Action Learning 
To complement our courses and as another offer to engage and support those working with communities, our Director, Wendy, has trained as an Action Learning Facilitator (another Lockdown activity!). We will also be hosting our first Community Development Action Learning Set starting in October.
Action Learning is a unique way to tackle real problems or issues in order to get things done. Action Learning brings individuals together in small groups where they can explore issues around their direct experience and develop actions around them through the support and exploratory questions of a group.
This will be for a group of 6 and is open for anyone who has a focus on community engagement or community development as part of their work. It is a very structured and facilitated process that has 5 key elements:

  • Issue holders arrive at their own action points and insights about real life work challenges
  • Value comes from hearing others talk through problems and identifying options
  • Leadership, questioning, listening and decision making skills are developed
  • Learning comes from the topics shared and from reflecting on the group process
  • A facilitator guides, encourages and maintains the structure of the session and the focus on learning

For those attending we will host 6 sessions and all members will get the opportunity to fully participate in being issue holders, helping colleagues explore questions, reflecting on learning etc. For more information and to book visit our website https://wsacommunity.co.uk/training/ or email hana@wsacommunity.co.uk.

Our training programmes are based on our extensive experience, and we have worked to develop a range of courses for a wide variety of people who work with communities, including those in local authorities, housing associations, health and the voluntary sector organisations. We have the long experience of being part of the Community Works training partnership and bring much of that delivery to these courses.

The courses will be running from September 2020 and we encourage you to book your places now! The one day courses will consist of two 2.5-hour sessions and there will be one hour’s pre-course work. They are all accredited through Continuous Professional Development and worth a 6-hour credit. The action learning will be over 6 three hours sessions with one session each month for six months.

We look forward to seeing you at these workshops and hope our training offer will support the capacity and sharing of good practice across the sector.

Charities are navigating serious challenges relating to COVID-19 but also other long-term problems – such as racial inequality and racism not just in society but within our own sector.   To help you meet these head-on, we’re running a new series of free DSC Zoom Talks, on topics ranging from dealing with racism, to how to set up your office in the new environment, to getting your board communication right.

Zoom Talks are free to attend, so check out the list below and find out more!

Racism: Not in our sector?Wednesday 12 August

The Covid Crisis CEO: How to get it rightWednesday 19 August

The do’s and don’ts of successful board – executive communication during the crisisMonday 24 August

The end of the office as we know it?Wednesday 26 August

UK Parliament’s local outreach officers have today taken their community and youth group workshops online. Their sessions are designed to show groups in London how the House of Commons and House of Lords work, as well as offering first-hand expertise on how to influence decisions made in UK Parliament, get their voices heard and campaign for change.

The workshops are hosted by expert outreach officer from Parliament’s Education and Engagement team and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of each group.

There are a range of online workshops available throughout the rest of the year, suitable for a groups with different accessibility levels and experience in engaging with UK Parliament.

On the launch of the online workshops, Parliament outreach officer Nichola Luke said:

“I work with community groups across London, from Hillingdon to Bromley to Enfield and it’s been inspiring to meet a diverse and passionate range of people.

“I am here to support you and your communities to discover more about UK Parliament and engage confidently on the issues that are important to you.”

People, power, and UK Parliament: An introduction

This 30 minute online workshop is packed with quizzes and activities. Designed for a minimum of 15 people, groups will get a full overview of how UK Parliament works for them, covering:

  • How they can get their voices heard by MPs
  • What the House of Lords does
  • How MPs and Lords raise issues on their behalf

Are you influential? Get your voice heard in UK Parliament

This hour workshop is designed for a minimum of 10 people and has been created especially for those who have had some basic engagement with Parliament before. Attendees will develop a deeper understanding of how to raise the issues which mean the most to them, including:

  • How they can take action
  • What tools help influence debates, decisions and legislation
  • How they can build relationships with MPs and Lords

 

EMPOWER! For adults with learning disabilities

This highly accessible session typically lasts 45 minutes and is full of activities and quizzes to promote engagement and encourage adults with learning difficulties to develop active citizenship skills for life.

The session is designed for a minimum of 10 people, including carers and  group leaders can also learn to deliver our specialist training to their organisations and communities.

To check availability and book a session, please visit here.

