partnership with local businesses, youth services and educational institutions , the post holder will deliver an innovative programme consisting of work experience
placements, 1-2-1 mentoring, youth volunteering, study support groups and employability workshops.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and passionate individual with excellent organisational skills, great communication skills and the ability to motivate and support local businesses and employees to participate in the scheme, as well as young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Apply here
Mentoring Programme Officer
£24,000
We are looking to recruit a passionate mentoring programme officer to support the development and running of the Insight programme: a series of projects aimed at providing young people with employability and study support so they can follow their dreams and achieve thier goals. Our programmes include short and long term mentoring and work experience projects, a study hub run by student volunteers, and employability training.
Deadline for applications for both jobs is Wednesday 31st August. Interviews will be held in the week commencing 5th September. Apply here.

Clean Break seeks Female Catering Volunteers
We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to assist the Catering Team with preparation and serving of nutritious food to our service users, maintaining Health & Safety and kitchen hygiene Standards.
Food Preparation – catering for daily lunches and internal and external events, with tasks including prepping, cooking, dishing up and serving, washing up and cleaning up kitchen. Ingredients will be cooked, frozen, tinned to create healthily meat and vegetation dishes. Assist with quarterly blitz of kitchen-deep clean of equipment and kitchen space.
This role would suit someone who enjoys cooking and working as part of a team
A basic level of cooking knowledge and ability to follow instruction is essential
Some experience of working with vulnerable people who have been through the Criminal Justice System
Long or short term commitment from September 2016 – July 2017 with availability Monday-Thursday
Weekdays 11.00am-2.30pm (Tuesdays 11.00-3pm). Some flexibility
Open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1)
Contact: Samantha.McNeil@cleanbreak.org.uk Tel: 020 7482 8600

Hep C support group in Camden
Use your experience of living with Hepatitis C to educate and support others through the process of getting tested and treated.
We are recruiting a team of 6 people with lived experience to form a Hep C support group in Camden. The group will deliver
Peer Led Drop In; Peer Support Group; Outreach; Peer Education; Help with attending appointments
You will Get
Training from the Hep C TRUST; Reward and recognition; Supervision and support
If you are interested, contact Alex, Dan or John at VoiceAbility on 020 3355 7113 or camdenuserinvolvement@voiceability.org
We need to recruit a team quite quickly, so early applications are especially welcome

Camden Young People’s Foundation are recruiting 3 posts
Chief Executive Officer
Fundraising Manager
Operations Officer
The Camden Young Peoples Foundation is a new initiative in Camden that aims to to fundraise to secure funding from new sources (e.g. Big Lottery and European Social Fund) into the local area and successfully secure commissions from the local authority
YPF will attract corporate and individual funding streams and will be a practical and simple way for the corporate sector to engage with CYP organisations.
YPF will also organise sector (and location) specific capacity building including training events, advice sessions and a forum for organisations to share ideas and best practice share venue spaces and develop a ‘venue bank’, coordinate sector networking opportunities and support services.
YPF will be a membership organisations for any group that works with Children and Young People in the Camden.
YPF will have a Trustee Board and wider steering group that will include representation from relevant organisations in Camden. This might include the local voluntary sector, the local authority, police, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Housing Associations, local schools, faith groups, uniformed groups, football clubs and sports organisations, the corporate sector and funder representation.
Download the application packs at the VAC webiste.

Freelance opportunity with Healthwatch Camden
Healthwatch Camden is seeking someone to work with us on our Audit of Engagement project. The position will operate on a self-funding basis. Remuneration will be dependent on income that the freelance worker is able to generate through delivery of the Audit of Involvement service for organisations in the borough of Camden and beyond on a cost recovery basis. The person we are seeking will need to demonstrate: experience in generating income through the delivery of consultancy services in the field of health and social care; a commitment to and an understanding of the theory and practice behind patient and public involvement; ability to work efficiently and independently. Relevant qualifications include: Masters in Business Administration; Masters in Health or Social Care or related field.
To apply please send CV and covering letter by Monday August 15th to: victoria.armitage@healthwatchcamden.co.uk
If you would like more information or to discuss this opportunity please email Anna Wright at: anna.wright@healthwatchcamden.co.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Improving how Camden Council talk to and engage with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition
Camden Council would like to know how Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the borough engage with people, and what you think about our approach to engagement.
Please help us by completing our online survey by Friday 2 September.
We will listen to what you tell us when deciding what to do next.
The Council currently runs four forums, each held every three months, for people who are d/Deaf or have disabilities, and long term health conditions. These are:
• Mental health forum
• Learning disability forum
• Sensory needs forum
• Physical disability forum
The forums allow people tell us what they think of our services and how they can be improved. They were established in 2010. We are now looking at them again to see if any improvements can be made.
If you would like any further help, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us using the details below. You can also visit our project webpage.
Email: disability.engagement@camden.gov.uk Telephone: 020 7974 4835

Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Action Plan for Camden CCG
The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Health Advocates; Farewell Kentish Town; Camden Care Navigation Service praised in CQC Report; Camden Funders Fair for Local Community Organisations; Personal Health Budgets (PHBs): Free learning and development days; Dementia Citizens; Camden Young People’s Foundation; Kingsgate Community Centre Bring and Buy Sale; Camden Intergenerational Network; Leighton Education Project; Free Learning Disability Awareness Training; Older Men’s Health Sessions; Sporting Sense Project + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

The latest edition of the Camden Patient Participation Groups Newsletter looks at Community health advocates are volunteers who signpost people to health and wellbeing services, websites, and community activities. Most advocates work from GP surgery waiting rooms in two hour sessions.
The project is part of Voluntary Action Camden’s health inequalities work which aims to address issues which contribute to poor health outcomes for Camden residents. The service is funded by Camden CCG and Camden Council. You can read the full article in the CPPG Newsletter, read a blog about new models of care and the involvement of the the VCS on the VAC website, or email vac to find out more or get involved.

Farewell Kentish Town
The organisations based at 299 Kentish Town Road will all be moving to new premises in September. This inludes VAC, Camden Carers Centre, Healthwatch Camden, Camden Psychotherapy Unit, Camden Mediation Service, The Advocacy Project, and Irish Survivors Support Network. Solace Women’s Aid and Camden, City, Islington and W Bereavement Service have already moved to new premises. VAC will be moving to West Euston Partnership’s offices. Healthwatch Camden will be moving to Somers Town Community Centre. Irish Survivors Support Network are moving to the Cypriot Women’s Centre. The Advocacy Project are moving to the Camden Society offices. Further information about all the moves will follow in the next e-bulletin.

Camden Young People’s Foundation
This is an exciting initiative that aims to support activities for young people in Camden. Three posts are being recruited – see ‘Jobs’ section below for full details. Deadline soon.

Camden Care Navigation Service praised in CQC Report
In the recently published Care Quality Commission (CQC) report Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers, the Primary Care Navigation Service run by Age UK Camden was praised as a good example of multi-agency working. The CQC report was generally critical of lack of integration, calling for improvements, but Camden was held up as good practice, see: http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/older-people-denied-personalised-effective-and-responsive-care-due-poor-integration-across
Age UK Camden’s CEO Gary Jones said “We deliver with Camden CCG funding with close links to GPs and other practice staff as well as social care professionals. Voluntary sector partners are also key and our Care Navigation Manager is seconded from Camden Carers Centre and is a nurse by training. We also had some help from Age UK London and Age UK Kensington and Chelsea in developing the model.”

Camden Funders Fair for Local Community Organisations
Thursday 22nd September 9.30am-12.30pm
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
This fair will be aimed at local, Camden-based community organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000 per annum who are engaged in excellent work in the borough, but are not necessarily used to approaching independent funders.
Community organisations and charities will receive welcome advice and tailored guidance on the day from national and local trusts and foundations and, following on from this, Voluntary Action Camden has pledged to provide further 1-1 support to the charities attending to help them in future funding applications.
Reasons to attend:
• Good way to reach a number of organisations efficiently, good use of time.
• Opportunity to meet local charities and give them invaluable face-to-face advice.
• Improve quality of funding applications to the benefit of all.
• Leverage additional support for the charities from VAC.
• Network and connect with other local and national funders.
know more then please contact either Simone or Jackie on:
Simone: shensby@vac.org.uk, Tel: 020 7284 6555
Jackie: jackie.crombie@bitcconnect.org, Tel: 07841 727172

Personal Health Budgets (PHBs): Free learning and development days
The NHS is planning to increase the use of Personal Health Budgets (PHBs). Local infrastructure organisations need to be aware of what this could mean and the potential role they could play to make PHBs work for local people.
NAVCA, National Voices and Volunteering Matters (the Voluntary Voices partnership) are setting up learning and support networks for anyone in the voluntary sector involved in helping people and local voluntary organisations make PHBs work, in particular local infrastructure, charities delivering healthcare and user-led organisations. The networks will also have input from NHS England and local CCGs, so present an opportunity to share ideas with them.
To initiate the networks NAVCA have organised free learning and development days in venues across the country. More information about these events and how to book can be found here.

Dementia Citizens
Dementia Citizens is a new project to help people with dementia and those who care for them, using apps on smartphones and tablets. If you’re affected by dementia, Dementia Citizens can help you:
~ find new activities that you can enjoy with family and friends, using your smartphone or tablet
~ take part in dementia research studies and help us understand more about dementia care
~ learn new ways of living with dementia and caring for someone with dementia
Find out more at the Dementia Citizens website.

Kingsgate Community Centre Bring and Buy Sale
4th September 12 – 4pm
Next to the play hut in Kilburn Grange Park
Clothes, jewellery, books, art, cakes, refreshments. Free entry.

Camden Intergenerational Network
An important date for your diary is the next Camden Intergenerational Network meeting on Thursday 29th September 2016 at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA from 10am-12pm. Please email items for the agenda to Corinna Gray by Friday 16th September 2016.
Keep in touch via Ageing Better in Camden’s dedicated CIN web page.
Read the full network newsletter here.

The Leighton Education Project still has places available
Do you know a young person aged 16 – 25 with SEND who is looking for a placement for the 2016 – 2017 academic year?
The Leighton Education Project is a specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.
We’re based in Kentish Town and work with young people across London.
With only 18 students each year, we offer a truly person centred approach.
Students at the Leighton Project achieve the Ascentis Award in Personal Development or Skills for Employment.
We offer tailored support for students including:
Support from a named Keyworker
Access to social and emotional support from the Learning Mentor
Work experience opportunities with support from the Work Preparation Officer
Students can also access a range of other enrichment activities and projects
for young disabled people offered by Elfrida Rathbone Camden.
For more information about the project or to arrange a visit, please contact:
Jennifer on 020 7424 1639/07939 862 637 or jennifer@elfridacamden.org.uk
Alexis on 020 7424 1610 or alexis@elfridacamden.org.uk

FREE places on Learning Disability Awareness Training from Training People
Wednesday 7th September
Training People will be delivering their popular Learning Disability Awareness Training for Camden Council on Wednesday 7th September 2016. The course runs from 1-5pm at the Crowndale Centre.
Places are getting booked up but there are still quite a few spots left and we’d love to see you, your colleagues or your volunteers there!
The training is suitable for anyone who comes into contact with people with a learning disability in their job. The group have had great reviews from commissioners, managers and volunteers alike.
We’ll be looking at effective communication, easy read, how to give great support, the law – and much more!
To find out if you are eligible for a FREE place, you need to contact Camden Training and Development Service. You can call them on 0207 974 2821 or visit their website at www.camdentds.co.uk.

Do you have a suitable room to hire?
Buddhist charity looking for room to hire four times per month in the evening. Contact: London@drukpa.org.uk

Older Men’s Health Sessions
Wednesdays 11am – 1pm throughout August (17th, 24th, 31st)
Fun and enjoyable weekly workshop
Third Age Project, Crypt Centre, Munster Square, London NW1. Tel 020 7383 4922

Sporting Sense Project 2016 -2018
Sense Head Office, 101 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9GL
Friday 19th August Morning: 11am – 12.30pm OR Afternoon: 2pm – 3.30pm
Topics to discuss on the day:
• What activities have people participated in previously? Favourite activities?
• Positives and/or suggested improvements from activities you have previously attended
• Best/worst locations and venues to hold sessions
• Support and accessibility concerns
• Times and days preferred for sessions
• Random sports that people would love to try
• Opinions on the suggested sporting activities
• People’s experiences of being able to access promotion information and where they would go to access it
Email: taylor.huxster@sense.org.uk Telephone: 020 7014 9365

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is monthly and contains information and news on funding and training. To access it go to www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Clean Break; Fitzrovia Youth in Action; Camden Young People’s Foundation; Healthwatch Camden; Solace Women’s Aid; Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Free Guide to fundraising for small organisations
Gimme, Gimme Gimme!, a report was written to try and help organisations think about their fundraising with greater realism and to improve their chances of success. It is aimed at small organisations, those (however large) who are just starting to think about raising more voluntary income or anybody else who finds it useful. You can see the full report on the nfp synergy website.

Office for Civil Society
Many of the roles of the Office for Civil Society (OCS) have been transferred to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, in order to meet the Government’s strategy to promote volunteering, social action and philanthropy, to be in one Department. The roles being transferred are:
• Work designed to grow volunteering, social action and philanthropy
• Facilitating a more independent and resilient VCSE sector
• Promoting social investment and social impact bonds
• The creation of opportunities for young people to develop skills outside of school, in support of youth policy
• The expansion of the National Citizen Service
• Sponsoring the Big Lottery Fund and promoting socially responsible business

Line Manager’s Resources
MHFA have produced ‘A practical guide to managing and supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace’.
Download this free resource here.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Comic Relief Local Communities is open
The current theme is ‘Promote reduction of isolation and disadvantage and access to services’.
Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 will be available.
The programme aims to empower local people, enabling them to create lasting change in their communities. Projects should be run by people directly affected by the issues they are dealing with and priority will be given to small, locally based groups and organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community. Further details online.
Deadline for applications: 5pm Tuesday 6th September
If you have any questions please contact Thomas Flynn thomas.flynn@londoncf.org.uk or Matthew Harriot matthew.harriott@londoncf.org.uk

From paintbrushes to iPads: £3m fund to entice over-75s into the arts
Shakespeare may have described old age as “mere oblivion”, a depressing stage of life “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.
But Arts Council England disagrees, as it allocates £3 million of funding to organisations that encourage pensioners to take up creative pursuits.
Older people are to be invited to pick up their paintbrushes, dancing shoes or iPads as part of a major new project, Celebrating Age. Story from the Telegraph

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours Grants
The Near Neighbours programme offers small grants of between £250 and £5,000, as seed funding for local groups and organisations
working to bring together neighbours, and to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities to improve their communities.
Grants have offered funding to a broad range of work; environmental, social, cultural, artistic, and sporting, that furthers the programme’s aims of encouraging community interaction and social action. Full details at cuf.org.uk

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

September Volunteer Managers’ Forum + Lunch
Join us at our next volunteer managers’ forum where we will share our top tips for best practice in volunteer management.
The topics will be varied, and can be anything related to managing volunteers.
You will also meet (and network with) other volunteer managers in Camden – and lunch is included.
The forum will take place at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road, Camden Town, NW1 7EA
Check out the full details and book your free tickets on Eventbrite

‘Made of Money’ is running a 2 day Facilitator Training in London on 5th – 6th October 2016
We also offer ‘in house’ trainings for any organisation or group of organisations to suit you.
‘Made of Money’ is an award winning financial literacy resource, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills. It is ideal to help front line workers offer support to those on low income, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Universal Credit, and welfare benefit changes.
The cost per person for the 2-day training, (incl lunch), depending on the size of your organisation (£100 for small organisations).
You will also need a set of workshop resources, charged at a subsidised rate of £115. This gives you everything you need to run Made of with groups and 1:1 sessions. (These can be shared within the organisation or between groups of organisations)
Contact mompartner@qsa.org.uk

Recovery Collge Taster Courses Drop-in
Understanding Drug & Alcohol Use
Thursday 18 August, 2.30-3pm
Your Nearest Relative’s Rights in a Crisis
Thursday 18 August, 5.30-6pm
Men & Masculinity
Thursday 25 August, 2.30-3pm
All of these workshops take place at Phoenix Main Space at: Mind in Camden – Barnes House, 9-15 Camden Road, London, NW1 9LQ
Tel: 0207 241 8998. You can enrol for Autumn term after each session
Call The Recovery College on: 0203 317 6904 Visit our website : www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege

Family Fun Days
Camden’s Tenant Participation team have family fun days coming up:
Goldington Crescent Gardens
Wednesday 17 August, 2 to 6pm
Brunswick Square Gardens
Thursday 6 October, 2 to 6pm
All events include: Brazilian dance and food; Pedal power smoothie making; Public artwork from Walls on Walls; Face painting; Camden Active Communities: table tennis, Zumba, boccia; Plus: talk to us about Camden services.
Contact tp@camden.gov.uk

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Fitzrovia Youth in Action seeks Mentoring Programme Manager
Salary £30,000-£32,000, depending on experience
Fitzrovia Youth in Action (FYA) is seeking to employ a Project Manager to co-ordinate an exciting project, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, aimed at raising
young people’s aspirations and learning while developing their employability skills and giving them an insight into the world of work and higher education.
Working in partnership with local businesses, youth services and educational institutions , the post holder will deliver an innovative programme consisting of work experience
placements, 1-2-1 mentoring, youth volunteering, study support groups and employability workshops.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and passionate individual with excellent organisational skills, great communication skills and the
ability to motivate and support local businesses and employees to participate in the scheme, as well as young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Deadline for applications is Wednesday 31st August. Interviews will be held in the week commencing 5th September. Apply here.

Clean Break seeks Female Catering Volunteers
We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to assist the Catering Team with preparation and serving of nutritious food to our service users, maintaining Health & Safety and kitchen hygiene Standards.
Food Preparation – catering for daily lunches and internal and external events, with tasks including prepping, cooking, dishing up and serving, washing up and cleaning up kitchen. Ingredients will be cooked, frozen, tinned to create healthily meat and vegetation dishes. Assist with quarterly blitz of kitchen-deep clean of equipment and kitchen space.
This role would suit someone who enjoys cooking and working as part of a team
A basic level of cooking knowledge and ability to follow instruction is essential
Some experience of working with vulnerable people who have been through the Criminal Justice System
Long or short term commitment from September 2016 – July 2017 with availability Monday-Thursday
Weekdays 11.00am-2.30pm (Tuesdays 11.00-3pm). Some flexibility
Open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1)
Contact: Samantha.McNeil@cleanbreak.org.uk Tel: 020 7482 8600

Hep C support group in Camden
Use your experience of living with Hepatitis C to educate and support others through the process of getting tested and treated.
We are recruiting a team of 6 people with lived experience to form a Hep C support group in Camden. The group will deliver
Peer Led Drop In; Peer Support Group; Outreach; Peer Education; Help with attending appointments
You will Get
Training from the Hep C TRUST; Reward and recognition; Supervision and support
If you are interested, contact Alex, Dan or John at VoiceAbility on 020 3355 7113 or camdenuserinvolvement@voiceability.org
We need to recruit a team quite quickly, so early applications are especially welcome

Camden Young People’s Foundation are recruiting 3 posts
Chief Executive Officer
Fundraising Manager
Operations Officer
The Camden Young Peoples Foundation is a new initiative in Camden that aims to to fundraise to secure funding from new sources (e.g. Big Lottery and European Social Fund) into the local area and successfully secure commissions from the local authority
YPF will attract corporate and individual funding streams and will be a practical and simple way for the corporate sector to engage with CYP organisations.
YPF will also organise sector (and location) specific capacity building including training events, advice sessions and a forum for organisations to share ideas and best practice share venue spaces and develop a ‘venue bank’, coordinate sector networking opportunities and support services.
YPF will be a membership organisations for any group that works with Children and Young People in the Camden.
YPF will have a Trustee Board and wider steering group that will include representation from relevant organisations in Camden. This might include the local voluntary sector, the local authority, police, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Housing Associations, local schools, faith groups, uniformed groups, football clubs and sports organisations, the corporate sector and funder representation.
Download the application packs at the VAC webiste.

Freelance opportunity with Healthwatch Camden
Healthwatch Camden is seeking someone to work with us on our Audit of Engagement project. The position will operate on a self-funding basis. Remuneration will be dependent on income that the freelance worker is able to generate through delivery of the Audit of Involvement service for organisations in the borough of Camden and beyond on a cost recovery basis. The person we are seeking will need to demonstrate: experience in generating income through the delivery of consultancy services in the field of health and social care; a commitment to and an understanding of the theory and practice behind patient and public involvement; ability to work efficiently and independently. Relevant qualifications include: Masters in Business Administration; Masters in Health or Social Care or related field.
To apply please send CV and covering letter by Monday August 15th to: victoria.armitage@healthwatchcamden.co.uk
If you would like more information or to discuss this opportunity please email Anna Wright at: anna.wright@healthwatchcamden.co.uk

North London Rape Crisis Helpline Volunteer
Availability A minimum commitment of 12 months post-training from January to December 2017.
North London Rape Crisis is currently looking for helpline volunteers to provide support to women and girls age 13+ who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives. The volunteers will be required to commit to 12 months post training and to attend a 10 week training course on Fridays from 7th October to 9th December 2016. You are required to attend 80% of the sessions to be able to proceed to working on the helpline. You will need to have an interest in working with survivors of sexual violence and will have the opportunity to work towards an OCN accredited qualification for ‘Professionals Working in the Sexual Violence Sector’ at level 2 or 3.
Please email us for the information pack and application form. The deadline to submit applications is by 10am on Tuesday 30th August.
Children & Family Services Assistant
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
This is a new role to work in our generic Camden Refuge Services. The C & F volunteer assistant will be supporting the day to day running of the children’s service. This may include: Supporting women to attend appointments, Draw up activity timetables, Running groups, Keep records of all activities and Making contact with women via telephone.
The candidate must have a relevant qualification working with children. Experience of working with children (desirable). Experience of running groups for women/children(desirable). The candidate must be proactive, flexible, good IT skills, have a Friendly & cheerful approach. Must have the ability to keep up to date records of activities, draw up activity timetables and ability to support women to attend external appointments.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Complex Needs Refuge Support Volunteer
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
We are looking for volunteers to work alongside the day team at our complex needs refuge. This is an extremely varied role, helping with the day to day running of the refuge and supporting women with complex needs affected by Domestic/Sexual Violence. Some of the tasks include accompanying service users to appointments & benefit agencies, encouraging residents to take up available activities and assisting with organising & running workshops or coffee mornings & group outings.
The ideal candidate must have awareness of Domestic/Sexual abuse, mental health and substance misuse and an understanding and experience working with clients who have complex needs.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Please note that our volunteer opportunities are open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1), and that these volunteer roles are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 and subject to enhanced DBS checks. Contact volunteering@solacewomensaid.org for applications packs.

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Improving how Camden Council talk to and engage with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition
Camden Council would like to know how Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the borough engage with people, and what you think about our approach to engagement.
Please help us by completing our online survey by Friday 2 September.
We will listen to what you tell us when deciding what to do next.
The Council currently runs four forums, each held every three months, for people who are d/Deaf or have disabilities, and long term health conditions. These are:
• Mental health forum
• Learning disability forum
• Sensory needs forum
• Physical disability forum
The forums allow people tell us what they think of our services and how they can be improved. They were established in 2010. We are now looking at them again to see if any improvements can be made.
If you would like any further help, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us using the details below. You can also visit our project webpage.
Email: disability.engagement@camden.gov.uk Telephone: 020 7974 4835

Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Action Plan for Camden CCG
The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Strategic Partners Fund and Equalities Fund Awards Announced; Camden Young People’s Foundation; Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group open meeting; Reaching Out; Will you join the Camden Community Toilet Scheme?; Are You Getting the Best Deal for Gas and Electricity?; September Volunteer Managers’ Forum + Lunch; Hep C support group in Camden; Comic Relief Local Communities is now open; Camden Recycling Rewards + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Camden Council has announced the 23 local voluntary sector groups who will receive up to seven years of funding. £2 million per annum has been allocated, initially for the first four years.
In December 2015 a new approach to voluntary sector funding was agreed by Cabinet with an annual savings target of £1.7m to be achieved from 2016/17 through a
budget reduction from £6.8m in 2014/15 to £5.1m in 2016/17.
Strategic Partner Fund: Neighbourhoods must have a physical asset (a building). The fund is currently split £1.5m for the Neighbourhoods and £0.5m for Equalities.
Those organisations that are not successful and are currently in receipt of rent relief will be eligible for transition support, which will be a mix of funding towards rent tapered over the three years, along with business development support to increase income generation to meet the requirement to pay rent from January 2017. However those organisations which have secured funding through the strategic partners fund will not be entitled to the transitional funding in relation to rent relief.
No Strategic Partner has been identified for either the south west or the north east zones.
Camden will look for projects to allocate the remainder of the £513k pa underspend – the proposal is for a competitive process over the summer with a view to fund 3 year initiatives.
The full list of 7 equalities fund awards and 16 Neighbourhood fund awards are in the report, available to download here. Read the press release here.

Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group open meeting
Monday 8 August 2pm – 4pm
St Pancras Hospital, Conference Centre, 4 St Pancras Way, NW1 0PE. Refreshments provided. Please RSVP: Martin Emery, Deputy Head of Engagement Tel: 020 3688 1755 Email: martin.emery@camdenccg.nhs.uk
Presentation 1: Dementia Friends Training Speaker: Vicki Leah, Consultant Nurse Older People, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH)
Presentation 2: What is the patient experience telling UCLH? Speaker: Lisa Anderton, Programme Lead, Patient Experience, UCLH

Camden Young People’s Foundation
This is an exciting initiative that aims to support activities for young people in Camden. Three posts are being recruited – see ‘Jobs’ section below for full details.

Reaching Out
RAD in partnership with Stonewall Housing have launched a new project ‘Reaching Out’ which aims to reduce hate crime and domestic abuse in London’s Deaf community.
‘Reaching Out’ will provide education and awareness around hate crime and domestic abuse. The project is open to all Deaf people living in London boroughs but will have some focus on supporting young people and the Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender (LGBT) community. In addition, RAD will be expanding our existing Hate Crime Reporting service to cover London and providing specialist advocacy services for those affected by either hate crime or domestic abuse. We will also signpost and connect people to other specialist services for further support.
We will be hosting various events and workshops to raise awareness of hate crime and domestic abuse across London. The first is being held Aug 5th in Camden- see attached workshop poster.
http://www.royaldeaf.org.uk/news/reaching-out-project/
For further information please contact: Voice: 0845 688 2525 SMS: 07740 349576 Email: Reachingout@royaldeaf.org.uk

Will you join the Camden Community Toilet Scheme?
Camden council are looking to go in to partnership with local organisations prepared to contribute to the community by allowing the public to use their facilities during normal opening hours, without the need to buy goods or services.
We’d welcome interest from anywhere in the borough, but especially from those in Kilburn, and the areas in and around West End Lane, South End Green and Pond Square.
The Council will pay an annual fee to members of up to £750 (including VAT), and promote you locally and online.
To apply for membership and to discuss this, or sponsoring a toilet, please contact James Dunlop by email to publictoilets@camden.gov.uk or over the phone on 020 7974 7141. Further information can be found at camden.gov.uk/publictoilets

Are You Getting the Best Deal for Gas and Electricity?
Call the Green Camden Helpline to find out more: 0800 801 738
or visit www.camden.org.uk/fuelswitch

September Volunteer Managers’ Forum + Lunch
Join us at our next volunteer managers’ forum where we will share our top tips for best practice in volunteer management.
The topics will be varied, and can be anything related to managing volunteers.
You will also meet (and network with) other volunteer managers in Camden – and lunch is included.
The forum will take place at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road, Camden Town, NW1 7EA
Check out the full details and book your free tickets on Eventbrite

Hep C support group in Camden
Use your experience of living with Hepatitis C to educate and support others through the process of getting tested and treated.
We are recruiting a team of 6 people with lived experience to form a Hep C support group in Camden. The group will deliver
Peer Led Drop In; Peer Support Group; Outreach; Peer Education; Help with attending appointments
You will Get
Training from the Hep C TRUST; Reward and recognition; Supervision and support
If you are interested, contact Alex, Dan or John at VoiceAbility on 020 3355 7113 or camdenuserinvolvement@voiceability.org
We need to recruit a team quite quickly, so early applications are especially welcome

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Newsletters
View the lates Voluntary Arts newsletter here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Camden Young People’s Foundation; Healthwatch Camden; Solace Women’s Aid; Terrence Higgins Trust; Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Disabled people call for return of UK-wide Independent Living Fund
Scrapping the benefit in England has left vulnerable people housebound, but those in Wales and Scotland still enjoy greater help. Story in the Guardian

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Comic Relief Local Communities is now open
The current theme is ‘Promote reduction of isolation and disadvantage and access to services’.
Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 will be available.
The programme aims to empower local people, enabling them to create lasting change in their communities. Projects should be run by people directly affected by the issues they are dealing with and priority will be given to small, locally based groups and organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community. Further details online.
Deadline for applications: 5pm Tuesday 6th September
If you have any questions please contact Thomas Flynn thomas.flynn@londoncf.org.uk or Matthew Harriot matthew.harriott@londoncf.org.uk

Camden Recycling Rewards – deadline 10th August 2016
Camden Recycling Rewards aims to reward communities within the borough for their recycling efforts. The application process is now open for local community projects to become beneficiaries of Recycling Rewards funding.
Through the scheme, residents will earn Green Points for their community when they recycle more and waste less, with 5 communities in the borough competing to earn the most Green Points. We have £5,000 to give away to local community projects every 6 months. The communities earning the most Green Points will get the biggest say in how the prize money is donated.
Shortlisted community projects will be featured on the Recycling Rewards website where residents can learn about their cause and vote for the project they want their community to support.
To apply to become a beneficiary of Camden Recycling Rewards please complete the application form and send it to Local Green Points before the deadline on the 10th August 2016 by email to info@localgreenpoints.com or by post to:
Local Green Points, 141-157 Acre Lane, London SW2 5UA

From paintbrushes to iPads: £3m fund to entice over-75s into the arts
Shakespeare may have described old age as “mere oblivion”, a depressing stage of life “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.
But Arts Council England disagrees, as it allocates £3 million of funding to organisations that encourage pensioners to take up creative pursuits.
Older people are to be invited to pick up their paintbrushes, dancing shoes or iPads as part of a major new project, Celebrating Age. Story from the Telegraph

Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants
The SLF supports strategic legal work which benefits vulnerable young migrants. We define this as:
~ Migrants or the children of migrants,
~ Who are under 25,
~ Who are living in poverty, and
~ Who face significant disadvantage or discrimination in connection with their (or their parents’) migration status.
The SLF funds strategic legal work in any area of law where vulnerable young migrants experience disadvantage or discrimination as a result of migration status.
The SLF only supports strategic legal work. We define this as work where the impact is likely to go beyond an individual case, and to result in changes to law, policy and practice that will benefit a wider group of people. Full details online.

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours Grants
The Near Neighbours programme offers small grants of between £250 and £5,000, as seed funding for local groups and organisations
working to bring together neighbours, and to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities to improve their communities.
Grants have offered funding to a broad range of work; environmental, social, cultural, artistic, and sporting, that furthers the programme’s aims of encouraging community interaction and social action. Full details at cuf.org.uk

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

‘Made of Money’ is running a 2 day Facilitator Training in London on 5th – 6th October 2016
We also offer ‘in house’ trainings for any organisation or group of organisations to suit you.
‘Made of Money’ is an award winning financial literacy resource, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills. It is ideal to help front line workers offer support to those on low income, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Universal Credit, and welfare benefit changes.
The cost per person for the 2-day training, (incl lunch), depending on the size of your organisation (£100 for small organisations).
You will also need a set of workshop resources, charged at a subsidised rate of £115. This gives you everything you need to run Made of with groups and 1:1 sessions. (These can be shared within the organisation or between groups of organisations)
Contact mompartner@qsa.org.uk

Elfrida Rathbone fundraising evening at the Bengal Lancer on Wednesday 3rd August 7pm
The ticket price is £35 for that you will get a three course meal and a drink (wine or beer). We have two comedians booked and a band as well as a raffle for some great prizes including John Lewis beauty hampers, One free Curry per week for a year (starter and side included), Limited edition pictures etc.
Curry Night tickets are going to be on Sale from next Wednesday 20/7. In order to purchase them please either come into the office and speak to myself, Rosanna or Milen. Alternatively contact info@elfridacamden.org.uk or neil@elfridacamden.org.uk
This will be great night out with all the proceeds going to Elfrida Rathbone Camden

Citizens Advice Bureau open day for trainee advisors 2nd August
It will start at 10am, lasting for around 3 hours, and will be held at our Kentish Town branch. Citizens Advice Camden .

Recovery Collge Taster Courses Drop-in
Understanding Drug & Alcohol Use
Thursday 4 August, 6-6.30pm
Planning Ahead for your Future Mental Healthcare
Thursday 18 August, 2.30-3pm
Your Nearest Relative’s Rights in a Crisis
Thursday 18 August, 5.30-6pm
Men & Masculinity
Thursday 25 August, 2.30-3pm
All of these workshops take place at Phoenix Main Space at: Mind in Camden – Barnes House, 9-15 Camden Road, London, NW1 9LQ
Tel: 0207 241 8998. You can enrol for Autumn term after each session
Call The Recovery College on: 0203 317 6904 Visit our website : www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege

Family Fun Days
Camden’s Tenant Participation team have family fun days coming up:
Goldington Crescent Gardens
Wednesday 17 August, 2 to 6pm
Brunswick Square Gardens
Thursday 6 October, 2 to 6pm
All events include: Brazilian dance and food; Pedal power smoothie making; Public artwork from Walls on Walls; Face painting; Camden Active Communities: table tennis, Zumba, boccia; Plus: talk to us about Camden services.
Contact tp@camden.gov.uk

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Camden Young People’s Foundation are recruiting 3 posts
Chief Executive Officer
Fundraising Manager
Operations Officer
The Camden Young Peoples Foundation is a new initiative in Camden that aims to to fundraise to secure funding from new sources (e.g. Big Lottery and European Social Fund) into the local area and successfully secure commissions from the local authority
YPF will attract corporate and individual funding streams and will be a practical and simple way for the corporate sector to engage with CYP organisations.
YPF will also organise sector (and location) specific capacity building including training events, advice sessions and a forum for organisations to share ideas and best practice share venue spaces and develop a ‘venue bank’, coordinate sector networking opportunities and support services.
YPF will be a membership organisations for any group that works with Children and Young People in the Camden.
YPF will have a Trustee Board and wider steering group that will include representation from relevant organisations in Camden. This might include the local voluntary sector, the local authority, police, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Housing Associations, local schools, faith groups, uniformed groups, football clubs and sports organisations, the corporate sector and funder representation.
Download the application packs at the VAC webiste.

Freelance opportunity with Healthwatch Camden
Healthwatch Camden is seeking someone to work with us on our Audit of Engagement project. The position will operate on a self-funding basis. Remuneration will be dependent on income that the freelance worker is able to generate through delivery of the Audit of Involvement service for organisations in the borough of Camden and beyond on a cost recovery basis. The person we are seeking will need to demonstrate: experience in generating income through the delivery of consultancy services in the field of health and social care; a commitment to and an understanding of the theory and practice behind patient and public involvement; ability to work efficiently and independently. Relevant qualifications include: Masters in Business Administration; Masters in Health or Social Care or related field.
To apply please send CV and covering letter by Monday August 15th to: victoria.armitage@healthwatchcamden.co.uk
If you would like more information or to discuss this opportunity please email Anna Wright at: anna.wright@healthwatchcamden.co.uk

Age UK Camden seeks Services Manager (0.8 FTE)
Scale PO3 Scp 38 to 41 £36,548 to £39,460 pa FTE incl. London Weighting. Pro rata £29,238.40 to £31,568 pa for 28 hours
As one of the Service Managers on the Senior Management Team at Age UK Camden you will be responsible for a portfolio of services supporting older people in the borough.
You will be responsible for the operational and strategic management of some of these services and/or support functions like communications and volunteering. Strong management skills will see you successfully managing employees, services and budgets. You will also work to develop new services for AUC in and around Camden. Your understanding of the issues affecting older people and health and social care policy and practice in relation to this will see you delivering high quality services and quality assurance.
Closing date: Monday 8th August 2016 – 5.15 pm
Interview date: Wednesday 24th August 2016 (TBC)
These posts are based in Tavis House, Tavistock Square near Euston Station
For further details and an application form visit our website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk or telephone 020 7239 0400.

North London Rape Crisis Helpline Volunteer
Availability A minimum commitment of 12 months post-training from January to December 2017.
North London Rape Crisis is currently looking for helpline volunteers to provide support to women and girls age 13+ who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives. The volunteers will be required to commit to 12 months post training and to attend a 10 week training course on Fridays from 7th October to 9th December 2016. You are required to attend 80% of the sessions to be able to proceed to working on the helpline. You will need to have an interest in working with survivors of sexual violence and will have the opportunity to work towards an OCN accredited qualification for ‘Professionals Working in the Sexual Violence Sector’ at level 2 or 3.
Please email us for the information pack and application form. The deadline to submit applications is by 10am on Tuesday 30th August.
Children & Family Services Assistant
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
This is a new role to work in our generic Camden Refuge Services. The C & F volunteer assistant will be supporting the day to day running of the children’s service. This may include: Supporting women to attend appointments, Draw up activity timetables, Running groups, Keep records of all activities and Making contact with women via telephone.
The candidate must have a relevant qualification working with children. Experience of working with children (desirable). Experience of running groups for women/children(desirable). The candidate must be proactive, flexible, good IT skills, have a Friendly & cheerful approach. Must have the ability to keep up to date records of activities, draw up activity timetables and ability to support women to attend external appointments.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Complex Needs Refuge Support Volunteer
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
We are looking for volunteers to work alongside the day team at our complex needs refuge. This is an extremely varied role, helping with the day to day running of the refuge and supporting women with complex needs affected by Domestic/Sexual Violence. Some of the tasks include accompanying service users to appointments & benefit agencies, encouraging residents to take up available activities and assisting with organising & running workshops or coffee mornings & group outings.
The ideal candidate must have awareness of Domestic/Sexual abuse, mental health and substance misuse and an understanding and experience working with clients who have complex needs.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Please note that our volunteer opportunities are open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1), and that these volunteer roles are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 and subject to enhanced DBS checks. Contact volunteering@solacewomensaid.org for applications packs.

Terrence Higgins Trust is recruiting London and Brighton Volunteer Coordinator.
This post holder will coordinate the recruitment, training and supervision of London and Brighton volunteers in a wide range of roles. The successful candidate will optimise the contribution of volunteers to Terrence Higgins Trust services and ensure that a high profile is maintained for volunteer activities both inside the charity and in the wider community.
Based in London, this post holder will have a primary focus on London Volunteering (on average spending 4½ days per week) but will also support the Brighton volunteer programme (on average ½ day a week). The majority of work will be undertake at our central office in London. The post holder must be able to travel to Brighton on average twice a month (travel will be covered by THT). The successful candidate will join a dynamic and passionate team. For more information visit: http://tiny.cc/mluwcy

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Improving how Camden Council talk to and engage with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition
Camden Council would like to know how Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the borough engage with people, and what you think about our approach to engagement.
Please help us by completing our online survey by Friday 2 September.
We will listen to what you tell us when deciding what to do next.
The Council currently runs four forums, each held every three months, for people who are d/Deaf or have disabilities, and long term health conditions. These are:
• Mental health forum
• Learning disability forum
• Sensory needs forum
• Physical disability forum
The forums allow people tell us what they think of our services and how they can be improved. They were established in 2010. We are now looking at them again to see if any improvements can be made.
If you would like any further help, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us using the details below. You can also visit our project webpage.
Email: disability.engagement@camden.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7974 4835

Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Action Plan for Camden CCG
The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .
An open surgery will also be held on Thursday 21st July (10:30 – Midday) where Emdad Haque, Equality and Diversity Manager and I will be in attendance to discuss the development of the action plan and what you or a colleagues thoughts on priorities should be.

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Engaging with people who are d/Deaf, disabled or have a long term health condition; Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre is currently recruiting; Scams awareness month; Elfrida Rathbone fundraising evening; Citizens Advice Bureau open day; A Brother’s Progress; Cuimhne Irish Memory Loss Alliance; Torriano Meeting House Readings; Camden Volunteer Awards open for Nominations; Royal Free Annual Meeting; Made of Money Training + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Camden Council would like to know how Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the borough engage with people, and what you think about our approach to engagement.
Please help us by completing our online survey by Friday 2 September.
We will listen to what you tell us when deciding what to do next.
The Council currently runs four forums, each held every three months, for people who are d/Deaf or have disabilities, and long term health conditions. These are:
• Mental health forum
• Learning disability forum
• Sensory needs forum
• Physical disability forum
The forums allow people tell us what they think of our services and how they can be improved. They were established in 2010. We are now looking at them again to see if any improvements can be made.
If you would like any further help, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us using the details below. You can also visit our project webpage.
Email: disability.engagement@camden.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7974 4835

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre is currently recruiting a Project Manager
Project Manager (BBO), subject to securing funding from the Big Lottery Fund.
HAWC Grade 38 – £35,340 incl. ILW
35 hours per week 3-year contract
Reports to: Senior Operations Manager and is responsible for Women at the Centre Project
For a job description and an application for the post, please contact Ruksana Begum at Hopscotch:
Tel: 0207 388 8198 E-mail: ruksana.begum@hopscotchawc.org.uk
Please do not send CVs as they will not be considered.

Scams awareness month
July is scams awareness month. CAB have produced a website to help people find out more about scams, share their stories and learn how to protect themselves, their families and friends against these cruel crimes and predatory practices.
With growing awareness you won’t be flustered and rushed by scammers into taking decisions you’ll later regret. Or persuaded to stay silent on scams because you feel personally ashamed or that your experience doesn’t matter. Find out more at the Citizens Advice Bureau website.

Elfrida Rathbone fundraising evening at the Bengal Lancer on Wednesday 3rd August 7pm
The ticket price is £35 for that you will get a three course meal and a drink (wine or beer). We have two comedians booked and a band as well as a raffle for some great prizes including John Lewis beauty hampers, One free Curry per week for a year (starter and side included), Limited edition pictures etc.
Curry Night tickets are going to be on Sale from next Wednesday 20/7. In order to purchase them please either come into the office and speak to myself, Rosanna or Milen. Alternatively contact info@elfridacamden.org.uk or neil@elfridacamden.org.uk
This will be great night out with all the proceeds going to Elfrida Rathbone Camden

Citizens Advice Bureau open day for trainee advisors 2nd August
It will start at 10am, lasting for around 3 hours, and will be held at our Kentish Town branch. Citizens Advice Camden .

A Brother’s Progress
An exhibition of paintings, stained glass and signs by Catherine Chambers focussing on her recent time living in Ethiopia. Her narrative works A Brother’s progress echoes William Hogarth’s Rake’s Progress telling of fluctuating opportunities with varying outcomes.
To find out more about Catherine’s work please come along to the open evening on Friday 22nd July 6.30pm – 9pm. Free Space Gallery, Kentish Town Health Centre

Cuimhne Irish Memory Loss Alliance: Can you help?
Central to our Cuimhne strategy is the Cuimhne Irish Memory Loss Alliance, which is a call for action to community organisations, churches, businesses, health, social, and cultural facilities to take simple measures to enable people with memory problems and their carers to remain independent and engaged with local communities and services.
It is also a call for action to individuals who have relevant skills, experience of family care or just an interest in promoting a memory loss friendly community for older Irish people.
Our goal is to get the Irish community in Britain to be recognized as the first ethnic minority community to be memory loss friendly – and we need you to help us!
Download and read our Strategy (pdf)
We need your involvement, your story, your ideas, your skills, your knowledge, your sign up. Our intention is to involve all sections of the Irish community in Britain in developing, delivering and evaluating the Cuimhne strategy.
To explore ideas you may have or to ask how you can contribute please contact Charlotte Curran via email on ccurran@irishinbritain.org or phone Charlotte on 0207 697 4081

A Sunday reading in the late 1980s
24th July – Jeremy Kingston, John Foreman, music from Simon Prager and Doc Stenson, hosted by Hylda Syms. 7.30pm. £5/£4 according to pocket. Torriano Meeting House

2016 Camden Volunteer Awards open for Nominations
The nominations have officially opened. Now’s your chance to recognise the invaluable contribution that your volunteers make to your organisation, service users and Camden as a community.
You can read the full details and apply via the VCC website.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust Annual members’ meeting
6.00 pm on Wednesday 20 July 2016 in the Sir William Wells Atrium at the Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG.
There will be a review of the trust’s key achievements of the previous year and you will hear about our future outlook. You will have the opportunity to meet members of trust’s council of governors and board of directors. There will also be representatives on hand from our charity, volunteer service and our membership team.
The trust’s annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2016 which will be formally presented at the meeting and you can either obtain a copy from our website or by clicking here.
The doors for the event will open at 5.00 pm when you will be able to view a range of display stands showcasing our achievements and plans for the future. Light refreshments will also be available.
Either book online here or contact the membership team via email: rf.membership@nhs.net or telephone on 020 375 82116.

Echo chamber: Voices of conscience
From 18 August until 2 September, The Light will host the Echo chamber: Voices of conscience exhibition, a sound and photography exhibition marking 100 years of conscientious objection. Friends House is a Quaker building and Quakers have a long history of opposing war.
There were over 16,000 registered conscientious objectors (COs) during WWI. People objected on different grounds. This exhibition explores their stories. More details here.

‘Made of Money’ is running a 2 day Facilitator Training in London on 5th – 6th October 2016
We also offer ‘in house’ trainings for any organisation or group of organisations to suit you.
‘Made of Money’ is an award winning financial literacy resource, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills. It is ideal to help front line workers offer support to those on low income, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Universal Credit, and welfare benefit changes.
The cost per person for the 2-day training, (incl lunch), depending on the size of your organisation:
· £100– community & voluntary organisations with less than 5 employees
· £225- community & voluntary organisations with 5 or more employees, housing associations with less than 1000 units
· £350 – Statutory, public or private sector organisations & housing associations with over 1000 units
You will also need a set of workshop resources, charged at a subsidised rate of £115. This gives you everything you need to run Made of with groups and 1:1 sessions. (These can be shared within the organisation or between groups of organisations)
Contact mompartner@qsa.org.uk

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Newsletters
View the lates Voluntary Arts newsletter here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre; Solace Women’s Aid; Terrence Higgins Trust; Urban Growth Jobs in Mind, Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Community groups to be allowed to sponsor refugees
Community and faith groups will be able to sponsor Syrian refugee families who are being resettled in the UK under a new scheme launched by the Government today.
Under the community sponsorship programme, charities and community interest companies will need to provide housing for the family they sponsor, as well as helping them to integrate into life in the UK, access medical and social services, arranging English language tuition and supporting them towards employment and self-sufficiency. Story from the Refugee Council There is also an information pack that the Home Office have distributed.

Leave voters felt ignored and left behind as post-Brexit poll reveals extent of economic division across UK
The independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is calling for a renewed drive to solve poverty after the vote to leave the EU, as new research reveals the extent people feel disconnected from the UK’s economic growth and how their concerns are ignored by the political establishment. Full story at the JRF website.

Lords Select Committee on Charities calls for evidence
The Lords Select Committee on Charities has formally launched its inquiry into the charitable sector.
The Committee has been set up to investigate the sustainability of the charity sector, and the challenges of charity governance, and has now launched its call for evidence. Full story here.

Roundup: Muslim Organisations estimate that £100 million was raised for charity during Ramadan. The minister for Civil Society has moved from the Cabinet Office to DCMS (Department for Culture Media and Sport) which is generally seen as a demotion.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

From paintbrushes to iPads: £3m fund to entice over-75s into the arts
Shakespeare may have described old age as “mere oblivion”, a depressing stage of life “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.
But Arts Council England disagrees, as it allocates £3 million of funding to organisations that encourage pensioners to take up creative pursuits.
Older people are to be invited to pick up their paintbrushes, dancing shoes or iPads as part of a major new project, Celebrating Age. Story from the Telegraph

Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants
The SLF supports strategic legal work which benefits vulnerable young migrants. We define this as:
~ Migrants or the children of migrants,
~ Who are under 25,
~ Who are living in poverty, and
~ Who face significant disadvantage or discrimination in connection with their (or their parents’) migration status.
The SLF funds strategic legal work in any area of law where vulnerable young migrants experience disadvantage or discrimination as a result of migration status.
The SLF only supports strategic legal work. We define this as work where the impact is likely to go beyond an individual case, and to result in changes to law, policy and practice that will benefit a wider group of people. Full details online.

Core Strength
Open: 16th June, 2016 to 27th July, 2016
Recent research shows that small and medium sized organisations across the UK are being hit particularly hard by the current economic climate, forcing many to either scale back their work or dissolve completely. These voluntary organisations urgently need core funding to continue their crucial work.
We want to recognise the importance of local community organisations and the pivotal role they play across the UK. That’s why, for the first time ever, we’ve developed this exciting programme to solely fund organisational costs (rather than financing the delivery of a specific project).
In total, £4 million will be invested through this initiative with approximately 100 organisations receiving grants for core funding across the UK.
Please note, this programme is partly funded by HM Treasury’s ‘Tampon Tax’ to help tackle the various issues that many women and girls face. Therefore, out of the £4 million available through this pilot programme, a minimum of £1 million will be awarded to organisations working primarily to support women and girls. Full details at Comic Relief website.

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours Grants
The Near Neighbours programme offers small grants of between £250 and £5,000, as seed funding for local groups and organisations
working to bring together neighbours, and to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities to improve their communities.
Grants have offered funding to a broad range of work; environmental, social, cultural, artistic, and sporting, that furthers the programme’s aims of encouraging community interaction and social action. Full details at cuf.org.uk

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Recovery Collge Taster Courses Drop-in
Understanding Drug & Alcohol Use
Thursday 28th July, 2.30-3.00pm
Ways of Understanding Psychosis
Thursday 4 August, 6-6.30pm
Planning Ahead for your Future Mental Healthcare
Thursday 18 August, 2.30-3pm
Your Nearest Relative’s Rights in a Crisis
Thursday 18 August, 5.30-6pm
Men & Masculinity
Thursday 25 August, 2.30-3pm
All of these workshops take place at Phoenix Main Space at: Mind in Camden – Barnes House, 9-15 Camden Road, London, NW1 9LQ
Tel: 0207 241 8998. You can enrol for Autumn term after each session
Call The Recovery College on: 0203 317 6904 Visit our website : www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege

Family Fun Days
Camden’s Tenant Participation team have three family fun days coming up:
Lismore Circus
Thursday 28 July, 2 to 6pm
Goldington Crescent Gardens
Wednesday 17 August, 2 to 6pm
Brunswick Square Gardens
Thursday 6 October, 2 to 6pm
All events include: Brazilian dance and food; Pedal power smoothie making; Public artwork from Walls on Walls; Face painting; Camden Active Communities: table tennis, Zumba, boccia; Plus: talk to us about Camden services.
Contact tp@camden.gov.uk

Belsize Community Library Restart Party
Tuesday 26th July, Antrim Grove, 6-9pm
A chance to fix your tech and learn. therestartproject.org

Using the Equality Act 2010- ROTA
Free two day training for organisations supporting
Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BME&R) communities
Training Day one: Complying with the Equality Act 2010
1st August 2016, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Training Day two: Using the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
3rd August 2016, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Please note that although the training is free of charge ROTA pays for the refreshments and room hire costs in offering a place on the training. Therefore, if you register your place for the training and fail to attend, you will be invoiced £25.
To book your place, please complete our online booking form, available at: http://www.rota.org.uk/civicrm/event/register?id=66&reset=1.
For more information on this course, please email poornima@rota.org.uk or call 020 7697 4066.

Age UK London – Older Private Sector Tenants Programme
Age UK London is beginning work to raise awareness of the needs of older private sector tenants in London to find solutions to problems they face.
Age UK London needs private sector tenants age 50 and over to participate in a focus group in Camden to kickstart a programme to raise awareness of their needs and to find solutions to problems they face. There are 146,000 households renting privately in London where at least one person is aged over 50, and projections suggest this number is on the rise. The focus group is being held on 28th July at 11.00a.m-1.00pm, refreshments and a £10 M&S voucher for participants provided (help with travel if needed). For more information on the project see here. Contact Natalie Turner on research@ageuklondon.org.uk or call 0207 820 6770 to join or find out more.

The Spark is a series of community-based creative, informative, practical and exploratory workshops and activities across London this summer
Check out this video to see more of what the Spark is about
Hip Hop and Food Growing in Morden 29th July
International Struggles and Solidarity in Harringay 24th July
DJ workshops for women in Dalston 29th + 30th July
Black Women’s Stories- A Day of Celebrating each other in Tottenham 24th July
+ Sessions on Gentrification, Politics of Food, Spirituality, Economics, Feminist Mothering, Stigma… and more!
Includes spaces just for Young People, People of Colour, Queer People & Self-defining Women only
All events are wheelchair accessible, and a kids space is available. Details here.

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Age UK Camden seeks Services Manager (0.8 FTE)
Scale PO3 Scp 38 to 41 £36,548 to £39,460 pa FTE incl. London Weighting. Pro rata £29,238.40 to £31,568 pa for 28 hours
As one of the Service Managers on the Senior Management Team at Age UK Camden you will be responsible for a portfolio of services supporting older people in the borough.
You will be responsible for the operational and strategic management of some of these services and/or support functions like communications and volunteering. Strong management skills will see you successfully managing employees, services and budgets. You will also work to develop new services for AUC in and around Camden. Your understanding of the issues affecting older people and health and social care policy and practice in relation to this will see you delivering high quality services and quality assurance.
Closing date: Monday 8th August 2016 – 5.15 pm
Interview date: Wednesday 24th August 2016 (TBC)
These posts are based in Tavis House, Tavistock Square near Euston Station
For further details and an application form visit our website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk or telephone 020 7239 0400.

North London Rape Crisis Helpline Volunteer
Availability A minimum commitment of 12 months post-training from January to December 2017.
North London Rape Crisis is currently looking for helpline volunteers to provide support to women and girls age 13+ who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives. The volunteers will be required to commit to 12 months post training and to attend a 10 week training course on Fridays from 7th October to 9th December 2016. You are required to attend 80% of the sessions to be able to proceed to working on the helpline. You will need to have an interest in working with survivors of sexual violence and will have the opportunity to work towards an OCN accredited qualification for ‘Professionals Working in the Sexual Violence Sector’ at level 2 or 3.
Please email us for the information pack and application form. The deadline to submit applications is by 10am on Tuesday 30th August.
Children & Family Services Assistant
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
This is a new role to work in our generic Camden Refuge Services. The C & F volunteer assistant will be supporting the day to day running of the children’s service. This may include: Supporting women to attend appointments, Draw up activity timetables, Running groups, Keep records of all activities and Making contact with women via telephone.
The candidate must have a relevant qualification working with children. Experience of working with children (desirable). Experience of running groups for women/children(desirable). The candidate must be proactive, flexible, good IT skills, have a Friendly & cheerful approach. Must have the ability to keep up to date records of activities, draw up activity timetables and ability to support women to attend external appointments.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Complex Needs Refuge Support Volunteer
Availability Minimum 1 day per week
We are looking for volunteers to work alongside the day team at our complex needs refuge. This is an extremely varied role, helping with the day to day running of the refuge and supporting women with complex needs affected by Domestic/Sexual Violence. Some of the tasks include accompanying service users to appointments & benefit agencies, encouraging residents to take up available activities and assisting with organising & running workshops or coffee mornings & group outings.
The ideal candidate must have awareness of Domestic/Sexual abuse, mental health and substance misuse. The ideal candidate must have an understanding and experience working with clients who have complex needs. Flexibility regarding variety of tasks associated with the role is required. Must be self motivated and have good interpersonal skills.
Application forms must be submitted by Monday15th August 2016
Please note that our volunteer opportunities are open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1), and that these volunteer roles are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 and subject to enhanced DBS checks. Contact volunteering@solacewomensaid.org for applications packs.

Terrence Higgins Trust is recruiting London and Brighton Volunteer Coordinator.
This post holder will coordinate the recruitment, training and supervision of London and Brighton volunteers in a wide range of roles. The successful candidate will optimise the contribution of volunteers to Terrence Higgins Trust services and ensure that a high profile is maintained for volunteer activities both inside the charity and in the wider community.
Based in London, this post holder will have a primary focus on London Volunteering (on average spending 4½ days per week) but will also support the Brighton volunteer programme (on average ½ day a week). The majority of work will be undertake at our central office in London. The post holder must be able to travel to Brighton on average twice a month (travel will be covered by THT). The successful candidate will join a dynamic and passionate team. For more information visit: http://tiny.cc/mluwcy

Urban Growth – Volunteer Assistant Required
Do you enjoy working outside? Do you want to gain experience of supporting individuals with wide ranging mental health needs? Do you love vegetables?
We are a mental health charity whose varied services provide specialist support and advice around problems at work, training and education. We aim to understand, support and enable the recovery of those affected by mental health issues.
This role includes:
• Working with and supporting the programme members on-site
• Guiding the programme members and ensuring that planned tasks are carried out
Desirable experience:
• At least one year’s experience of organic gardening
• Experience of working and supporting individuals in a community setting
• An interest in horticulture, mental health, healthy eating and cookery
Travel expenses of up to £6 per day will be reimbursed on a monthly basis.
Please ensure you are available for both of the programme days and that you can commit for six months.
Please note that you will need to agree to an Enhanced DBS check being carried out and the contact details of two recent referees.
Apply by sending your CV and a one page covering letter, explaining why you’d be the best person to join our programme as an assistant volunteer.
Application deadline, 6pm 24th July 2016 contact r.clarke@jobsinmind.org

Age UK Camden seeks Data and Monitoring Officer – deadline extended
Scale 5 scp 22-25 £23,895 – £25,876pa pro rata – 21 hours per week
Ageing Better Camden is looking for a Data and Monitoring Officer to take the lead on the collection, collation and presentation of data across the programme. We are looking for a dynamic self-starter who can take ownership of the data and ensure we are getting the most from it.
The post holder will be responsible, along with our evaluation and delivery partners, for collecting a range of data and entering this onto local and national evaluation databases.
The post holder will support the Programme Manager in the production of quarterly monitoring reports for the Strategic Programme Board and will also be responsible for supporting delivery partners in the collection of data and use of the database. Full details at www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.
Closing date – 26th July, Interview – Wednesday 3rd August.

Ageing Better in Camden Local Evaluation
Interested in helping to develop a much better understanding about what helps and what gets in the way of older Camden residents feeling less isolated and lonely? If you are, this could be the role for you. We are looking for people with a range of skills and experiences, including analysing data, interviewing people or you may have local knowledge of the area which you can bring to the team.
The time you commit to the role is up to you. The exact nature of the Community Evaluator role will depend on your individual interests, skills and availability. We expect CE’s to be involved in some of the following activities; Face-to-face interviews or focus groups Telephone discussions with people using the Ageing Better in Camden projects Desk-based research, Data analysis and interpretation. We will welcome whatever people have to offer and, as a volunteer, any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in becoming a community evaluator and would like to find out more, please contact the project administrator Becky: Becky.Strike@ndti.org.uk or call 01225 789135 and she will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively you can visit www.ndti.org.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Action Plan for Camden CCG
The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .
An open surgery will also be held on Thursday 21st July (10:30 – Midday) where Emdad Haque, Equality and Diversity Manager and I will be in attendance to discuss the development of the action plan and what you or a colleagues thoughts on priorities should be.

The Wellbeing Survey
YouGov and Business in the Community (BITC), together we are conducting the largest survey of mental wellbeing at work in the UK. We want to hear the experiences of thousands of UK employees and gain a complete snapshot of the mental wellbeing of the UK workforce.
We want to hear from employees aged 16-64+ and currently in employment in the UK to participate in the National Employee Wellbeing Survey. It should take you no longer than 15 minutes to complete and will close 29th July. All entries will remain confidential. Access the survey here.

