Volunteer Network Centre, Newham - Older News And Events

JOB VACANCY

Richmond Council for Voluntary Service is currently recruiting for 2 posts in the Volunteering team based at our offices in Richmond:

Good Practice Adviser (GPA) to deliver good practice support to volunteer-involving organisations in Richmond : £25k pro rata for 17.5 hours per week - closing date 19 April 2010

Youth Strategic Champion (YSC) to drive forward the Borough's Youth Volunteering Strategy to develop volunteering for 13-19 years olds in Richmond upon Thames : £25K pro rata for 21 hours per week - closing date 19 April 2010

An application pack for each post with full information can be downloaded from www.richmondcvs.org.uk or email to jobs@richmondcvs.org.uk or telephone 020 8255 8500

8th APRIL 2010: HALF-DAY TRAINING WORKSHOP

Greater London Volunteering (GLV) Charter and Foundation Health Check
When is a volunteer not a volunteer?

Date: 8th April 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Venue: Berkeley Business Centre, City Gate House, 246 - 250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

The 10 point Foundation Health Check recently developed by GLV's Experts in Volunteering in consultation with the volunteer centres across London is a new endeavour in volunteering management. It helps to ensure safe and healthy volunteering environment. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate whether they have the baseline policies in place and the tools/ resources they need to develop what is missing.

Claire, Employment Law expert from LVSC will join the group to give a brief talk on the subject of what a volunteer, an employee, and a self-employed worker is and is not and what organisations can practically do if their "free-lancers" turn out to be part-time employees.

The Volunteer Network Centre, Newham, is pleased to work in partnership with MODA and LVSC PEACe Project in organising the above training workshop.

If you would like to attend, please download, complete and return this booking form to Eyasu Buba at eyasu.buba@vncnewham.co.uk or call him on 020 8536 1937.

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TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR VOLUNTEER INVOLVING ORGANISATIONS IN NEWHAM

"Stress Management"
for Voluntary Sector Workers and Volunteers

Date: 23rd March 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Venue: Ground Floor, Berkeley Business Centre, City Gate House, 246 - 250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

This useful training session is aimed at people volunteering on Management Committees and designing and managing projects involving volunteers. It will explore the topic of stress and practical ways of minimising negative stress in community/ voluntary group project designs.

Practical exercises to reduce stress including the "tapping technique" will be introduced.

The session will also provide an opportunity to network and learn from people involved in a range of voluntary sector groups. Certificates of attendance will be given to all participants.

Refreshments will be provided and a Certificate of Attendance will be given to each participant.

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis To book your place on the above training workshop, please contact Eyasu Buba on: 020 8536 1937 or via e-mail: eyasu.buba@vncnewham.co.uk.

The Volunteer Network Centre, Newham, is pleased to be working in partnership with Vitality Living and MODA, to run this training session free of charge. If your organisation has other training needs VNC may be able to respond to please contact us on the above e-mail or phone number.

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Faith Volunteers

The Volunteer Network Centre is organising a conference entitled "Let's Connect" - Building Partnerships with Faith Based Organisations which takes place on 24th February 2010 from 12.30 to 5:30 pm at West Ham United Football Club, Boleyn Ground, Green Street, E13 9AZ.

Newham has one of the most diverse communities in the Country. Unfortunately, we continue to live 'parallel lives' apart from but alongside each other. This is a significant opportunity to support a very important project for our community. The project has been established to challenge traditional perspectives of faith based volunteering, promote community cohesion and make a positive impact. This is part of a pilot project within The Modernising Volunteering workstream, led by Volunteering England and funded by Capacity Builders' National Support Services programme'. The project and conference will help raise issues nationally.

Faith Volunteers is a national pilot project funded by Capacity Builders, V Volunteering, Red Foundation and Volunteering England.

SCHEDULE FOR WORKSHOPS IN 2010

A. Training Workshops in Volunteering Management in 2010

Stress Management - Tuesday 23rd March
Volunteer Policies & When Is A Volunteer Not A Volunteer - Thursday 8th April
Volunteer Support And Supervision - Thursday 10th June
Volunteer Motivation And Retention - Thursday 24th June
Volunteering And The Law - Thursday 14th October
Volunteer Recruitment And Recognition - Thursday 28th October
Volunteering And Risk Assessment - Tuesday 16th November

Additional topics to be announced

B. Volunteer Managers Forum in 2010

Volunteer Managers Forum - 30th March 2010 and bimonthly thereafter

If you are interested in any of these workshops and or would like to attend the Volunteer Managers Forums, please contact Eyasu Buba on 020 8536 1937 or via e-mail: eyasu.buba@vncnewham.co.uk, for details of times, venues etc.