These online events will replace the face to face sessions held by the outreach officers in their local areas during the coronavirus outbreak.

You and your child may be feeling excited about the easing of some of the lockdown restrictions. But it’s also normal for children and young people to feel worried or anxious about transitioning out of lockdown.

We’ve all experienced significant changes to our daily lives and routines – and we’re living with lots of uncertainty about the coming weeks and months.

As some lockdown measures begin to ease, some children and young people may find it difficult and it may take them some time to adjust.

Our free course will equip you with a detailed understanding of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, the legislation and guidance surrounding mental health, risk factors that may affect mental well-being and how to build resilience against these, and the impact mental health concerns may have on young people and others.

This free course is ideal for learners who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s mental health.

The Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Browse all free courses here

Whether you are a new subscriber to Funds Online or a seasoned veteran, join DSCs Funds Online expert George Knight for a 30 minute webinar exploring some tips and tricks to help get you access to the funding you need today. Find out more.

Whether you’re relatively new to the world of charity accounting or a seasoned finance leader in search of leadership inspiration, the annual Charity Accountants’ Conference for finance professionals is the place to learn from the experts and catch up on all the latest best practice.

This year we’ve gone online and spread the conference over five days on the week of 14 September. With three sessions a day, the conference programme will give you the opportunity to mix and match sessions at various seniority levels from four different content streams to suit your individual needs.

Find out more and book

We have created a series of free creative maths activities for families to do together this summer – Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates!

What is Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates?
Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates is a 7-week programme each with a different theme exploring a range of mathematical ideas. Aimed at 4-12year olds, it can be used by families at home or by play leaders with children at holiday clubs or summer schemes.

Join Time Turtle, Decimal Dog and their Maths Mates crew as they voyage through a sea of fun and creative maths activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Beginning on Saturday 18th July and running until the end of August, each week Summer Saturdays will introduce you to a new hands-on activity. There’ll be craft, construction, puzzles, maps and games and you can do them in any order. You’ll need to head outdoors for some but we haven’t forgotten a few for those rainy days!

Supporting families this summer

Since the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent school closures, we have increased our online content to help families with their home learning. As we are still not able to run our face-to-face sessions, our Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates programme means we can continue to support families with their children’s maths learning, in a creative way.

Our website has lots of free family maths resources and activities including:

  • A wide range of creative, crafty maths activities to download
  • Maths on Toast Bites, a series of short ‘How to’ creative maths films – presented by children for children, with accompanying activity sheets
  • A blog with ideas and tips about how to enjoy creative maths together, for example Five Golden Rules for Enjoying Maths, a guide to supporting children to explore and enjoy our activities.

Help spread the word

You can help us spread the word about Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates by sharing with your community networks and:

  • Sharing the link to the Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates page of our website on your social media channels
  • Including a link to the Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates page of our website in your newsletter

Links

Summer Saturdays with the Maths Mates  www.mathsontoast.org.uk/summersaturdays/

Five Golden Rules for Enjoying Maths www.mathsontoast.org.uk/5-golden-rules-for-enjoying-maths-at-home/

Maths on Toast newsletter – sign up via our website https://www.mathsontoast.org.uk/blog/newsletters/

With mass participation events and community fundraising on hold for the foreseeable future due to social distancing rules, fundraisers are having to innovate to build relationships with sponsors and donors to raise money that is never more needed during the Coronavirus pandemic.

DSC’s Fundraising with Digital Marketing course on Thursday, 23 July will help you get to grips with new ways to raise funds. It’s online (of course) with plenty of breaks during the day so you won’t get swamped.

With recent case studies and lots of practical tips, this course will help you better understand the media available and how to adapt your messages to maximise the returns from each channel. And The Digital Fundraising Book is included for further learning.

Find out more and book here.

 

BID WRITING: THE BASICS – Online via ZOOM

Mon 27 Jul 2020 – Booking Link

Mon 10 Aug 2020 – Booking Link

Mon 24 Aug 2020 – Booking Link

BID WRITING: ADVANCED – Online via ZOOM

Tue 14 Jul 2020 – Booking Link

Tue 28 Jul 2020 – Booking Link

Tue 11 Aug 2020 – Booking Link

Tue 25 Aug 2020 – