“Come on you Dons!”, no not Aberdeen Football Clubs but all of the Third Sector organisations that work with young people in the City and know of one or more that is worthy of consideration for a Young Scot award. I know that we in Aberdeen have children and young people who are worthy of consideration for the various categories of the awards and I think we should, with all of the good links that are in existence, be nominating them. So, with 13 days to go, get nominating, please!
There are 15 awards, from sports to entertainment, unsung hero and volunteering. Simply go to the Nominate Now page and make your nomination for the young person, aged 11 - 26, you think has really made a difference to people's lives this year. The final 3 people in each category will get a VIP invitation to attend the awards ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on Thursday 26th April 2012.
Nominations close on the 26th February 2012. For more information, please visit www.youngscotawards.co.uk
As I told you last week, some of our colleagues from the Sector were attending a joint Public Sector/Third Sector training course for supervisors last week and from what I hear it was well received. Hear more about it elsewhere from my colleague Alison Chandler for this is a real Best Value method of training and developing staff. Norma Howley of our Support and Development Business Unit is also looking for nominations for a similar partnership development initiative, Collaborating for Outcomes. Sign up, last years was very well received.
With the festive season now past and all of the interruption that it cost to financial processes, I have been told of a number of organisations who have not been receiving grant payments etc.. If this has been the case for you or your organisation please let me know and I will endeavour to resolve in some way.
Without being political, with a small p, are you interested in the Union Terrace Gardens Development ? Whatever your viewpoint before taking part in the vote do you want to hear more ? ACVO have been offered the opportunity to hear “more accurate” information about the project. If you are keen let us know and we will arrange to hear more about the project.
And finally….. “a chance to try out two of the finest sports in the world” during the open weekend of the Aberdeen Squash and Racketball Club. Go along to the premises of the Club at Mannofield this weekend between 9am and 6pm to hear, see and learn more about squash and racketball. More details on our website.
27th January 2012
This week I am preparing my overview a day earlier due to my generosity in allowing the E-Bulletin Editor, Michelle Duff a day off tomorrow!!!!
As many of you may be aware, General Practitioners within the City now operate within four ‘clusters’ and during the last few months I and colleagues have been attending some of their meetings. I will shortly be attending the meeting of the Central South Cluster and will bring to you next week how we in the Sector can work with the practices.
Some of our colleagues from the Third Sector over the last three days have been part of a supervisors course taking place at the Grampian Police Training Centre at Nelson Street. The course attendees come from a variety of organisations and will be covering a number of issues which relate generically to being a supervisor. This capacity building exercise is the way forward in my view to practical partnership working albeit it has arisen as a result of a Community Planning training and development group which consists of the main partners in the Aberdeen, Shire and Moray Community planning partnerships. You will be hearing next week, from those from the Sector that took part and in relation to a more involved series of sessions for strategic managers soon to be offered to the Sector.
Last week I mentioned the new process for the distribution of the Fairer Scotland Fund. Please note, the application form and guidance notes are now available on the Community Planning Aberdeen website.
AND FINALLY…….. this year I am determined that we in Aberdeen identify a young person who should be considered for a Young Scot Award. Please, please, please consider the information below and get back to me in order that we can show what is ongoing within the City.
Young Scot Awards 2012
On Thursday 26th April 2012 over 500 guests will attend the glittering awards ceremony to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of Scotland's young people in 2011.
Do you know an unsung hero who deserves to be recognised?
Do you know someone who works tirelessly to improve their community and/or country?
Or is there a young person in the public eye that inspires you?
There are 15 awards, from sports to entertainment, unsung hero and volunteering. Simply go to the Nominate Now page and make your nomination for the young person, aged 11 - 26, you think has really made a difference to people's lives this year. The final 3 people in each category will get a VIP invitation to attend the awards ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on Thursday 26th April 2012.
Since my childhood I have been involved in various ways with organisations and groups, which we would now consider as Third Sector organisations and enjoyed it so much that when the opportunity to become a member of ACVO arose, I accepted without hesitation. Although there have been times when I have had second thoughts, thankfully they have only lasted short periods of time, there are many occasions in the year when I have real pride in being part of the Sector. One of these occurred earlier in the week when I was watching DIY SOS on BBC television.
Whether you are a lover of the programme or not or whether you think such programmes “live off” what the Sector does, this week’s programme was one of the best advertisements for volunteers and what can be done by volunteers. The programme revolved around a father and daughter who had been living in an old caravan for six years whilst they built a better house for themselves. During this time, mum died as a result of cancer whilst dad was diagnosed with cancer and was clearly unable to complete the house. With the help of an army of volunteers and the process of the programme, the work was completed within six days, much to the pleasure of the family and the delight of the volunteers and no doubt the millions watching.
Whilst watching I was reminded of all the work carried out by over 40,000 volunteers within Aberdeen City and some of the difficulties my colleagues within the Volunteer Centre here at ACVO, encounter in trying to match volunteers with opportunities. During the next few months we will be working with partners in relation to the successor of MV Awards, to be known as Saltire Awards. The new scheme will be more embracing in that it will be for all those within the 12 to 25 age range and linked to work going on within all academies in the city. Although pilots are operating elsewhere in the country, we are trying to bring in an extended system which will link the numerous opportunities currently on offer and have as inclusive a system as possible.
Within the next few weeks a Volunteering Strategy, agreed by all Community Planning partners, will be launched and this will allow organisations currently involved in the provision to assess if what they are doing is what they want to do and is of value to the volunteers. Within the next few weeks you will hear from my colleagues in the Volunteer Centre who have been involved in this work.
During the last few months you will have heard about the Change Fund in relation to older people and shortly we may hear more in relation to Change Funds for other areas of society. However in order that the Sector is ready for the new process that will operate for 2012/13 in relation to older people , you should be aware that guidance will shortly be available and circulated by the middle of February. Within the Sector we have a reputation for thinking laterally and putting initiatives in place quickly and the new Change Fund will benefit from us doing this again. Please read the letter that we have circulated to partners, in order that you and your group or organisation can make contact with members of the ACVO Change Fund Team for advice and guidance in relation to the process in general or a particular initiative specifically.
AND FINALLY….. at the Fairer Scotland Fund meeting last night a new process for the distribution of funds was discussed. More information coming soon.
13th January 2012
For those of you who came back to work last week, you will no doubt be back in the swing by now. For those of us who used up some holidays and didn’t start back until Monday, January blues !
Although the cycle of meetings I and my colleagues attend on behalf of the Third Sector has not fully returned to normal it has been a busy week. Community Planning Aberdeen held it’s first meeting last year and will shortly be arranging its second whilst the Board are now on a regular cycle of meetings every two months. This has allowed the formation of the thematic groups for Healthier, Wealthier and Fairer, Safer and Stronger, Greener and Smarter and as these groups pick up from the work of seventeen previous groups work will see the new Community Planning being more obvious in the City.
In order that the Change Fund for older people can move on in 2012/13 new arrangements are being considered at this time and these will be circulated shortly. The details of three other Change Funds for a variety of groups will shortly be announced and the Sector will no doubt be heavily involved in these. The Scottish Government want the Third Sector to be more heavily involved in the reshaping of public services and ACVO has a team dedicated to facilitating this. To help you to access the help you may need, we need your help and so we have a further ACVO Asks/Ask ACVO initiative ' ACVO Asks/Ask ACVO – Funds, Resources, Support, Solutions Survey' at this time. I would like you to start the new year by helping us with this item of work for the Sector. I am particularly grateful to my colleague Marcelina Fedczyszyn, who is working with ACVO at this time, for her hard work and enthusiasm in preparing this programme. Her work can help us to help you to help others.
We have been making some minor improvements to our offices and were donated some chairs recently by BP, therefore our previous office chairs are being offered to the Third Sector. We have around a dozen chairs in good condition, if you are interested and can uplift the chairs, please give us a call on our main number at 01224 686058 or email enquiries@acvo.org.uk
AND FINALLY…. Please note Celebrate Aberdeen 2012 is now open for bookings at www.celebrateaberdeen.org and will close for bookings on 29th February 2012. Please book your place today.