Survey on the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) to tackle antisocial behaviour in London and the UK
The specific purpose of the surveys is to test how individuals in the Borough are likely to react to PSPOs in different sets of circumstances. The project is run by Erasmus University, Rotterdam. You can take the survey here.

Share your experiences of Mental Health Services
Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. This survey has been requested by Councillors in the Health Scrutiny Committee at Camden council. Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 527 1261 for details.
The online survey is here.

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

CCG Drafting an Equality and Inclusion Plan; Camden New Town Community Festival; The Camden Mela; The Wellbeing Survey; 2016 is the Third Anniversary of Healthwatch Camden; Family Fun Days; Project Embrace Featured in Psychologies; Belsize Community Library Restart Party; Survey on the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders; A Brother’s Progress; Webinar: Mayor’s Consultation on Air Pollution; Newsletters; + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

The CCG are in the process of developing an Equality and Inclusion Action plan.
The reason we wanted to use diversity and inclusion instead of equality and diversity is to show that we are not just committed to equalities for compliance reasons and we really want to improve our commissioning and workforce management by using the diversity in our community and also in the workforce. If we can make this diversity work only then we can achieve inclusion. So the focus of the action plan is to use diversity as a strength and make it work to achieve better results/outcomes for all (inclusion).
We would appreciate if you could complete the online survey which will close on Friday 29th July. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/diversity-and-inclusion-survey .
An open surgery will also be held on Thursday 21st July (10:30 – Midday) where Emdad Haque, Equality and Diversity Manager and I will be in attendance to discuss the development of the action plan and what you or a colleagues thoughts on priorities should be.

Camden New Town Community Festival
Saturday 16th July Jazz, poetry, folk 4 – 8pm
Sunday 17th July Family day noon – 7pm
In Camden Square Gardens, NW1
For more information or to book a stall contac the Festival Office on 020 7267 9586 or email festival.mlcc@yahoo.co.uk

The Camden Mela
The Camden Mela will take place on Sunday 17July 2016 from 12-6.30pm at Coram’s Fields, 93 Guilford St, London WC1N 1AB.
The Camden Mela is a free Community Festival Celebrating the Diversity of Camden.
There will be lots of amazing entertainment for everyone . There will also be lots of stalls with delicious food, toys, clothing, artefacts, face painting, henna and a funfair.
Enjoy the free arts and crafts workshops and join the Mayor of Camden in the Parade at 1pm.
Please contact Nasim Ali on 07852 223403 or nasim.ali@kcbna.org.uk for further information or stall booking forms.

The Wellbeing Survey
YouGov and Business in the Community (BITC), together we are conducting the largest survey of mental wellbeing at work in the UK. We want to hear the experiences of thousands of UK employees and gain a complete snapshot of the mental wellbeing of the UK workforce.
We want to hear from employees aged 16-64+ and currently in employment in the UK to participate in the National Employee Wellbeing Survey. It should take you no longer than 15 minutes to complete and will close 29th July. All entries will remain confidential. Access the survey here.

2016 is the third anniversary of Healthwatch Camden
Healthwatch Camden published a third annual report, showing what has been achieved over the three years.
Healthwatch have been out and about at events in the local community, gathering your feedback on health and social care services in Camden. We’ve listen to what you think matters and have set our priorities accordingly. Together we can create a better health and social care system for us all. Details here.

Family Fun Days
Camden’s Tenant Participation team have three family fun days coming up over summer/early
Lismore Circus
Thursday 28 July, 2 to 6pm
Goldington Crescent Gardens
Wednesday 17 August, 2 to 6pm
Brunswick Square Gardens
Thursday 6 October, 2 to 6pm
All events include:
• Brazilian dance and food
• Pedal power smoothie making
• Public artwork from Walls on Walls
• Face painting
• Camden Active Communities: table tennis, Zumba, boccia
• Plus: talk to us about Camden services.
Contact tp@camden.gov.uk

Project Embrace Featured in Psychologies
Camden organisation Project Embrace featured in Psychologies talking about their project The Pocket Advocate which aims to support people with mental health issues by bringing people together in understanding from a place of equality, empowerment and partnership.

Belsize Community Library Restart Party
Tuesday 26th July, Antrim Grove, 6-9pm
A chance to fix your tech and learn. therestartproject.org

Survey on the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) to tackle antisocial behaviour in London and the UK
The specific purpose of the surveys is to test how individuals in the Borough are likely to react to PSPOs in different sets of circumstances. The project is run by Erasmus University, Rotterdam. You can take the survey here.

A Brother’s Progress
An exhibition of paintings, stained glass and signs by Catherine Chambers focussing on her recent time living in Ethiopia. Her narrative works A Brother’s progress echoes William Hogarth’s Rake’s Progress telling of fluctuating opportunities with varying outcomes.
To find out more about Catherine’s work please come along to the open evening on Friday 22nd July 6.30pm – 9pm. Free Space Gallery, Kentish Town Health Centre

Webinar: Mayor’s Consultation on Air Pollution
Contribute to the ongoing public consultation by joining this event.
19th July 17:00-19:00
The Mayor of London has recently launched a new public consultation on some measures to improve air quality in London. Find out more here.

Newsletters
Read the latest Transition Town Kentish Town newsletter here.
Catch up with all the activities taking place at Kentish Town Community Centre here.

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Urban Growth Jobs in Mind, Age UK Camden, Renters Rights London, C4, Ageing Better in Camden, Kentish Town Community Centre, Abbey Community Centre and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

NAVCA (VAC’s national umbrella body) responds to Human Rights call
In April/May next year, the UK will be examined by the United Nations on our human rights record. NAVCA has responded to the call for evidence from Human Rights Check UK who are producing a joint civil society shadow report on the issue. In their response NAVCA highlight five ways that local charities have seen government policies attack human rights.
The issues identified by NAVCA are
~ Lobbying Act – This restricts the ability of people to talk with politicians.
~ Anti-advocacy clause – This prevents people having a say in the design of their own services.
~ Charities Act – this places restrictions on who can be a trustee
~ Judicial Review – it’s harder for charities to challenge unlawful, irrational, unfair decisions.
~ Austerity – The cuts disproportionately affected women, young people, minorities, disabled people

Are Trustees on Another Planet (as Lord Hodgeson Claimed)?
“The temptation is for the Charity Sector to accept the analysis of Lord Hodgson and of the Charity Commission and focus inwards on improvement. I am not convinced that there is any evidence that the sector as a whole has witnessed a deterioration in standards of practice.
Instead I think we are experiencing a ‘moral panic’ driven by an unpleasant mixture of government, some think tanks and some elements of the press
The sector is being criticised in a number of ways:
~ its independence and legitimacy to campaign
~ the strategies they use to fundraise
~ the competence of its governance
Read the full article by Mark Gamsu at Local Democracy and Health.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Core Strength
Open: 16th June, 2016 to 27th July, 2016
Recent research shows that small and medium sized organisations across the UK are being hit particularly hard by the current economic climate, forcing many to either scale back their work or dissolve completely. These voluntary organisations urgently need core funding to continue their crucial work.
We want to recognise the importance of local community organisations and the pivotal role they play across the UK. That’s why, for the first time ever, we’ve developed this exciting programme to solely fund organisational costs (rather than financing the delivery of a specific project).
In total, £4 million will be invested through this initiative with approximately 100 organisations receiving grants for core funding across the UK.
Please note, this programme is partly funded by HM Treasury’s ‘Tampon Tax’ to help tackle the various issues that many women and girls face. Therefore, out of the £4 million available through this pilot programme, a minimum of £1 million will be awarded to organisations working primarily to support women and girls. Full details at Comic Relief website.

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Community Economic Development Programme – closing date 22nd July
The second round of the Community Economic Development (CED) programme has now launched and is open for applications from communities who want to work towards seeing real economic change in their area.
This year’s programme is looking to support 20 new groups that want to take a lead in shaping their economies for the benefit of their community. Alongside this, we will be working with ten communities who participated in the programme last year, helping them ensure their plans become a reality.
Groups participating in this year’s programme will receive a package of grants and support to help them produce a dynamic and deliverable local economic plan. Your involvement in the scheme will take place from September 2016 to June 2017, but we are selecting our participants now, ready for the Autumn.
Applications are open until Friday 22 July –
http://mycommunity.org.uk/programme/community-economic-development/

Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours Grants
The Near Neighbours programme offers small grants of between £250 and £5,000, as seed funding for local groups and organisations
working to bring together neighbours, and to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities to improve their communities.
Grants have offered funding to a broad range of work; environmental, social, cultural, artistic, and sporting, that furthers the programme’s aims of encouraging community interaction and social action. Full details at cuf.org.uk

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Using the Equality Act 2010- ROTA
Free two day training for organisations supporting
Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BME&R) communities
Training Day one: Complying with the Equality Act 2010
1st August 2016, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Training Day two: Using the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
3rd August 2016, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Please note that although the training is free of charge ROTA pays for the refreshments and room hire costs in offering a place on the training. Therefore, if you register your place for the training and fail to attend, you will be invoiced £25.
To book your place, please complete our online booking form, available at: http://www.rota.org.uk/civicrm/event/register?id=66&reset=1.
For more information on this course, please email poornima@rota.org.uk or call 020 7697 4066.

Age UK London – Older Private Sector Tenants Programme
Age UK London is beginning work to raise awareness of the needs of older private sector tenants in London to find solutions to problems they face.
Age UK London needs private sector tenants age 50 and over to participate in a focus group in Camden to kickstart a programme to raise awareness of their needs and to find solutions to problems they face. There are 146,000 households renting privately in London where at least one person is aged over 50, and projections suggest this number is on the rise. The focus group is being held on 28th July at 11.00a.m-1.00pm, refreshments and a £10 M&S voucher for participants provided (help with travel if needed). For more information on the project see here. Contact Natalie Turner on research@ageuklondon.org.uk or call 0207 820 6770 to join or find out more.

London Neighbourhood Planning Gathering
An informal gathering of London’s Neighbourhood Planning people. Guest speakers and the emerging issues of Community Infrastructure Levy spending.
£5 RSVP angela@imagineplaces.co.uk
Thursday 21st July 6pm Kentish Town Congregation Church Hall, Kelly Street, NW1.

The Spark is a series of community-based creative, informative, practical and exploratory workshops and activities across London this summer
From 25th June to 7th August 2016
Check out this video to see more of what the Spark is about
Hip Hop and Food Growing in Morden 29th July
International Struggles and Solidarity in Harringay 24th July
DJ workshops for women in Dalston 29th + 30th July
Black Women’s Stories- A Day of Celebrating each other in Tottenham 24th July
A social space for young LGBTQ+ in East London 17th July
+ Sessions on Gentrification, Politics of Food, Spirituality, Economics, Feminist Mothering, Stigma… and more!
Includes spaces just for Young People, People of Colour, Queer People & Self-defining Women only
All events are wheelchair accessible, and a kids space is available. Details here.

F**kUp Nights: Conversations about failures and other things
Lessons about celebrating and learning from entrepreneurial and professional failure – as lets face it 9 out of 10 enterprises fail. Let’s applaud you risk takers for getting back on your feet and also take the fear out of messing things up. £5, King Cross. Bookings

Mental Health Forum
For users of mental health services, carers, community and voluntary groups and Camden councillors
Chair: Councillor Maeve McCormack
Wednesday 20 July from 6.00pm to 8.00pm at Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre, Belmont Street, London NW1 8HF
If you need help to travel to and from the forum, or to take part, then please contact Paul Kent by Monday 18 July. Telephone: 0207 974 6921 Email paul.kent@camden.gov.uk

Keeping Active Together Summer Tea Party And Bench to Bench Walk
The Community Association for West Hampstead with Kilburn Older Voices Exchange
Friday 22nd July 1.30pm Bench to Bench Walk
Meet at Little Waitrose, West End Lane, NW6 Followed by 2.30pm Tea Party hosted by W Heart at West Hampstead Community Centre, 17 Dornfell Street, NW6
Ring 020 7794 3729 for details. Email kat@cawh.org.uk

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Terrence Higgins Trust is recruiting London and Brighton Volunteer Coordinator.
This post holder will coordinate the recruitment, training and supervision of London and Brighton volunteers in a wide range of roles. The successful candidate will optimise the contribution of volunteers to Terrence Higgins Trust services and ensure that a high profile is maintained for volunteer activities both inside the charity and in the wider community.
Based in London, this post holder will have a primary focus on London Volunteering (on average spending 4½ days per week) but will also support the Brighton volunteer programme (on average ½ day a week). The majority of work will be undertake at our central office in London. The post holder must be able to travel to Brighton on average twice a month (travel will be covered by THT). The successful candidate will join a dynamic and passionate team. For more information visit: http://tiny.cc/mluwcy

Urban Growth – Volunteer Assistant Required
Do you enjoy working outside? Do you want to gain experience of supporting individuals with wide ranging mental health needs? Do you love vegetables?
We are a mental health charity whose varied services provide specialist support and advice around problems at work, training and education. We aim to understand, support and enable the recovery of those affected by mental health issues.
This role includes:
• Working with and supporting the programme members on-site
• Guiding the programme members and ensuring that planned tasks are carried out
Desirable experience:
• At least one year’s experience of organic gardening
• Experience of working and supporting individuals in a community setting
• An interest in horticulture, mental health, healthy eating and cookery
Travel expenses of up to £6 per day will be reimbursed on a monthly basis.
Please ensure you are available for both of the programme days and that you can commit for six months.
Please note that you will need to agree to an Enhanced DBS check being carried out and the contact details of two recent referees.
Apply by sending your CV and a one page covering letter, explaining why you’d be the best person to join our programme as an assistant volunteer.
Application deadline, 6pm 24th July 2016 contact r.clarke@jobsinmind.org

Age UK Camden seeks Data and Monitoring Officer – deadline extended
Scale 5 scp 22-25 £23,895 – £25,876pa pro rata – 21 hours per week
Ageing Better Camden is looking for a Data and Monitoring Officer to take the lead on the collection, collation and presentation of data across the programme. We are looking for a dynamic self-starter who can take ownership of the data and ensure we are getting the most from it.
The post holder will be responsible, along with our evaluation and delivery partners, for collecting a range of data and entering this onto local and national evaluation databases.
The post holder will support the Programme Manager in the production of quarterly monitoring reports for the Strategic Programme Board and will also be responsible for supporting delivery partners in the collection of data and use of the database. Full details at www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.
Closing date – 26th July, Interview – Wednesday 3rd August.

Renters’ Rights London Project Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover)
Renters’ Rights London (RRL) is the first city wide information, education and engagement project for private renters that started in 2014 and is being funded by Trust for London initially for 3 years. It is hosted and managed by Camden Federation of Private Tenants.
The project’s co-ordinator is due to go on maternity leave for 12 months, starting on 31st July, and we are looking for a replacement to keep developing and driving the project forward in Year 3. It’s really important that renters’ voices are clearly heard as we also seek to bring about change in the private rented sector by working closely with other groups/organisations.
Salary: £27,000 per year pro-rata 17.5 hours per week. Pension: 3%
Location: 13 Malden Road, NW5 3HS
For more details about this exciting and challenging role go to:
www.cfpt.org.uk/about-us/jobs-with-us/
To find out more about Renters’ Rights London and what the project does go to: www.rentersrightslondon.org
To apply: Send your CV and a 2 page covering letter to: admin@cfpt.org.uk explaining the following:
1. Why you are interested in the job
2. How your skills, knowledge and experience fit the role
3. How you will go about informing, educating and consulting a wide variety of private renters
4. How soon you can start
Deadline for applications: 6pm on Monday 18th July
Interviews will be held: Week commencing Monday 25th July
We are an equal opportunities employer and particularly welcome and encourage applications from women, disabled people and other under-represented groups in the sector.

Ageing Better in Camden Local Evaluation
Interested in helping to develop a much better understanding about what helps and what gets in the way of older Camden residents feeling less isolated and lonely? If you are, this could be the role for you. We are looking for people with a range of skills and experiences, including analysing data, interviewing people or you may have local knowledge of the area which you can bring to the team.
The time you commit to the role is up to you. The exact nature of the Community Evaluator role will depend on your individual interests, skills and availability. We expect CE’s to be involved in some of the following activities; Face-to-face interviews or focus groups Telephone discussions with people using the Ageing Better in Camden projects Desk-based research, Data analysis and interpretation. We will welcome whatever people have to offer and, as a volunteer, any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in becoming a community evaluator and would like to find out more, please contact the project administrator Becky: Becky.Strike@ndti.org.uk or call 01225 789135 and she will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively you can visit www.ndti.org.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Survey regarding Social prescription and employment
The Work Foundation are running a questionnaire as part of a research project to explore the role of social prescribing in influencing employment outcomes for people of working age with long term health conditions. They are interested in hearing about social prescribing projects whose clients include people of working age (i.e. age 16-64) with any long term health condition (i.e. a condition that has lasted at least 12 months ) – so please complete their survey (which takes around 5-10 minutes).

Share your experiences of Mental Health Services
Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. This survey has been requested by Councillors in the Health Scrutiny Committee at Camden council. Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 527 1261 for details.
The online survey is here.

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Somers Town Festival; Older Private Sector Tenants Programme; London Neighbourhood Planning Gathering; Survey regarding Social prescription and employment; The Spark events; F**kUp Nights: Conversations about failures and other things; Participants needed for Medical Apps focus groups; Newsletters + jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

For the past 8 years VAC’s Asha-Kin Duale has been delivering training sessions on ‘Safeguarding Children’ and ‘Harmful Practices’ to BAMER community, faith groups and supplementary schools in Camden. These sessions are delivered as part of the Community Partnership Project, funded by Camden Council’s Children Safeguarding Board. The project has been running since 2007 to address issues of child safeguarding amongst Camden BAMER communities.
In this time I have met a variety of people, mainly older women, attending these sessions in groups, many of whom are initially wary of Social Services and the Police and their role in protecting children in the community. But recently a young couple with their baby attended my session. It was the first time I have ever seen a young couple attend one of my sessions. Read the full story at the VAC website.

Somers Town Festival Saturday 9th July
Chalton street 11.30am – 6.30pm
Music – two stages with variety rock, Oh!gunquit, blues, Becki, Mimi – HS2 song + more, Bengali music stage , Palestinian dance, funfair and children’s activities
fire engine, British Musuem science – Francis Crick Institute, Chalton Gallery performance, 4 Pearly Queens, History stall – photo exhibition
prizes photo competition at 4pm, massage + vintage make up, health & info stall, Dr bike to fix your bike, filming, Camden New Journal, New Horizon Youth stage and more…

Age UK London – Older Private Sector Tenants Programme
Age UK London is beginning work to raise awareness of the needs of older private sector tenants in London to find solutions to problems they face.
Age UK London needs private sector tenants age 50 and over to participate in a focus group in Camden to kickstart a programme to raise awareness of their needs and to find solutions to problems they face. There are 146,000 households renting privately in London where at least one person is aged over 50, and projections suggest this number is on the rise. The focus group is being held on 28th July at 11.00a.m-1.00pm, refreshments and a £10 M&S voucher for participants provided (help with travel if needed). For more information on the project see here. Contact Natalie Turner on research@ageuklondon.org.uk or call 0207 820 6770 to join or find out more.

How you can intervene when witnessing racist assaults
Racist insults and violence are very common all over Europe. Many people are afraid or do not know how to react when witnessing a racist incident. In such situations, civil courage is needed. Speaking up to support someone in need while others are silent is not easy. But civil courage is possible and can be trained.
United Against Racism provides some suggestions for courageous action and shows that some small steps can change a lot. You read the guidelines online.

London Neighbourhood Planning Gathering
An informal gathering of London’s Neighbourhood Planning people. Guest speakers and the emerging issues of Community Infrastructure Levy spending.
£5 RSVP angela@imagineplaces.co.uk
Thursday 21st July 6pm Kentish Town Congregation Church Hall, Kelly Street, NW1.

Survey regarding Social prescription and employment
The Work Foundation are running a questionnaire as part of a research project to explore the role of social prescribing in influencing employment outcomes for people of working age with long term health conditions. They are interested in hearing about social prescribing projects whose clients include people of working age (i.e. age 16-64) with any long term health condition (i.e. a condition that has lasted at least 12 months ) – so please complete their survey (which takes around 5-10 minutes).

The Spark is a series of community-based creative, informative, practical and exploratory workshops and activities across London this summer
From 25th June to 7th August 2016
Check out this video to see more of what the Spark is about
Hip Hop and Food Growing in Morden 29th July
International Struggles and Solidarity in Harringay 24th July
DJ workshops for women in Dalston 29th + 30th July
Black Women’s Stories- A Day of Celebrating each other in Tottenham 24th July
A social space for young LGBTQ+ in East London 17th July
+ Sessions on Gentrification, Politics of Food, Spirituality, Economics, Feminist Mothering, Stigma… and more!
Includes spaces just for Young People, People of Colour, Queer People & Self-defining Women only
All events are wheelchair accessible, and a kids space is available. Details here.

F**kUp Nights: Conversations about failures and other things
Lessons about celebrating and learning from entrepreneurial and professional failure – as lets face it 9 out of 10 enterprises fail. Let’s applaud you risk takers for getting back on your feet and also take the fear out of messing things up. £5, King Cross. Bookings

Participants needed for Medical Apps focus groups
Research explores medical apps for smartphones and how their use might be impacting our relationships with our health, our doctors, and those around us.
The sessions will take place on the evenings of Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 July @ UCL Graduate Hub Seminar Room.
I hope the evening will raise fruitful and interesting discussions about the many issues surrounding the development and use of medical apps, and the promise of digital health more generally.
If you are interested in discussing these topics further and would like to attend, please email deirdre.dinneen.11@ucl.ac.uk, letting me know which session suits you.

Newsletters
Read the latest Camden Patient Participation Groups Newsletter here.
Read the latest Kings Cross Impact Hub newsletter here.
Read the latest Navca Health and Social Care News here.
Read the Evelyn Oldfield Unit Newsletter about all things Refugee Community here.

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Urban Growth Jobs in Mind, Age UK Camden, Renters Rights London, C4, Ageing Better in Camden, Kentish Town Community Centre, Abbey Community Centre and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Where are the revolutionary public sector leaders?
“As the politically driven trend towards more privatisation and outsourcing grows, there is, I believe, an urgent need to refocus minds on alternatives, especially those models which are based on democratic principles, are user and/or staff led and designed to maximise the public benefit.” Read John Tizards article here.

Brexit Briefing: what charities can do
This briefing sheds light on the fallout of the decision to leave the EU, and assists charities and community groups in identifying some concrete actions to take. Go to the DSC website to download the report.

Five stories buried by Brexit
A huge rise in child poverty, a devastating UN critique of British austerity … these are among the news events they hope you will miss. Full story at the Guardian

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Celebrate – A New Grants Programme from the Big Lottery Fund
When was the last time your local community came together? Grants of between £300 and £10,000 for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community.
You could celebrate something from your community’s history or a local hero. Or maybe it could a chance to bring people together to get to know their neighbours better. Full details on the Big Lottery Website.

Community Economic Development Programme – closing date 22nd July
The second round of the Community Economic Development (CED) programme has now launched and is open for applications from communities who want to work towards seeing real economic change in their area.
This year’s programme is looking to support 20 new groups that want to take a lead in shaping their economies for the benefit of their community. Alongside this, we will be working with ten communities who participated in the programme last year, helping them ensure their plans become a reality.
Groups participating in this year’s programme will receive a package of grants and support to help them produce a dynamic and deliverable local economic plan. Your involvement in the scheme will take place from September 2016 to June 2017, but we are selecting our participants now, ready for the Autumn.
Applications are open until Friday 22 July –
http://mycommunity.org.uk/programme/community-economic-development/

Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours Grants
The Near Neighbours programme offers small grants of between £250 and £5,000, as seed funding for local groups and organisations
working to bring together neighbours, and to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities to improve their communities.
Grants have offered funding to a broad range of work; environmental, social, cultural, artistic, and sporting, that furthers the programme’s aims of encouraging community interaction and social action. Full details at cuf.org.uk

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Soup Camden
• Would you like to make more connections in the Camden community?
• Are you working on a project that would benefit from some extra funding?
• Would you enjoy an evening of local food and arts entertainment?
Then join us at Camden Hub (8 Fairhazel Gardens, NW6 3SG) on Wednesday 13th July from 6.30pm – 9pm for Camden SOUP.
SOUP is a micro-granting dinner which celebrates and supports local community projects, artists and entrepreneurs in and around Camden. For a donation of £3.50 on the door, attendees will enjoy a hot meal, connect with other members of their community, and hear pitches from individuals/ organisations who are looking for funding, before voting on which idea the money raised from the evening should go to.
For more information, or to request a proposal form to be in with the chance of raising money for your project, please contact Abigail on 02072784437 or Abigail.darton@hcct.org.uk

The Edge Fund is open for applications – Deadline extended to 10th July
Supporting grass roots groups for justice and equality
Summer is nearly upon us, and we have just opened a new funding round. In Round 5 we awarded about £40,000 to 30 groups, and this summer we are looking forward to helping support even more groups fighting for social change.
Find out how to apply here.
There are loads of great groups and projects out there, but we don’t always hear about them, please help us spread the word by letting people know in your networks.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Ageing Better in Camden: one year on!
Come and join us on Monday 11th July 2016, 10am-1pm at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, WC1H 9NA
Listen to older people’s experiences of Ageing Better in Camden
Take part in a free iPad session about activities in Camden with Mary Ward Centre and RecommendMe
Celebrate with us over lunch and enjoy a slice of birthday cake
For more information email ageingbetterincamden@ageukcamden.org.uk or call 020 7239 0400

Camden New Town Community Festival
Saturday 16th July Jazz, poetry, folk 4 – 8pm
Sunday 17th July Family day noon – 7pm
In Camden Square Gardens, NW1
For more information or to book a stall contac the Festival Office on 020 7267 9586 or email festival.mlcc@yahoo.co.uk

Mental Health Forum
For users of mental health services, carers, community and voluntary groups and Camden councillors
Chair: Councillor Maeve McCormack
Wednesday 20 July from 6.00pm to 8.00pm at Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre, Belmont Street, London NW1 8HF
If you need help to travel to and from the forum, or to take part, then please contact Paul Kent by Monday 18 July. Telephone: 0207 974 6921 Email paul.kent@camden.gov.uk

Keeping Active Together Summer Tea Party And Bench to Bench Walk
The Community Association for West Hampstead with Kilburn Older Voices Exchange
Friday 22nd July 1.30pm Bench to Bench Walk
Meet at Little Waitrose, West End Lane, NW6 Followed by 2.30pm Tea Party hosted by W Heart at West Hampstead Community Centre, 17 Dornfell Street, NW6
Ring 020 7794 3729 for details. Email kat@cawh.org.uk

Charity Meetup No.6 – Future Funding
The theme will be around Funding for the Future and we will be inviting charities an social enterprises to share what has worked for them. We will have a panel of experts, activities, group discussions and networking.
Expert Panel: a panel of 4 experts from the social enterprise and charity sector on the future of fundraising. They will then take questions from the audience.
14th July, 6 – 8pm, at the Impact Hub King’s Cross, 34b York Way, N1 9AB
Tickets and more information available online here.

The Camden Mela
The Camden Mela will take place on Sunday 17July 2016 from 12-6.30pm at Coram’s Fields, 93 Guilford St, London WC1N 1AB.
The Camden Mela is a free Community Festival Celebrating the Diversity of Camden.
There will be lots of amazing entertainment for everyone . There will also be lots of stalls with delicious food, toys, clothing, artefacts, face painting, henna and a funfair.
Enjoy the free arts and crafts workshops and join the Mayor of Camden in the Parade at 1pm.
Please contact Nasim Ali on 07852 223403 or nasim.ali@kcbna.org.uk for further information or stall booking forms.

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

An introduction to intergenerational working
An intensive one-day training session ideal for people who would like to organise activities or projects which bring together older and younger people, improve their intergenerational practice or make their organisation or service more age-inclusive.
The day is for anyone who would like to organise intergenerational events or improve their organisation’s intergenerational practice. The session is free of charge and open to anyone living, working, studying or volunteering in the London Borough of Camden.
The training will examine why intergenerational and age-friendly thinking is important, how to choose activities, how to prepare older and younger people to meet each other, how to plan and resource a project and how to build safe, creative and sustainable projects.
Tuesday 12 July 2016 9.45am – 4.45pm at Argenta House, Aspern Grove, Belsize Park, London NW3
For further information or to book a place, contact: vanda.carter@camden.gov.uk / 020 7974 2810

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Urban Growth – Volunteer Assistant Required
Do you enjoy working outside? Do you want to gain experience of supporting individuals with wide ranging mental health needs? Do you love vegetables?
We are a mental health charity whose varied services provide specialist support and advice around problems at work, training and education. We aim to understand, support and enable the recovery of those affected by mental health issues.
This role includes:
• Working with and supporting the programme members on-site
• Guiding the programme members and ensuring that planned tasks are carried out
Desirable experience:
• At least one year’s experience of organic gardening
• Experience of working and supporting individuals in a community setting
• An interest in horticulture, mental health, healthy eating and cookery
Travel expenses of up to £6 per day will be reimbursed on a monthly basis.
Please ensure you are available for both of the programme days and that you can commit for six months.
Please note that you will need to agree to an Enhanced DBS check being carried out and the contact details of two recent referees.
Apply by sending your CV and a one page covering letter, explaining why you’d be the best person to join our programme as an assistant volunteer.
Application deadline, 6pm 24th July 2016 contact r.clarke@jobsinmind.org

Age UK Camden seeks Data and Monitoring Officer
Scale 5 scp 22-25 £23,895 – £25,876pa pro rata – 21 hours per week
Ageing Better Camden is looking for a Data and Monitoring Officer to take the lead on the collection, collation and presentation of data across the programme. We are looking for a dynamic self-starter who can take ownership of the data and ensure we are getting the most from it.
The post holder will be responsible, along with our evaluation and delivery partners, for collecting a range of data and entering this onto local and national evaluation databases.
The post holder will support the Programme Manager in the production of quarterly monitoring reports for the Strategic Programme Board and will also be responsible for supporting delivery partners in the collection of data and use of the database. Full details at www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.
Closing date – 19th July, Interview – Wednesday 3rd August.

Renters’ Rights London Project Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover)
Renters’ Rights London (RRL) is the first city wide information, education and engagement project for private renters that started in 2014 and is being funded by Trust for London initially for 3 years. It is hosted and managed by Camden Federation of Private Tenants.
The project’s co-ordinator is due to go on maternity leave for 12 months, starting on 31st July, and we are looking for a replacement to keep developing and driving the project forward in Year 3. It’s really important that renters’ voices are clearly heard as we also seek to bring about change in the private rented sector by working closely with other groups/organisations.
Salary: £27,000 per year pro-rata 17.5 hours per week. Pension: 3%
Location: 13 Malden Road, NW5 3HS
For more details about this exciting and challenging role go to:
www.cfpt.org.uk/about-us/jobs-with-us/
To find out more about Renters’ Rights London and what the project does go to: www.rentersrightslondon.org
To apply: Send your CV and a 2 page covering letter to: admin@cfpt.org.uk explaining the following:
1. Why you are interested in the job
2. How your skills, knowledge and experience fit the role
3. How you will go about informing, educating and consulting a wide variety of private renters
4. How soon you can start
Deadline for applications: 6pm on Monday 18th July
Interviews will be held: Week commencing Monday 25th July
We are an equal opportunities employer and particularly welcome and encourage applications from women, disabled people and other under-represented groups in the sector.

Swiss Cottage Community Centre seeks Director
£35,000 to £36,500 (dependent on experience) – Full time – Permanent
We are looking for an inspriational leader with strategic vision, commercial acumen and a sense of community needs and demands. This could be another Directorship you are taking up, or your first Directorship that has followed more than three years in a senior management role, or it could be the post you are looking for following more than five years experience as a middle manager. You could have worked in corporates, companies, the public sector or the voluntary and community sector, but wherever you are coming from you will be determined, committed and inspirational to our volunteers, staff and our communities in need. It is a tough time in the charity sector at the moment, but at the Swiss Cottage you will be walking in to a charity that has over thrity years of history, a modern building, has plenty of rooms to hire, a Nursery and a Cafe. There is lots to do here and for you to get your teeth stuck in to, so if you are up for the challenge, we would very much like to hear from you.
Please download the Person Specification, Job Description, Diversity Monitoring Form, and Application Form below and submit to Adrian Eaves by way of email at adrian@yourswiss.org
Deadline for completed applications is midnight on Monday 11th July 2016 and interviews will be held on Wednesday 20th June 2016. Full details here.

Community Connectors – Volunteer Support and Development Officer
24,500K (FTE); £11,900 per annum 17 hours per week
Camden Community Connectors Project is delivered by Camden Community Centres Consortium and is the largest part of Ageing Better in Camden. The purpose of the role is to support the Project Manager and 5 local Area Coordinators with the recruitment and retention of connector, ambassador and administrative volunteers to the Camden Community Connectors Project and to develop the scope of volunteering within the project.
Camden Community Connectors Project is funded by the Lottery. The project is coming to the end of its first year. The project aims to tackle isolation and loneliness amongst older people. Through participation in the programme older people are reconnected to local networks and their involvement strengthens their communities and improves their wellbeing.
Ageing Better in Camden is a partnership of older people and agencies in Camden working closely together to tackle the social isolation and loneliness that many older people in the borough experience. Please note the closing date for applications is the 14th of July with us interviewing on the 18th. Full details at Charity Jobs

Ageing Better in Camden Local Evaluation
Interested in helping to develop a much better understanding about what helps and what gets in the way of older Camden residents feeling less isolated and lonely? If you are, this could be the role for you. We are looking for people with a range of skills and experiences, including analysing data, interviewing people or you may have local knowledge of the area which you can bring to the team.
The time you commit to the role is up to you. The exact nature of the Community Evaluator role will depend on your individual interests, skills and availability. We expect CE’s to be involved in some of the following activities; Face-to-face interviews or focus groups Telephone discussions with people using the Ageing Better in Camden projects Desk-based research, Data analysis and interpretation. We will welcome whatever people have to offer and, as a volunteer, any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in becoming a community evaluator and would like to find out more, please contact the project administrator Becky: Becky.Strike@ndti.org.uk or call 01225 789135 and she will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively you can visit www.ndti.org.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Share your experiences of Mental Health Services
Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. This survey has been requested by Councillors in the Health Scrutiny Committee at Camden council. Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 527 1261 for details.
The online survey is here.

Volunteering with Voluntary and Community organisations in Camden
Camden Council aims to support volunteering across the borough as effectively as possible. To this end we’re undertaking a short survey that aims to find out what organisations are already doing and what – if anything – would best help them to recruit, support and retain volunteers in future. We will use this information to improve the support we offer. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and is confidential.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=146367278419
Please return the completed survey by Friday 8 July 2016 – many thanks.
If you would like to know more about volunteering in Camden or have any queries about the survey please contact Frances Connelly on 020 7974 6457 or email frances.connelly@camden.gov.uk

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

A statement from Councillor Sarah Hayward, Leader of Camden Council; Brexit: Implications for the Voluntary Sector; Advice on intervening when witnessing racist assaults; Ageing Better in Camden: one year celebrations; Camden New Town Community Festival; Mental Health Forum; Summer Tea Party And Bench to Bench Walk; Camden Festivals; Brexit: Implications for the Voluntary Sector + jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

A statement from Councillor Sarah Hayward, Leader of Camden Council
“Camden has always been a place that embraces and celebrates diversity. We have always welcomed people from different countries and backgrounds, whether they are fleeing trouble or seeking a better life.
In recent days, I have been made aware of a number of incidents of race hate which, if left unchecked, have the potential to undermine the strong community cohesion that exist in Camden, and leave some residents feeling vulnerable. I am writing to ask for your support in making sure that does not happen.
Camden is, and must remain, a place that embraces and celebrates diversity. We have always welcomed people from different countries and backgrounds and valued the contribution they make.
I ask that in this time of uncertainty you join me, my Cabinet colleagues and all at Camden Council in reassuring our communities that we are One Camden – a place for all. We must all stand together now to support everyone that lives and works here. I have been made aware of incidents of hate crime following the EU referendum. This is not something we will accept; there is no place for hate in Camden. It is important in this time of uncertainty that we share information and intelligence and build up a clear picture of events on the ground. Please join me in encouraging anyone who has experienced hate crime to report this to the Police via the police’s 101 number.
If individuals have concerns about community tensions they can contact us, the Council, via 020 7974 4444 or by email communitysafety@camden.gov.uk. I must reiterate people should phone 999 if they or others are in immediate danger.”
You can also report hate crime online here.

Brexit: Implications for the Voluntary Sector
NCVO’s initial analysis of the situation is available at the NCVO website. The international consensus seems to be that the politics of protest and too many people who feel they have nothing to lose are upending politics right across the western world and the referendum is another expression of that trend. The referendum has caused, political, economic and social uncertainty and confidence in the political class and most institutions is falling including charities. We may be left with the worst of both worlds with Brexiters unable to make good on their promises, but the UK weakened nonetheless. Politicians and the media have indulged in divisive tactics leaving civil society to bring people together – putting ‘civil’ and ‘society’ back on the agenda.

How you can intervene when witnessing racist assaults
Racist insults and violence are very common all over Europe. Many people are afraid or do not know how to react when witnessing a racist incident. In such situations, civil courage is needed. Speaking up to support someone in need while others are silent is not easy. But civil courage is possible and can be trained.
United Against Racism provides some suggestions for courageous action and shows that some small steps can change a lot. You read the guidelines online.

Ageing Better in Camden: one year on!
Come and join us on Monday 11th July 2016, 10am-1pm at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, WC1H 9NA
Listen to older people’s experiences of Ageing Better in Camden
Take part in a free iPad session about activities in Camden with Mary Ward Centre and RecommendMe
Celebrate with us over lunch and enjoy a slice of birthday cake
For more information email ageingbetterincamden@ageukcamden.org.uk or call 020 7239 0400

Camden New Town Community Festival
Saturday 16th July Jazz, poetry, folk 4 – 8pm
Sunday 17th July Family day noon – 7pm
In Camden Square Gardens, NW1
For more information or to book a stall contac the Festival Office on 020 7267 9586 or email festival.mlcc@yahoo.co.uk

Mental Health Forum
For users of mental health services, carers, community and voluntary groups and Camden councillors
Chair: Councillor Maeve McCormack
Wednesday 20 July from 6.00pm to 8.00pm at Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre, Belmont Street, London NW1 8HF
If you need help to travel to and from the forum, or to take part, then please contact Paul Kent by Monday 18 July. Telephone: 0207 974 6921 Email paul.kent@camden.gov.uk

Keeping Active Together Summer Tea Party And Bench to Bench Walk
The Community Association for West Hampstead with Kilburn Older Voices Exchange
Friday 22nd July 1.30pm Bench to Bench Walk
Meet at Little Waitrose, West End Lane, NW6 Followed by 2.30pm Tea Party hosted by W Heart at West Hampstead Community Centre, 17 Dornfell Street, NW6
Ring 020 7794 3729 for details. Email kat@cawh.org.uk

Camden Festivals
A list of community festivals in Camden can be found here.

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Renters Rights London, Swiss Cottage Community Centre, C4, Ageing Better in Camden, Kentish Town Community Centre, Philological Foundation, Camden Carers Centre, Nafsiyat, Abbey Community Centre and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Charities face a ‘widespread demonisation’ warns civil society alliance Civicus
There has been a “widespread demonisation” of civil society in recent years, and last year was a “dismal one for civil society around the world”, according to a report by international civil society alliance Civicus.
The State of Civil Society 2016, reports that one of the “sinister developments” seen today is the “widespread demonisation of civil society activists – as terrorists, traitors, foreign puppets, or disconnected elites”. Sadly mature democracies have not been exempt from the widespread attacks on freedom of assembly, speech and association. Article and links to the full report at Civil Society.

It all feels a bit wobbly, doesn’t it?
If it’s all getting a bit too much for you, then Sanderson from Sunday Assembly offers some suggestions of things you can do to make things a lot better.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Soup Camden
• Would you like to make more connections in the Camden community?
• Are you working on a project that would benefit from some extra funding?
• Would you enjoy an evening of local food and arts entertainment?
Then join us at Camden Hub (8 Fairhazel Gardens, NW6 3SG) on Wednesday 13th July from 6.30pm – 9pm for Camden SOUP.
SOUP is a micro-granting dinner which celebrates and supports local community projects, artists and entrepreneurs in and around Camden. For a donation of £3.50 on the door, attendees will enjoy a hot meal, connect with other members of their community, and hear pitches from individuals/ organisations who are looking for funding, before voting on which idea the money raised from the evening should go to.
For more information, or to request a proposal form to be in with the chance of raising money for your project, please contact Abigail on 02072784437 or Abigail.darton@hcct.org.uk

The Edge Fund is open for applications – Deadline 3rd July
Supporting grass roots groups for justice and equality
Summer is nearly upon us, and we have just opened a new funding round. In Round 5 we awarded about £40,000 to 30 groups, and this summer we are looking forward to helping support even more groups fighting for social change.
Find out how to apply here.
There are loads of great groups and projects out there, but we don’t always hear about them, please help us spread the word by letting people know in your networks.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Charity Meetup No.6 – Future Funding
The theme will be around Funding for the Future and we will be inviting charities an social enterprises to share what has worked for them. We will have a panel of experts, activities, group discussions and networking.
Expert Panel: a panel of 4 experts from the social enterprise and charity sector on the future of fundraising. They will then take questions from the audience.
14th July, 6 – 8pm, at the Impact Hub King’s Cross, 34b York Way, N1 9AB
Tickets and more information available online here.

Invitation to the rehearsed reading of the new play in collaboration with Mothertongue: Triangles
14th July 2016 (London) and 18th July 2016 (Reading)
A new play about the musical chairs of triangular relationships,
They don’t speak the language. They need help. Someone has to interpret for them. And the stakes are high if it isn’t their story that gets told.
Please let us know that you are coming as we have limited seating and we want to make sure you have a seat reserved for you. Let us know if you want a seat in London or in Reading by emailing Kim on kim@mothertongue.org.uk

The Camden Mela
The Camden Mela will take place on Sunday 17July 2016 from 12-6.30pm at Coram’s Fields, 93 Guilford St, London WC1N 1AB.
The Camden Mela is a free Community Festival Celebrating the Diversity of Camden.
There will be lots of amazing entertainment for everyone . There will also be lots of stalls with delicious food, toys, clothing, artefacts, face painting, henna and a funfair.
Enjoy the free arts and crafts workshops and join the Mayor of Camden in the Parade at 1pm.
Please contact Nasim Ali on 07852 223403 or nasim.ali@kcbna.org.uk for further information or stall booking forms.

I haven’t seen that in the Karma Sutra! Sex and disability
Thursday 7 July 2016, 7pm (following a drinks reception at 6pm)
With Prof Tom Shakespeare (Norwich Medical School) at Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ
In 1996, Tom Shakespeare worked with two colleagues to research and write a book called The Sexual Politics of Disability. They talked to 44 disabled people about their gender and sexuality, their self-image, their experiences of sex and love, and what they felt needed to change to enable them to participate fully in the world of relationships. Twenty years on, Tom and his colleagues have revisited some of these original participants to find out where they are now. Older, franker, and perhaps wiser, their reflections help us understand the extent to which disabled sexuality is still taboo, and what we need to do to enable disabled people to achieve intimacy on the same basis as others.
The lecture is free to attend but places must be booked in advance.
For further information call 01603 591926 or email events@uea.ac.uk
Further details and booking link: https://www.uea.ac.uk/events/-/uea-london-lecture-sex-and-disability

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

An introduction to intergenerational working
An intensive one-day training session ideal for people who would like to organise activities or projects which bring together older and younger people, improve their intergenerational practice or make their organisation or service more age-inclusive.
The day is for anyone who would like to organise intergenerational events or improve their organisation’s intergenerational practice. The session is free of charge and open to anyone living, working, studying or volunteering in the London Borough of Camden.
The training will examine why intergenerational and age-friendly thinking is important, how to choose activities, how to prepare older and younger people to meet each other, how to plan and resource a project and how to build safe, creative and sustainable projects.
Tuesday 12 July 2016 9.45am – 4.45pm at Argenta House, Aspern Grove, Belsize Park, London NW3
For further information or to book a place, contact: vanda.carter@camden.gov.uk / 020 7974 2810

Moneytalk Camden North – subsidised Financial Education Facilitator Training Course, 12/13 July or 3 & 10 November
Moneytalk Camden North is a new project based on the award winning financial literacy resource Made of Money, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills.
Moneytalk Camden North takes a different and innovative approach to financial literacy: it works holistically- with the whole person and the whole household. The resources aim to build confidence, resilience and help people identify their own values, attitudes and emotions around money, as well as covering basics like budgeting, borrowing and debt. We recognise that unless people’s own situations are explored and confidence is increased, behaviour will not change long–term. The resources are all provided, fully reusable, fun and informative- so it hardly feels like you are doing money training. We will train you to use the resources and approach to support your own client groups.
12th & 13th July and 3rd & 10th November click here to find out more and download a booking form.
Contact: mtcn@qsa.org.uk tel: 020 8983 5047

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Renters’ Rights London Project Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover)
Renters’ Rights London (RRL) is the first city wide information, education and engagement project for private renters that started in 2014 and is being funded by Trust for London initially for 3 years. It is hosted and managed by Camden Federation of Private Tenants.
The project’s co-ordinator is due to go on maternity leave for 12 months, starting on 31st July, and we are looking for a replacement to keep developing and driving the project forward in Year 3. It’s really important that renters’ voices are clearly heard as we also seek to bring about change in the private rented sector by working closely with other groups/organisations.
Salary: £27,000 per year pro-rata 17.5 hours per week. Pension: 3%
Location: 13 Malden Road, NW5 3HS
For more details about this exciting and challenging role go to:
www.cfpt.org.uk/about-us/jobs-with-us/
To find out more about Renters’ Rights London and what the project does go to: www.rentersrightslondon.org
To apply: Send your CV and a 2 page covering letter to: admin@cfpt.org.uk explaining the following:
1. Why you are interested in the job
2. How your skills, knowledge and experience fit the role
3. How you will go about informing, educating and consulting a wide variety of private renters
4. How soon you can start
Deadline for applications: 6pm on Monday 18th July
Interviews will be held: Week commencing Monday 25th July
We are an equal opportunities employer and particularly welcome and encourage applications from women, disabled people and other under-represented groups in the sector.

Swiss Cottage Community Centre seeks Director
£35,000 to £36,500 (dependent on experience) – Full time – Permanent
We are looking for an inspriational leader with strategic vision, commercial acumen and a sense of community needs and demands. This could be another Directorship you are taking up, or your first Directorship that has followed more than three years in a senior management role, or it could be the post you are looking for following more than five years experience as a middle manager. You could have worked in corporates, companies, the public sector or the voluntary and community sector, but wherever you are coming from you will be determined, committed and inspirational to our volunteers, staff and our communities in need. It is a tough time in the charity sector at the moment, but at the Swiss Cottage you will be walking in to a charity that has over thrity years of history, a modern building, has plenty of rooms to hire, a Nursery and a Cafe. There is lots to do here and for you to get your teeth stuck in to, so if you are up for the challenge, we would very much like to hear from you.
Please download the Person Specification, Job Description, Diversity Monitoring Form, and Application Form below and submit to Adrian Eaves by way of email at adrian@yourswiss.org
Deadline for completed applications is midnight on Monday 11th July 2016 and interviews will be held on Wednesday 20th June 2016. Full details here.

Community Connectors – Volunteer Support and Development Officer
24,500K (FTE); £11,900 per annum 17 hours per week
Camden Community Connectors Project is delivered by Camden Community Centres Consortium and is the largest part of Ageing Better in Camden. The purpose of the role is to support the Project Manager and 5 local Area Coordinators with the recruitment and retention of connector, ambassador and administrative volunteers to the Camden Community Connectors Project and to develop the scope of volunteering within the project.
Camden Community Connectors Project is funded by the Lottery. The project is coming to the end of its first year. The project aims to tackle isolation and loneliness amongst older people. Through participation in the programme older people are reconnected to local networks and their involvement strengthens their communities and improves their wellbeing.
Ageing Better in Camden is a partnership of older people and agencies in Camden working closely together to tackle the social isolation and loneliness that many older people in the borough experience. Please note the closing date for applications is the 14th of July with us interviewing on the 18th. Full details at Charity Jobs

Ageing Better in Camden Local Evaluation
Interested in helping to develop a much better understanding about what helps and what gets in the way of older Camden residents feeling less isolated and lonely? If you are, this could be the role for you. We are looking for people with a range of skills and experiences, including analysing data, interviewing people or you may have local knowledge of the area which you can bring to the team.
The time you commit to the role is up to you. The exact nature of the Community Evaluator role will depend on your individual interests, skills and availability. We expect CE’s to be involved in some of the following activities; Face-to-face interviews or focus groups Telephone discussions with people using the Ageing Better in Camden projects Desk-based research, Data analysis and interpretation. We will welcome whatever people have to offer and, as a volunteer, any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in becoming a community evaluator and would like to find out more, please contact the project administrator Becky: Becky.Strike@ndti.org.uk or call 01225 789135 and she will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively you can visit www.ndti.org.uk

KTCC is recruiting for a Centre Coordinator
We are a lively, local resource providing services and activities to an area with considerable ethnic and cultural diversity, marked by pockets of social and economic deprivation and health inequalities. KTCC aims to “connect and inspire Kentish Town”, working with local organisations and residents to improve the quality of life in the local community.
We are looking for a motivated and pro-active Centre Coordinator to oversee operational tasks and communications at the centre, to start as soon as possible.
Please visit http://bit.ly/28LyO6g for full details. Deadline is Monday 4th July 9am.

Grant-making trust seeks administrative support
The Philological Foundation (charity no. 312692) is an educational charity established in 1982 distributing grants to individuals and schools in the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. The Foundation has an average income of income of £45,000 a year which it distributes to state-funded schools and to individuals under 26 years of age who are or have been pupils at a secondary school in the City of Westminster or London Borough of Camden.
Organisations, charitable bodies or individuals with appropriate skills and experience that are interested in handling the administrative affairs of the Foundation, and supporting and advising the trustees, are invited to contact the Chair, Clio Whittaker, for an informal discussion: clio@pattypan.com or 07884 265 518

Camden Carers Centre is recruiting to Two Posts
Health Promotion Officer
21 hours per week, £28,704 pro-rata (FTC until 31st March 2017).
Health Team Manager
18 hours per week, £30,450 pro-rata (maternity cover up until 31st March 2017).
For more information about either job please contact health@camdencarers.org.uk or ring 020 7428 8950.
The closing date for applications for both jobs is 4th July 2016. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted no later than the 8th July 2016.
To obtain job packs (for either job) please go to: http://www.camdencs.org.uk/get-involved

Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre seeks Community Link Worker
Unit 4 Clifton House, Clifton Terrace, London N4 3JP
Hours: Two days per week (regular days to be negotiated – Friday is preferable)
Pay: £19,500 – £22,000 pro-rata (depending on experience)
The duties of this post constitutes ‘Regulated activity’ in accordance with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and subject to an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and ‘barred list ‘ check.
Full detials from adam@nafsiyat.org.uk, Tel: 02072636947 web: www.nafsiyat.org.uk
To apply for the position: Please email your CV and a covering letter detailing how you meet this role to recruitment@nafsiyat.org.uk by 5pm on Monday 4th July 2016.

Abbey Community Centre seeds Activities Coordinator
Are you looking for a rewarding part time varied hands-on people-facing role in a small community charity? Where you’ll make a difference and be appreciated for doing so? This could be your opportunity!
Activities Coordinator (CHAPS Project), actual salary £15,124 for 21 hours a week
6 weeks holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rata)
CHAPS is our community’s centre’s time, skills, activities, interests, talents, and help sharing exchange for men over 50 living in or within easy reach of Kilburn, North West London.
CHAPS is a unique community project and we’re looking for a unique person to become its new Coordinator.
We’re happy to consider applications from people who have not done this sort of job before but who can convincingly demonstrate that they have the necessary abilities and enthusiasm.
Deadline for applications is Monday 4th July 2016, 10am. For short listed applicants, interviews will be held on Monday 11th July 2016.
Please note no CVs. To apply please see the jobs section of our website: www.abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Share your experiences of Mental Health Services
Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. This survey has been requested by Councillors in the Health Scrutiny Committee at Camden council. Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 527 1261 for details.
The online survey is here.

Women and English Language
Wonder Foundation would like to learn from community groups supporting women who are struggling to learn English. We want to understand your important work and to represent your voice and those of your beneficiaries to policymakers. Why? So that English teaching can meet women’s needs better and is more accessible, especially for the busiest and most vulnerable women. Please contact Olivia: 07411 951 297 or Olivia@wonderfoundation.org.uk

Volunteering with Voluntary and Community organisations in Camden
Camden Council aims to support volunteering across the borough as effectively as possible. To this end we’re undertaking a short survey that aims to find out what organisations are already doing and what – if anything – would best help them to recruit, support and retain volunteers in future. We will use this information to improve the support we offer. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and is confidential.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=146367278419
Please return the completed survey by Friday 8 July 2016 – many thanks.
If you would like to know more about volunteering in Camden or have any queries about the survey please contact Frances Connelly on 020 7974 6457 or email frances.connelly@camden.gov.uk

Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services.
Anyone over the age of 16 who has used Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust mental health services at a hospital or special mental health ward, or at a community based service, Community Recovery Service, Home Treatment Team, Homeless Outreach Team etc. Parents/carers are also invited to take part.
~ Complete an online survey and have the option to provide your name and contact details to be entered into a prize draw for a £20 shopping vouchers: https://consultations.wearecamden.org/public-health/mental-health-scrutiny-panel-cift-services
~ Take part in one of four group discussions in early June and receive a £10 shopping voucher for your time.
If you would like to take part or have any questions about this work, please contact Mubasshir Ajaz, Public Health, 020 7527 1261 or mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Deafblind Awareness Week; Camden CCG Twitter chat Today; The Camden Mela; Share your experiences of Mental Health Services; Women and English Language; Deaf Awareness Day; Age Friendly Museums Day; Healthwatch Camden Board Meeting; Stop Smoking Service provision review; Charity Meetup; Camden Peer Mentoring Project; Sensory Needs Forum Meeting + jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Stuart Etherington, NCVO gave his reaction to the referendum result:
“The voluntary sector is needed now more than ever
These have been troubled times, and they will continue to be so. Britain is facing political and economic unrest for months if not years to come.
Your support and advocacy for the people and causes you work for will be essential in this climate.
There are millions, even tens of millions in the UK who feel distanced from institutions that are meant to work on their behalf. At best apathetic, at worst, deeply hostile. Meanwhile the debate has left a bitter taste on both sides. It has served to exacerbate other divisions within our society.
The referendum has thrown into sharper contrast than ever previously a division in the United Kingdom. Questions of social mobility will rightly now come to the fore again. And we can hope that the racial tensions stoked so crudely and cruelly during the campaigning do not linger, but the risk of this is clear. We must now play our role in healing these divisions. We can and must help people in the communities we work with to understand, respect and cherish each other.” Read the full statement.

Deafblind Awareness Week 27th June – 3rd July
Do you have trouble with both your sight and hearing?
Sight and hearing loss can happen gradually. If your sight and hearing has started to deteriorate or you recognise this in someone then don’t be afraid to talk about it. We help people with any level of dual sensory loss, with support tailored to individual needs.
Information and Advice Line: 0800 132 320 For deafblind people and those who support them
Find out more: info@deafblind.org.uk 0800 132 320 www.deafblind.org.uk

Camden CCG Twitter chat Today!
Camden CCG is holding a live Twitter chat on Friday 24th June, 12.30pm – 13.30pm, run from the account @camden_ccg with the hashtag #CamdenLocalCare.
We want to hear your views on what works well, what doesn’t work well and what changes you would make to the healthcare services you receive.
Expert panel: Lance Saker (GP at Hampstead Group Practice, Clinical Vice Chair and Governing Body Clinical Lead for Long Term Conditions, Camden CCG) and Sally MacKinnon (Transformation Director, Camden CCG).
If you would like to submit feedback or ask the panel a question, you can tweet @camden_ccg using the #CamdenLocalCare hashtag or email Bethany.Golding@camdenccg.nhs.uk

The Camden Mela
The Camden Mela will take place on Sunday 17July 2016 from 12-6.30pm at Coram’s Fields, 93 Guilford St, London WC1N 1AB.
The Camden Mela is a free Community Festival Celebrating the Diversity of Camden.
There will be lots of amazing entertainment for everyone . There will also be lots of stalls with delicious food, toys, clothing, artefacts, face painting, henna and a funfair.
Enjoy the free arts and crafts workshops and join the Mayor of Camden in the Parade at 1pm.
Please contact Nasim Ali on 07852 223403 or nasim.ali@kcbna.org.uk for further information or stall booking forms.

Share your experiences of Mental Health Services
Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. This survey has been requested by Councillors in the Health Scrutiny Committee at Camden council. Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 527 1261 for details.
The online survey is here.

Women and English Language
Wonder Foundation would like to learn from community groups supporting women who are struggling to learn English. We want to understand your important work and to represent your voice and those of your beneficiaries to policymakers. Why? So that English teaching can meet women’s needs better and is more accessible, especially for the busiest and most vulnerable women. Please contact Olivia: 07411 951 297 or Olivia@wonderfoundation.org.uk

Camden Deaf Group Invite you to Deaf Awareness Day
“Have you ever wondered what does Deaf Awareness mean for you?”
Tuesday, 28th June 2016 11.00am – 1.00pm
Wellington Close TRA, Willingham TRA Hall, Willingham Terrace, Leighton Road, NW5 2UY Free Refreshment
If you are interested in attending or further information, please contact Andy, the Chairman. Contact No-7722523798 (only Text)

Calling Care Homes in the London area
The British Museums is inviting Care Home residents to their Age Friendly Museums Day on Sunday 9th October 2016 for a brilliant day at the museum. Do let Jane Turner know if your care home would like to be involved: jturner@britishmuseum.org

Healthwatch Camden Board Meeting in Public
Monday 27th June 2016, 3.45pm – 5.30pm.
Arlington Conference Centre, 220 Arlington Road, London NW1
The meeting will be preceded by a feedback session on our report ‘Access to GP services for people with communication support needs: Experiences of local people’ from 2.00pm to 3.15pm. Participants from the feedback session are welcome to stay for the board meeting.
For more information about attending this session please contact victoria.armitage@healthwatchcamden.co.uk
Please RSVP to E: info@healthwatchcamden.co.uk / Tel: 020 7284 6586 by Friday 24th June 2016

Invitation to Community Inquiry to support the Camden & Islington Stop Smoking Service provision review
Tuesday 5 July 2016, 9.15am registration, 9.45am start, 1.30pm finish including lunch
Conference Room, Laycock Professional Development Centre, Laycock Street, London , N1 1TH
Camden and Islington Public Health would like to invite you to a half day Community Inquiry to explore and discuss the best course of action for the development and implementation of an effective Stop Smoking Service provision across Camden & Islington.
The aim of the exploratory dialogue is to enable people to play a greater role in shaping the discussion. With this in mind members of the public will also be invited to take part in the deliberative dialogue, giving key stakeholders and citizens an equal opportunity to think together, listen deeply to other points of view, explore new ideas and perspectives and search for points of agreement.
To confirm your attendance to the Community Inquiry please email greer.mulcaheybanks@healthierfutures.org by Thursday 30th June.

Charity Meetup No.6 – Future Funding
The theme will be around Funding for the Future and we will be inviting charities an social enterprises to share what has worked for them. We will have a panel of experts, activities, group discussions and networking.
Expert Panel: a panel of 4 experts from the social enterprise and charity sector on the future of fundraising. They will then take questions from the audience.
14th July, 6 – 8pm, at the Impact Hub King’s Cross, 34b York Way, N1 9AB
Tickets and more information available online here.

Invitation to the rehearsed reading of the new play in collaboration with Mothertongue: Triangles
14th July 2016 (London) and 18th July 2016 (Reading)
A new play about the musical chairs of triangular relationships,
They don’t speak the language. They need help. Someone has to interpret for them. And the stakes are high if it isn’t their story that gets told.
Please let us know that you are coming as we have limited seating and we want to make sure you have a seat reserved for you. Let us know if you want a seat in London or in Reading by emailing Kim on kim@mothertongue.org.uk

Camden Peer Mentoring Project with Voiceability
We are a mental health peer mentoring service running across Camden, offering people with mental health difficulties the chance to work with someone who has first-hand experience of what they face.
Peer mentors help others to reach clear short-term goals and support them to integrate into the wider community
Also, if you know someone interested in becoming a Peer Mentor we are still receiving referrals for new volunteers. If they have a Camden connection, have personal experience of mental health difficulties and want to give something back, VoiceAbility offers training, support and reimbursement for their time.
For more information contact Lucia at VoiceAbility on 020 3355 7113 or email Camden.peermentoring@voiceability.org

Sensory Needs Forum Meeting
How well is the Forum working? Tell us what you think?
29th June, 2.30 – 4.30pm
Charlie Ratchford Centre, Belmont Street, London NW1 8HF
There will be BSL interpreters and a Speech-To-Text reporter
We can arrange transport – Contact David Robinson
Telephone: 020 7974 4239 Mobile: 0791 755 9419 sms text only

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Clean Break, Ageing Better in Camden, Kentish Town Community Centre, Philological Foundation, Camden Carers Centre, Nafsiyat, Abbey Community Centre and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

 

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Soup Camden
• Would you like to make more connections in the Camden community?
• Are you working on a project that would benefit from some extra funding?
• Would you enjoy an evening of local food and arts entertainment?
Then join us at Camden Hub (8 Fairhazel Gardens, NW6 3SG) on Wednesday 13th July from 6.30pm – 9pm for Camden SOUP.
SOUP is a micro-granting dinner which celebrates and supports local community projects, artists and entrepreneurs in and around Camden. For a donation of £3.50 on the door, attendees will enjoy a hot meal, connect with other members of their community, and hear pitches from individuals/ organisations who are looking for funding, before voting on which idea the money raised from the evening should go to.
For more information, or to request a proposal form to be in with the chance of raising money for your project, please contact Abigail on 02072784437 or Abigail.darton@hcct.org.uk

The Edge Fund is open for applications – Deadline 3rd July
Supporting grass roots groups for justice and equality
Summer is nearly upon us, and we have just opened a new funding round. In Round 5 we awarded about £40,000 to 30 groups, and this summer we are looking forward to helping support even more groups fighting for social change.
Find out how to apply here.
There are loads of great groups and projects out there, but we don’t always hear about them, please help us spread the word by letting people know in your networks.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Scams: Prevalence and Prevention
Thursday 30th June, 2016. 11:00 start (followed by a sandwich lunch)
At Age UK London, 1st Floor, 21 St Georges Road, London, SE1 6ES
Reviewing some of the statistics of scam prevalence and victim-demographics, this workshop will also provide the opportunity for attendees to discuss their experiences and talk about what can be done moving forward with a representative from the Metropolitan Police.
Anyone interested should email Ben Donovan directly on bdonovan@ageuklondon.org.uk.

Reclaim our Spaces, Saturday 25th June 9.30 – 4.30
The Ubele Initiative – Just Space – Spark
Our lives are shaped by the spaces in which we live. When we give away important community space for another transient pop-up cafe or block of luxury flats, we give away part of our lives. We give away London’s cultural and community history. The planning system is not currently equipped with the policies required to protect these spaces and London’s skyrocketing land values are used as a trump card against arguments for competing uses. As a result we have lost many spaces and others are coming under increasing threat.
Together we can change the status quo. We can better influence a planning system to connect it to people’s lives and livelihoods, instead of it threatening the very spaces which give rise to London’s diverse communities. Free event, everyone is welcome.
Conway Hall – 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL. Book at Eventbrite

I haven’t seen that in the Karma Sutra! Sex and disability
Thursday 7 July 2016, 7pm (following a drinks reception at 6pm)
With Prof Tom Shakespeare (Norwich Medical School) at Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ
In 1996, Tom Shakespeare worked with two colleagues to research and write a book called The Sexual Politics of Disability. They talked to 44 disabled people about their gender and sexuality, their self-image, their experiences of sex and love, and what they felt needed to change to enable them to participate fully in the world of relationships. Twenty years on, Tom and his colleagues have revisited some of these original participants to find out where they are now. Older, franker, and perhaps wiser, their reflections help us understand the extent to which disabled sexuality is still taboo, and what we need to do to enable disabled people to achieve intimacy on the same basis as others.
The lecture is free to attend but places must be booked in advance.
For further information call 01603 591926 or email events@uea.ac.uk
Further details and booking link: https://www.uea.ac.uk/events/-/uea-london-lecture-sex-and-disability

June Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum
Join VCC at the next volunteer coordinators’ forum to share top tips for how to deal with tricky situations with volunteers.
Tuesday 28th June, 11am-1.30pm at West Euston Partnership
You will also have the chance to ask any other volunteer management best practice queries you may have. And to meet other volunteer managers in Camden. Fantastic!
For more details, and to book your FREE place go to Eventbrite.

The Camden Sensory Needs Forum
• A forum for blind and partially sighted residents and residents who are d/Deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing.
• A forum for family carers of people with sensory needs in Camden.
• A forum that gives you direct links to Camden councillors as well as links to Council staff and staff from local health organisations.
• A forum to discuss services that matter to you
• The venue and meeting are fully accessible. British Sign language interpreters and a Speech to Text Reporter provided.
Next meeting: Chaired by Councillor Larraine Revah 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm 29 June
at Charlie Ratchford Centre, Belmont Street NW1 8HF (map below)
Agenda item: How well is the Forum working? Tell us what you think?
For transport to help you attend please contact: David Robinson at Camden Council:
phone: 020 7974 4239 mobile: 0791 755 9419 sms text only

Kingsgate Workshops Open Studios Weekend
25th and 26th June noon – 6pm
Arts and crafts direct sale. Creative workshops. Delicious food. www.kingsgateworkshops.org.uk

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

An introduction to intergenerational working
An intensive one-day training session ideal for people who would like to organise activities or projects which bring together older and younger people, improve their intergenerational practice or make their organisation or service more age-inclusive.
The day is for anyone who would like to organise intergenerational events or improve their organisation’s intergenerational practice. The session is free of charge and open to anyone living, working, studying or volunteering in the London Borough of Camden.
The training will examine why intergenerational and age-friendly thinking is important, how to choose activities, how to prepare older and younger people to meet each other, how to plan and resource a project and how to build safe, creative and sustainable projects.
Tuesday 12 July 2016 9.45am – 4.45pm at Argenta House, Aspern Grove, Belsize Park, London NW3
For further information or to book a place, contact: vanda.carter@camden.gov.uk / 020 7974 2810

Moneytalk Camden North – subsidised Financial Education Facilitator Training Course, 12/13 July or 3 & 10 November
Moneytalk Camden North is a new project based on the award winning financial literacy resource Made of Money, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills.
Moneytalk Camden North takes a different and innovative approach to financial literacy: it works holistically- with the whole person and the whole household. The resources aim to build confidence, resilience and help people identify their own values, attitudes and emotions around money, as well as covering basics like budgeting, borrowing and debt. We recognise that unless people’s own situations are explored and confidence is increased, behaviour will not change long–term. The resources are all provided, fully reusable, fun and informative- so it hardly feels like you are doing money training. We will train you to use the resources and approach to support your own client groups.
12th & 13th July and 3rd & 10th November click here to find out more and download a booking form.
Contact: mtcn@qsa.org.uk tel: 020 8983 5047

Recovery College – places still available
Recovery College courses started on Monday 18 April and term runs until 20 July. The Summer term course guide is online at www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege and courses are filling fast.
Please encourage colleagues and service-users to enrol now for courses in June and July so they don’t miss out on a place.
Mon 27 June: Money Goal Getting
See our course guide at for many more available courses throughout June and July.
Contact us on 020 3317 6904 or via recovery.college@candi.nhs.uk if you would like more copies of the Recovery College course guide for your service users.
Open Monday-Friday 10am to 4pm (closed for lunch 1-1.30) so feel free to drop in.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Clean Break is recruiting a new Head of Operations and Locum Theatre Education Manager
We are looking for a woman with a strong professional track record in people and buildings management in the charity or cultural sector who can lead the operational delivery of our programmes and our studios in Kentish Town. At Clean Break we are committed to changing the lives of women affected by the criminal justice system through theatre. We hope you will be motivated to join us – an award-winning theatre company working at the forefront of social, political and cultural change.
The post is open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1). This is a Genuine Occupational Qualification. Applications are actively encouraged from black and minority ethnic women who are under-represented in senior levels in the organisation. Applicants who state they are ex-offenders or are disabled, who meet the essential person specification, will be guaranteed an interview.
Clean Break is recruiting a Locum Theatre Education Manager to cover the current post-holders sabbatical September – December 2016.
28 hrs (negotiable) North London, salary: £33k (pro rata) plus benefits.
Application deadline: Wednesday 29 June. More details at the website.

Ageing Better in Camden Local Evaluation
Interested in helping to develop a much better understanding about what helps and what gets in the way of older Camden residents feeling less isolated and lonely? If you are, this could be the role for you. We are looking for people with a range of skills and experiences, including analysing data, interviewing people or you may have local knowledge of the area which you can bring to the team.
The time you commit to the role is up to you. The exact nature of the Community Evaluator role will depend on your individual interests, skills and availability. We expect CE’s to be involved in some of the following activities; Face-to-face interviews or focus groups Telephone discussions with people using the Ageing Better in Camden projects Desk-based research, Data analysis and interpretation. We will welcome whatever people have to offer and, as a volunteer, any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in becoming a community evaluator and would like to find out more, please contact the project administrator Becky: Becky.Strike@ndti.org.uk or call 01225 789135 and she will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively you can visit www.ndti.org.uk

KTCC is recruiting for a Centre Coordinator
We are a lively, local resource providing services and activities to an area with considerable ethnic and cultural diversity, marked by pockets of social and economic deprivation and health inequalities. KTCC aims to “connect and inspire Kentish Town”, working with local organisations and residents to improve the quality of life in the local community.
We are looking for a motivated and pro-active Centre Coordinator to oversee operational tasks and communications at the centre, to start as soon as possible.
Please visit http://bit.ly/28LyO6g for full details. Deadline is Monday 4th July 9am.

Grant-making trust seeks administrative support
The Philological Foundation (charity no. 312692) is an educational charity established in 1982 distributing grants to individuals and schools in the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. The Foundation has an average income of income of £45,000 a year which it distributes to state-funded schools and to individuals under 26 years of age who are or have been pupils at a secondary school in the City of Westminster or London Borough of Camden.
Organisations, charitable bodies or individuals with appropriate skills and experience that are interested in handling the administrative affairs of the Foundation, and supporting and advising the trustees, are invited to contact the Chair, Clio Whittaker, for an informal discussion: clio@pattypan.com or 07884 265 518

Camden Carers Centre is recruiting to Two Posts
Health Promotion Officer
21 hours per week, £28,704 pro-rata (FTC until 31st March 2017).
Health Team Manager
18 hours per week, £30,450 pro-rata (maternity cover up until 31st March 2017).
For more information about either job please contact health@camdencarers.org.uk or ring 020 7428 8950.
The closing date for applications for both jobs is 4th July 2016. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted no later than the 8th July 2016.
To obtain job packs (for either job) please go to: http://www.camdencs.org.uk/get-involved

Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre seeks Community Link Worker
Unit 4 Clifton House, Clifton Terrace, London N4 3JP
Hours: Two days per week (regular days to be negotiated – Friday is preferable)
Pay: £19,500 – £22,000 pro-rata (depending on experience)
The duties of this post constitutes ‘Regulated activity’ in accordance with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and subject to an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and ‘barred list ‘ check.
Full detials from adam@nafsiyat.org.uk, Tel: 02072636947 web: www.nafsiyat.org.uk
To apply for the position: Please email your CV and a covering letter detailing how you meet this role to recruitment@nafsiyat.org.uk by 5pm on Monday 4th July 2016.

Abbey Community Centre seeds Activities Coordinator
Are you looking for a rewarding part time varied hands-on people-facing role in a small community charity? Where you’ll make a difference and be appreciated for doing so? This could be your opportunity!
Activities Coordinator (CHAPS Project), actual salary £15,124 for 21 hours a week
6 weeks holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rata)
CHAPS is our community’s centre’s time, skills, activities, interests, talents, and help sharing exchange for men over 50 living in or within easy reach of Kilburn, North West London.
CHAPS is a unique community project and we’re looking for a unique person to become its new Coordinator.
We’re happy to consider applications from people who have not done this sort of job before but who can convincingly demonstrate that they have the necessary abilities and enthusiasm.
Deadline for applications is Monday 4th July 2016, 10am. For short listed applicants, interviews will be held on Monday 11th July 2016.
Please note no CVs. To apply please see the jobs section of our website: www.abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Deaf Achieve
This is a Big Lottery funded project that will continue to deliver free workshops, health groups, job clubs, travel groups, financial capability training and one to one support until 2018. The end of February saw the completion of our first year. We are now well into our second year. These are for the deaf community, aged 18-65, living in any of the London boroughs. If want to know more information about Deaf Achieve please contact: deafachieve2@royaldeaf.org.uk

Volunteering with Voluntary and Community organisations in Camden
Camden Council aims to support volunteering across the borough as effectively as possible. To this end we’re undertaking a short survey that aims to find out what organisations are already doing and what – if anything – would best help them to recruit, support and retain volunteers in future. We will use this information to improve the support we offer. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and is confidential.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=146367278419
Please return the completed survey by Friday 8 July 2016 – many thanks.
If you would like to know more about volunteering in Camden or have any queries about the survey please contact Frances Connelly on 020 7974 6457 or email frances.connelly@camden.gov.uk

Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services.
Anyone over the age of 16 who has used Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust mental health services at a hospital or special mental health ward, or at a community based service, Community Recovery Service, Home Treatment Team, Homeless Outreach Team etc. Parents/carers are also invited to take part.
~ Complete an online survey and have the option to provide your name and contact details to be entered into a prize draw for a £20 shopping vouchers: https://consultations.wearecamden.org/public-health/mental-health-scrutiny-panel-cift-services
~ Take part in one of four group discussions in early June and receive a £10 shopping voucher for your time.
If you would like to take part or have any questions about this work, please contact Mubasshir Ajaz, Public Health, 020 7527 1261 or mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.

Refugee Week and Bike Week; 10th Ride All Around Camden; Sex and disability; Deaf Awareness Day; Somers Town: What Future? Volunteering Survey; Housing for all? Charity Meetup No.6 – Future Funding; Advanced Carbon Footprinting Workshop; Reclaim our Spaces; Deaf Achieve; Life Experiences Through Dance; + jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

It’s Refugee Week 2016. See article below for details of the launch event at the Southbank. Refugee Week resources are available online for your Refugee Week events. Camden Refugee Aid is a local organisation connecting supporters across the borough. Camden Council have a statement of support for Syrian refugees on their website and also have a web page of contacts in the borough. VAC have a directory listing of organisations that support refugees. The largest directory of resources and information on the Calais refugee camp is at www.calaidipedia.co.uk

It’s Bike Week and Refugee Week 2016 – see below for events

Refugee Week
Refugee Week launches in London on 19 June at the Southbank Centre as part of their world famous Meltdown festival. Under the heading of Refugees Welcome, there will be an entire day of free activity in collaboration with Refugee Week partners. Musicians, poets and dancers will pop­-up across the site, and the marketplace will host activities and craft workshops in a day produced in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts.
The activity will culminate in The Boat We’re In, a free concert with Meltdown Director Guy Garvey, Mercury Prize nominated folk singer Nick Mulvey, Radio 6 Music favourite Nadine Shah, northern soul singer Josephine Oniyama and the Southbank Sinfonia amongst the performers.
Across the Royal Festival Hall there will be small boats installed as part of a project working with refugee communities.
Full details: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/refugee-week-at-southbank-centre

Welcoming Refugees: a wider community response
How host society responses can impact the mental health of refugees
Wednesday 29th June 6.30pm – 8.30pm Entrance is free and open to all.
Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, London, NW3 5BA
Guest speaker: After 10 years as an editorial photographer in the fashion and music industries Giles Duley now focuses his work on humanitarian projects. Although documenting challenging, and at times, horrific situations, Duley captures the
strength of those who fight their adversity rather than succumb.
An expert panel discussion will follow Mr Duley’s presentation. Renos Papadopolous (Centre for Trauma, Asylum and Refugees); Gillian Hughes (Tavistock Centre) and Sarah-Jane Savage (UNHCR). Register online here

Camden Cyclists – 10th Ride All Around Camden
A free, fun, easy-paced bike ride to celebrate the Borough of Camden’s many fascinating places. Starting at Camden Town Hall, Bidborough Street, WC1H
19th Jun 2016 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
This is a friendly, easy-paced bike ride that covers 18 or 22 miles and gives you the chance to enjoy some of Camden’s wonderful sights and scenery. We visit every ward on Camden’s boundary, then cycle through the central wards and finish at Hampstead Old Town Hall. We break in Golders Hill Park, where you can buy lunch, or bring a picnic.
The ride will be marshalled by Camden Cyclists and Camden cycling instructors, and riders will be accompanied by Camden police officers. The ride is free and you do not need to register – simply turn up on the day with your bike!

I haven’t seen that in the Karma Sutra! Sex and disability
Thursday 7 July 2016, 7pm (following a drinks reception at 6pm)
With Prof Tom Shakespeare (Norwich Medical School) at Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ
In 1996, Tom Shakespeare worked with two colleagues to research and write a book called The Sexual Politics of Disability. They talked to 44 disabled people about their gender and sexuality, their self-image, their experiences of sex and love, and what they felt needed to change to enable them to participate fully in the world of relationships. Twenty years on, Tom and his colleagues have revisited some of these original participants to find out where they are now. Older, franker, and perhaps wiser, their reflections help us understand the extent to which disabled sexuality is still taboo, and what we need to do to enable disabled people to achieve intimacy on the same basis as others.
The lecture is free to attend but places must be booked in advance.
For further information call 01603 591926 or email events@uea.ac.uk
Further details and booking link: https://www.uea.ac.uk/events/-/uea-london-lecture-sex-and-disability

Camden Deaf Group Invite you to Deaf Awareness Day
“Have you ever wondered what does Deaf Awareness mean for you?”
Tuesday, 28th June 2016 11.00am – 1.00pm
Wellington Close TRA, Willingham TRA Hall, Willingham Terrace, Leighton Road, NW5 2UY Free Refreshment
If you are interested in attending or further information, please contact Andy, the Chairman. Contact No-7722523798 (only Text)

Somers Town: What Future? On Today and Saturday 18 June
Organized by: Somers Town Neighbourhood Forum, Diana Foster and T.A.S
Chalton Gallery, 96 Chalton Street, NW1 1HJ
For decades Somers Town has been known for its innovative social housing. But suddenly its land has become subject to the dual pressures of vast infrastructure projects and the fashion for “intensification”. Somers Town: What future? invites you to come and learn more about the story of a community fighting for its identity, vitality and sanity in the 21st century. More information at London Architecture Diary

Volunteering with Voluntary and Community organisations in Camden
Camden Council aims to support volunteering across the borough as effectively as possible. To this end we’re undertaking a short survey that aims to find out what organisations are already doing and what – if anything – would best help them to recruit, support and retain volunteers in future. We will use this information to improve the support we offer. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and is confidential.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=146367278419
Please return the completed survey by Friday 8 July 2016 – many thanks.
If you would like to know more about volunteering in Camden or have any queries about the survey please contact Frances Connelly on 020 7974 6457 or email frances.connelly@camden.gov.uk

Housing for all?
Wednesday, 22nd June 2016 – 10.30am to 4.00pm at The Open University, 1-11 Hawley Crescent, London, NW1 8NP
This workshop will provide an opportunity:
~ to hear a position paper on the work undertaken so far
~ to contribute to strategic discussion about strategic housing policy, social inequality, options in later life and ‘intergenerational justice’
~ to share experiences of home-life, public involvement, policy development and campaigning and relate them to course design.
Keynote speaker: Michael Edwards, Teaching Fellow , Bartlett School of Planning, University College, London
To register contact Caroline Holland caroline.holland@open.ac.uk, Jonathan Hughes jonathan.hughes@open.ac.uk. Or John Miles johnmiles68@yahoo.co.uk.