JOB VACANCY

Experts in Volunteering
Increasing excellent volunteering experiences across London

Development Worker (West London)
NJC Scale: SO1 £28,142 (pro-rata). 24.5 hours/week
Based in Hounslow; travel within Greater London.

Experts in Volunteering is an exciting programme funded to June 2012 by the Big Lottery Fund. We work with the Volunteer Centre network to enhance volunteer management practice across Greater London and improve volunteering experiences for Londoners.

As part of a team of 5 subregional workers, your varied role will include collaborative working with 6 West London Volunteer Centres and outreach work with organisations that involve volunteers.

Email info@glv.org.uk or visit www.glv.org.uk for an application pack or more information

Deadline for applications: 20 January 2010
Interviews will be held: 29 January 2010

Please note, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted after the closing date and previous applicants should not reapply.

Community Xchange: Newham UK / Beijing China - January-May 2010 - FREE!

CALLING ALL YOUTH FOCUSED WORKERS / PRACTITIONERS IN NEWHAM

We are inviting employees or community practitioners in Newham with a direct or indirect youth focus and with full support from their employer / organization / community to take part in Global Xchanges newest free programme - Community Xchange Newham UK / Beijing China January - May 2010. For more information or to obtain an application form email keisha.briggs@vso.org.uk 07866 754 121.

Community Xchange is an international professional development programme for formal and informal community practitioners. Through a range of activities Community Xchange aims to build the skills of participants to facilitate the positive participation of young people as active global citizens, and develop inter cultural dialogue that makes a positive difference to their communities.

Details Of The Programme

The programme will recruit up to 15 participants from Newham, UK who will each be matched with a counterpart from Beijing, China based on their professional skills and interests. The programme will promote reciprocity to ensure that aspects of the programme are mirrored in the UK and China.

The participant will act on behalf of their organization or community to undertake a three week work attachment programme in Newham and develop and implement a reciprocal three week programme of activity for their counterpart whilst they are in Beijing.

Participant profile; The participant must:

Be a UK national / able to travel overseas legally
Be 18 years or above
Have an active role in communities in Newham (be involved with your current organisation for at least 6 months)
Be willing to fund raise up to £350 for the work of Global Xchange
Be willing to give a minimum of 45 working days of commitment over the 4 months of activity
Have experience working with young people and capacity to influence groups of young people
Be informal or formal leader / practitioner / worker
Have organizational support and agreement for the duration of the programme to ensure that they are able to continue to use the skills and expertise for the benefit of their communities once the exchange is completed.
Have full support of their managers to participate in the programme

"Community Xchange gave me a great opportunity to observe how the UK government and volunteer organizations work for young people, and how to involve whole communities in healthy activities. These days I am putting the experience to good use and implementing the ideas and methods in my own district. Not only that, but I will soon be setting up a volunteer programme with a well-known charity hospital in Multan based on the knowledge I gained from the exchange visit. I have already started missing being in the programme, and if I get another chance to participate in Community Xchange in the future, I wouldn't hesitate for a second. It has been great. Bravo". Tanzeel Ur Rehman Alvi - Pakistan Participant of Community Xchange

For information on Community Xchange, & for an application form please see below:

The British Council Website

Global Xchange Programme Supervisor Newham / China -
Keisha Briggs: Keisha.briggs@vso.org.uk 07866 754 121

TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR VOLUNTEER INVOLVING ORGANISATIONS IN NEWHAM

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT & RETENTION WORKSHOP

Date: 29th October 2009
Time: Time: 1:30 am - 4:30 pm
Venue: Ground Floor, Berkeley Business Centre, Citygate House, 246 - 250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

The workshop will cover:

Recruitment Procedure
Induction
Problem Solving
Recognition & Retention

Refreshments will be provided and a Certificate of Attendance will be given to each participant.

If you would like to book your place on either one or both of the above training workshops, please contact Eyasu Buba on 020 8536 1937 or via e-mail: eyasu.buba@vncnewham.co.uk.

TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR VOLUNTEER INVOLVING ORGANISATIONS IN NEWHAM

1. "WHEN IS A VOLUNTEER NOT A VOLUNTEER?"

Date: Thursday, 16th July 2009
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Venue: Ground Floor, Berkeley Business Centre, City Gate House, 246 - 250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

If you pay your workers you need to be able to understand what their employment status is. People who work a few hours a week, once a month or less regularly often just invoice the organisation and act as free-lance, but does this mean that they are genuinely self-employed? In reality they are more likely to be part-time employees and this means that they have certain rights under employment law.

This useful training session aimed at people volunteering on Management Committees will look at what a volunteer, an employee, and a self-employed worker is and is not. It will explore what organisations can practically do if their "free-lancers" turn out to be part-time employees.

The VNC, Newham is quite pleased to work in partnership with MODA and LVSC PEACe Project in organising the above training workshop.

2. VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT & RETENTION WORKSHOP

Date: 30th July 2009
Time: Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Venue: Ground Floor, Berkeley Business Centre, Citygate House, 246 - 250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

The workshop will cover:

Recruitment
Induction
Problem Solving
Motivation, Recognition & Retention

VOLUNTEER POLICIES WORKSHOP

FOR VOLUNTEER INVOLVING ORGANISATIONS IN NEWHAM & THE SURROUNDING AREAS

Date: 30th April 2009
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Venue: Berkeley Business Centre, Citygate House, 246-250 Romford Road, London E7 9HZ

The workshop will cover:

Induction and training
Expenses
Insurance
Equal Opportunities and diversity
Health and Safety
Grievance and Disciplinary procedures
Confidentiality

A Certificate of Attendance will be given to each participant.

Refreshments will be provided.

If you would like to book your place, please contact Eyasu Buba on 020 8536 1937 or via e-mail: eyasu.buba@vncnewham.co.uk.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY

On Wednesday the 2nd of November 2005. East Ham was treated to good old spruce-up thanks to a bunch of volunteers.

Work at the site, in the grounds of St Mary Magdalene Church in High Street South, included building bird-boxes, site clearance, tree felling and fence repairing.

About 20 folk turned out as part of national Make A Difference Day run by volunteering and training organisation Community Service Volunteers.

The day was organised by Forest Gate based Volunteer Network Centre in partnership with conservation charity BTCV. Help included those from the Newham Volunteer project in East Ham. Newham's Civic Ambassador, Cllr Maureen Jones attended.

Nancy Whiskin, then community development and training officer with the Volunteer Network Centre, said "We achieved what we wanted to. It was fun even though it was raining. The Volunteers still turned up and had a great time. They managed to complete the work we had prioritised."

SKILLS CITY

The Volunteer Network Centre in partnership with Newham's Volunteers were asked to supply volunteers for the Skills City exhibition, which took place from 6th-9th June 2005.

The exhibition took place at the Excel centre and occupied half of the whole building - so you can imagine the size of the display! It's focus was to give people, and in particular young people, an opportunity at actually having a 'go' at their chosen career. In other words, a type of virtual reality career exhibition!

Because of the size of the exhibition we were asked to supply overall 40 volunteers per day! Their jobs/task descriptions included:

Showing people around
Registering people attending the exhibition
Helping with the VIP suite
Market research

Unfortunately while the event was on the 7/7 bombings took place in London and the attendance of people visiting the exhibition was, for obvious reason, much less than anticipated. We were also expecting a visit from HRH Prince Charles and a host of politicians keen to see the exhibition but they all had to revise their schedules due to the terrible incidents that took place on that day in London.

The volunteers, despite the bombings and the terrible fear we all felt on that day, remained at the show and continued to come in to volunteer on the following days despite the problems with travel links and the obvious concerns left by the aftermath of the bombing. The organisers of the show, who were very impressed with the overall performance of the volunteers, their hard work, enthusiasm and motivation, duly noted this.

We would like to say a big thank you to all the volunteers who participated and to VNU Exhibitions, and in particular Deborah Smith, who completely embraced the concept of volunteers and volunteering and went out of her way to make sure that the volunteers were catered for. Also thank you to Julie Creffield and Petrina (Newham's Volunteers) for giving us the opportunity to join in and a piece of great partnership work and to John Atree (Chief Executive of Skills City) for his enthusiasm for the volunteers.

NATIONAL VOLUNTEERING WEEK 2005

On June 3rd 2005 in celebration of National Volunteering Week 2005, the Volunteer Network Centre in collaboration with Howard Mendick from the NDC (New Deal for Communities) and a variety of volunteer involving groups in Newham held a volunteer networking day at The Hub in Canning Town.

Volunteer Involving Organisation's in Newham including:

BTCV British Trust for Conservation
Newham Met Volunteers
Home Start
Early Years and Learning Services
Kidzhaven
Newham Volunteers
Newham Youth Offending Team
RAMP
Sea Cadets

The group set up some wonderful stalls and talked about the benefits of volunteering to local community members. Over 135 people attended and we had some wonderful music from a Columbian band. Newham Radio was also there to get information about what the groups do and how much people have benefited from volunteering. All groups agreed that it was a wonderful event and we will definitely hold another similar event in the near future.