Charity Meetup No.6 – Future Funding
The theme will be around Funding for the Future and we will be inviting charities an social enterprises to share what has worked for them. We will have a panel of experts, activities, group discussions and networking.
Expert Panel: a panel of 4 experts from the social enterprise and charity sector on the future of fundraising. They will then take questions from the audience.
At the Impact Hub King’s Cross, 34b York Way, King’s Cross, London, N1 9AB
Tickets and more information available online here.

Torriano Meeting House – A Wave of Dreams by Louis Aragon
Tuesday 28 June 7.30. A Wave of Dreams by Louis Aragon with spoken word from Alex Walker and music from Tymon Dogg and Alex Thomas. Special guest performance by Parisian chanteur Thomas Baigneres. Pay what you can.
10 June, 2016 at 2:30 pm http://wp.me/p1TZkl-io

Camden Climate Change Alliance – Advanced Carbon Footprinting Workshop
Join carbon footprint experts to build on your environmental reporting skills and expertise. Quantifying your footprint can help you win contracts, attract new customers, save you money on your energy bills, increase employee productivity and more!
This half day workshop will help CCCA and ISEP members accurately calculate their organisations’ carbon footprint across all scopes emissions.
Thursday, 14 July 2016 from 13:30 to 17:00 at Wellcome Trust – Gibbs Building 215 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE. Tickets available on Eventbrite

Reclaim our Spaces, Saturday 25th June 9.30 – 4.30
The Ubele Initiative – Just Space – Spark
Our lives are shaped by the spaces in which we live. When we give away important community space for another transient pop-up cafe or block of luxury flats, we give away part of our lives. We give away London’s cultural and community history. The planning system is not currently equipped with the policies required to protect these spaces and London’s skyrocketing land values are used as a trump card against arguments for competing uses. As a result we have lost many spaces and others are coming under increasing threat.
It doesn’t have to be this way. On Sat 25th June we aim to start building a coalition as well as celebrating the diversity of movements and campaigns across London, learning from successful campaigns and mistakes.
Together we can change the status quo. We can better influence a planning system to connect it to people’s lives and livelihoods, instead of it threatening the very spaces which give rise to London’s diverse communities. Free event, everyone is welcome.
Conway Hall – 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL. Book at Eventbrite

Deaf Achieve
This is a Big Lottery funded project that will continue to deliver free workshops, health groups, job clubs, travel groups, financial capability training and one to one support until 2018. The end of February saw the completion of our first year. We are now well into our second year. These are for the deaf community, aged 18-65, living in any of the London boroughs. If want to know more information about Deaf Achieve please contact: deafachieve2@royaldeaf.org.uk.

Seize the Day: Life Experiences Through Dance
An art-science dance performance that explores stories of an unexpected disease diagnosis and how it changes person’s perspective. The dance shares a journey through diagnosis, challenges, triumphs and hope.
The evening performance is a collaboration between Movement for Hope, UCL (Neuroscience) and Tanztheater Adrian Look. After the dance, there will be a question & answer session with researchers, dancers and patient-advocates.
Tuesday 21st June 2016, 7.30pm at Bloomsbury Studio Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AH
Booking: https://www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/15105

Free training, outings and events for unpaid carers in Camden
For a full list of events of carers in Camden please visit the Camden Carers website.

Healthwatch Camden
Latest Information DIgest is on the Healthwatch Camden website.
Catch up with the latest Camden news and what’s happening on Our Blog

The Camden Capacity Building Bulletin is produced monthly, targeting the community and voluntary sector in Camden. It provides up to date/recently live information and news on funding and training. To access the latest information please follow the Link www.camden.gov.uk/cbbulletin

Abbey Community Centre, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, Littlehaven Nursery, Fitzrovia Chapel, and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

Camden Shares. The website for exchanges in Camden. www.camdenshares.org.uk

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Six principles for engaging people and communities
The six principles were developed by the People and Communities Board, in conjunction with the new models of care ‘vanguards’ sites, to give practical support to services as they deliver the ‘new relationship with people and communities;’ set out in the Five Year Forward View.
These ‘six principles’ set out the basis of good person centred, community focused health and care.
The six principles require that:
1 Care and support is person-centred: personalised, coordinated, and empowering
2 Services are created in partnership with citizens and communities
3 Focus is on equality and narrowing inequalities
4 Carers are identified, supported and involved
5 Voluntary, community and social enterprise and housing sectors are involved as key partners and enablers
6 Volunteering and social action are recognised as key enablers
Full details at the National Voices website.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Deutsche Bank Small Grants Fund
If you are a charity, voluntary or community group with an income of less than £250,000 per annum and you need funding for work focusing on increasing social inclusion and improving well being, this fund may be able to help.
The focus of the Small Grants Fund is to help society’s most disadvantaged and communities on the ground.
Projects may fall into any of the following areas:
~ Projects that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation and disadvantage and improve access to services;
~ Projects that advance people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety
~ Projects that maximize people’s ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
The maximum grant size is £5,000. The application is online here.

Soup Camden
• Would you like to make more connections in the Camden community?
• Are you working on a project that would benefit from some extra funding?
• Would you enjoy an evening of local food and arts entertainment?
Then join us at Camden Hub (8 Fairhazel Gardens, NW6 3SG) on Wednesday 13th July from 6.30pm – 9pm for Camden SOUP.
SOUP is a micro-granting dinner which celebrates and supports local community projects, artists and entrepreneurs in and around Camden. For a donation of £3.50 on the door, attendees will enjoy a hot meal, connect with other members of their community, and hear pitches from individuals/ organisations who are looking for funding, before voting on which idea the money raised from the evening should go to.
For more information, or to request a proposal form to be in with the chance of raising money for your project, please contact Abigail on 02072784437 or Abigail.darton@hcct.org.uk

The Edge Fund is open for applications
Supporting grass roots groups for justice and equality
Summer is nearly upon us, and we have just opened a new funding round. In Round 5 we awarded about £40,000 to 30 groups, and this summer we are looking forward to helping support even more groups fighting for social change.
Find out how to apply here.
There are loads of great groups and projects out there, but we don’t always hear about them, please help us spread the word by letting people know in your networks.

Don’t forget to sign up to Funding Central for free email funding alerts. Go to www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Click on the course you are interested in and follow the instructions to book your place and pay by card (if applicable). The charge for our Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses is heavily subsidised at only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. If you have any queries, please contact us on our team email address: mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

VAC has a programme of courses coming up: Click here to find out more. All courses are £25 for members (unless otherwise stated).

Two Courses Aimed at Older People
Free resources online with AnDigital volunteers
Friday 24th June 10.30am until 12.30pm with lunch
Taking place at: AnDigital, Golden Cross House, 8 Duncannon Street, London, WC2N 4JF (near Trafalgar Square)
To register for this event please fill in your details on this eventbrite link https://andigital.eventbrite.co.uk
Digital Democracy – ensuring the voices of older Londoners with visual impairments are heard online
Thursday 30th June
Age UK London in partnership with East London Vision & Pocklington Trust
Taking place at: Pocklington Trust, 49-51 East Rd, London N1 6AH (near Old Street roundabout)
To register for this event and receive full details, email stynan@ageuklondon.org.uk or call Sharon Tynan at Age UK London on 0207 820 6776

June Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum
Join VCC at the next volunteer coordinators’ forum to share top tips for how to deal with tricky situations with volunteers.
Tuesday 28th June, 11am-1.30pm at West Euston Partnership
You will also have the chance to ask any other volunteer management best practice queries you may have. And to meet other volunteer managers in Camden. Fantastic!
For more details, and to book your FREE place go to Eventbrite.

Stand Up for Women
Camden Comedy Club – Raising Funds for Solace Women’s Aid.
Over the span of two weeks, there are five nights with over 50 funny women helping to fundraise for Solace Women’s Aid. The charity exists to bring to an end the harm done through domestic and sexual violence to all survivors and in particular women and children.
On the 27th June 2016 at Camden Comedy Club, a stellar all female line up will grace the stage to stand up against domestic violence and abuse. Full details here.
Tickets available via designmynight – £7.00
https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/comedy/stand-up-4-women-camden?t=tickets £10 on the door

The Camden Sensory Needs Forum
• A forum for blind and partially sighted residents and residents who are d/Deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing.
• A forum for family carers of people with sensory needs in Camden.
• A forum that gives you direct links to Camden councillors as well as links to Council staff and staff from local health organisations.
• A forum to discuss services that matter to you
• The venue and meeting are fully accessible. British Sign language interpreters and a Speech to Text Reporter provided.
Next meeting: Chaired by Councillor Larraine Revah 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm 29 June
at Charlie Ratchford Centre, Belmont Street NW1 8HF (map below)
Agenda item: How well is the Forum working? Tell us what you think?
For transport to help you attend please contact: David Robinson at Camden Council:
phone: 020 7974 4239 mobile: 0791 755 9419 sms text only

Kingsgate Workshops Open Studios Weekend
25th and 26th June noon – 6pm
Arts and crafts direct sale. Creative workshops. Delicious food. www.kingsgateworkshops.org.uk

Memory Cafes
Millman Street Memory Cafe, 3rd Monday of the month, 3-5pm. Tel: 020 7561 4820
Maitland Part Memory Cafe, 1st Wednesday of the month, 11am – 1pm. Tel020 7561 4820.

Rebetiko Carnival
In June 2016 the Rebetiko Carnival, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe is landing on the shores of the UK. The traditional music of Greece and Asia minor will be resounding through the streets of many of the major cities of the UK with the heart of the festival in Camden. Concerts, seminars, workshops, education work, outreach work, instrument exhibitions, Shadow Puppet theatre and new texts narrating the dramatic history of this music with live performance. All this will brought here by many of the greatest musicians from Greece as well as the best UK based bands.
The venues include Camden’s very own The Green Note as well as The Vortex, King’s Place, The Forge, the Hellenic Centre (London) etc. See Rebetiko Carnaval

An introduction to intergenerational working
An intensive one-day training session ideal for people who would like to organise activities or projects which bring together older and younger people, improve their intergenerational practice or make their organisation or service more age-inclusive.
The day is for anyone who would like to organise intergenerational events or improve their organisation’s intergenerational practice. The session is free of charge and open to anyone living, working, studying or volunteering in the London Borough of Camden.
The training will examine why intergenerational and age-friendly thinking is important, how to choose activities, how to prepare older and younger people to meet each other, how to plan and resource a project and how to build safe, creative and sustainable projects.
Tuesday 12 July 2016 9.45am – 4.45pm at Argenta House, Aspern Grove, Belsize Park, London NW3
For further information or to book a place, contact: vanda.carter@camden.gov.uk / 020 7974 2810

Moneytalk Camden North – subsidised Financial Education Facilitator Training Course, 12/13 July or 3 & 10 November
Moneytalk Camden North is a new project based on the award winning financial literacy resource Made of Money, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills.
Moneytalk Camden North takes a different and innovative approach to financial literacy: it works holistically- with the whole person and the whole household. The resources aim to build confidence, resilience and help people identify their own values, attitudes and emotions around money, as well as covering basics like budgeting, borrowing and debt. We recognise that unless people’s own situations are explored and confidence is increased, behaviour will not change long–term. The resources are all provided, fully reusable, fun and informative- so it hardly feels like you are doing money training. We will train you to use the resources and approach to support your own client groups.
12th & 13th July and 3rd & 10th November click here to find out more and download a booking form.
Contact: mtcn@qsa.org.uk tel: 020 8983 5047

Recovery College – places still available
Recovery College courses started on Monday 18 April and term runs until 20 July. The Summer term course guide is online at www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege and courses are filling fast.
Please encourage colleagues and service-users to enrol now for courses in May, June and July so they don’t miss out on a place.
Friday 24 June: The Powers of the Nearest Relative
Mon 27 June: Money Goal Getting
See our course guide at for many more available courses throughout June and July.
Contact us on 020 3317 6904 or via recovery.college@candi.nhs.uk if you would like more copies of the Recovery College course guide for your service users.
Open Monday-Friday 10am to 4pm (closed for lunch 1-1.30) so feel free to drop in.

London for All
London for All / LVSC have a full programme of courses available for the voluntary sector. Go to the London for All website for full details.

Camden Carers’ Service
Has a full range of events and activities for unpaid carers in Camden. Find out more on the Camden Carers’ Service website www.camdencs.org.uk/activities

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Abbey Community Centre seeds Activities Coordinator
Are you looking for a rewarding part time varied hands-on people-facing role in a small community charity? Where you’ll make a difference and be appreciated for doing so? This could be your opportunity!
Activities Coordinator (CHAPS Project), actual salary £15,124 for 21 hours a week
6 weeks holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rata)
CHAPS is our community’s centre’s time, skills, activities, interests, talents, and help sharing exchange for men over 50 living in or within easy reach of Kilburn, North West London.
CHAPS is a unique community project and we’re looking for a unique person to become its new Coordinator.
We’re happy to consider applications from people who have not done this sort of job before but who can convincingly demonstrate that they have the necessary abilities and enthusiasm.
Deadline for applications is Monday 4th July 2016, 10am. For short listed applicants, interviews will be held on Monday 11th July 2016.
Please note no CVs. To apply please see the jobs section of our website: www.abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk

Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust seek 3 Community Navigators
Based at St Pancras Hospital (CDAT Team), London
Salary: £23,375 to £26,949 pa pro rata incl HCAS
C&I has worked closely with current service users and Trust staff to create a set of shared values that make sure people who use the Trust’s services get the best possible chance of a rapid recovery. We expect every member of staff to embed these values in everything they do to drive up the standards of care across the Trust. For people who use C&I‘s services, these values mean that they can be assured that through their journey to recovery they will be guaranteed. See website for details.
Interviews will be held on Friday 1st July 2016.
For further information or an informal discussion about these posts, please contact: Ms Kate Fullarton Tel: 020 7679 9051 e-mail: k.fullarton@ucl.ac.uk

The Littlehaven Nursery Manager
The Littlehaven Nursery is looking for an exceptional Nursery Manager to launch our brand new community nursery in the heart of Camden Lock. If you are a qualified, enterprising, dynamic Nursery Manager then you’re just the person we’re looking for.
Do you have what it takes to build an outstanding, professional and caring Early Year’s Practitioners team?
The Littlehaven Nursery will offer the best of both worlds: A brand new custom-designed facility with outstanding outdoor space – one of the largest in the area in the setting of a trusted, established & local organisation with an award winning 30 year track record. 100% of the profits from The Littlehaven Nursery social enterprise go into supporting the Castlehaven Community Association registered charity, which delivers a range of services to local residents and maintains the local park.
Salary: £30K – £36K (depending on experience) + pension + other staff benefits.
Closing Date: Fri 24th June 2016 Interviews Fri 1st July 2016
Go to the http://www.castlehaven.org.uk/ & find out more in the latest news section
For information call us on 020 7485 3386 skypec2c://r/204020 7485 3386 or email shay@castlehaven.org.uk web: www.thelittlehavennursery.com

Fitzrovia Chapel (a new secular venue)
Director, Salary: £35,000 – £38,000 pro rata
Part-time – Flexible hours minimum 2 days/week or full time or job share (if combined with General Manager post)
The Fitzrovia Chapel Foundation is a new charitable trust, created to ensure a strong future for the beautifully restored Grade II* listed Fitzrovia Chapel, a unique space with historic links to science and medicine. The Chapel will be a new cultural venue in Central London and will operate as a secular building.
The Trustees are seeking a Director with the energy and vision to develop a cultural programme suited to this unique space and to be in overall control of the venue. This is a brand new post and thus provides a rare opportunity for the successful candidate to mold the role and demonstrate their creative and managerial abilities.
General Manager Salary: £30,000 – 32,000 pro rata
Part-time – Flexible hours minimum 3 days/week or full time or job share (if combined with Director post)
We are seeking an experienced General Manager who is organized and methodical, and capable of setting up the range of systems needed to ensure the smooth and safe use of the building as a venue for both private hire and for a public programme of performances, lectures and exhibitions. This is a new post, and provides an opportunity to be integral to the success of a new venture.
For more information and details on how to apply please visit our website
http://fitzroviachapel.co.uk/jobs/
Closing date: 10.00 am Monday 20th June
Interviews: 18th and 20th July

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Share your experiences of the mental health services provided by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Your views are really valuable and will help to develop local services.
Anyone over the age of 16 who has used Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust mental health services at a hospital or special mental health ward, or at a community based service, Community Recovery Service, Home Treatment Team, Homeless Outreach Team etc. Parents/carers are also invited to take part.
~ Complete an online survey and have the option to provide your name and contact details to be entered into a prize draw for a £20 shopping vouchers: https://consultations.wearecamden.org/public-health/mental-health-scrutiny-panel-cift-services
~ Take part in one of four group discussions in early June and receive a £10 shopping voucher for your time.
If you would like to take part or have any questions about this work, please contact Mubasshir Ajaz, Public Health, 020 7527 1261 or mubasshir.ajaz@camden.gov.uk

Team UP at Volunteer Centre Camden
Volunteer Centre Camden now has three days a week devoted to helping businesses support Camden organisations. (This support is generally in the form of time/energy/skills/connections rather than pure cash.)
If you have a ready-made opportunity/you regularly host corporate volunteering team day out challenges, please let me know so I can promote it to businesses.
If you have a need that you think a business could help you with but aren’t sure how it would work, please get in touch and we can help you figure it out.
Catherine@volunteercentrecamden.org.uk 020 7424 9990

Community space for hire by not-for-profit organisations at competitive prices
The H-Pod, backing onto the green park of Cumberland Market, has a light, airy room with small kitchen; suitable for exercise classes, meetings and more; will hold up to 30 people seated. Another smaller meeting room also available.
Please contact Diana Young, West Euston Partnership on 020 7388 7932, diana@westeuston.org

Improve your disability confidence for free with CamdenAbility
Business Disability Forum, Camden Council and Cross River Partnership are pleased to announce an innovative 18-month project providing free support to help Camden businesses improve their disability confidence.
CamdenAbility will give your business the opportunity to join a network of employers committed to improving their ability to employ and support disabled employees, through a mix of training, networking and consultancy.
Read more about the project here. If you are interested in joining the CamdenAbility Network, please call Helen Macfarlane, Principal Consultant at Business Disability Forum on 020 7403 3020 or email camdenability@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.

How should Camden tackle crime & antisocial behaviour?
Camden Council currently spends £5 million on reducing crime and antisocial behaviour in the Borough. They need to cut this expenditure by 25%. To make this level of reduction they have rethought how they might deliver community safety in Camden. They are proposing to prioritise those most vulnerable in society and who are most at risk of harm. Camden is keen to hear from you and is undertaking a consultation that runs until Tuesday 12 July.
For further information and a copy of the consultation document: HERE
There are several ways you can tell the Council your views:
• Online: www.camden.gov.uk/communitysafetyreview
• Email: communitysafety@camden.gov.uk
• Or call Community Safety on 020 7974 2915
Camden Safer Neighbourhood Board, is holding a special Community Conversation on Thursday 30 June, 7.00 pm, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD. If you will be attending, let Peter Ward know: admin@camdensnb.org.uk

Somers Town Photo Competition
Win £180 and have your photo exhibited in the Somers Town July 9th Festival! And win a day’s experience on a photoshoot at an ad agency.
Take a great photo of Somers Town as it is today, with your camera or phone. For ideas, look at the photos of old Somers Town on the website.
Final deadline is 1st July 2016 midnight.
Early bird – Enter before the 12th June – and your photo will be exhibited in the Chalton Gallery in June 15th-18th 2016. Prizes awarded at Festival, Saturday July 9th.
Photos MUST be taken in Somers Town, NW1 and you MUST be resident or attend school here. Full details at the website.

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.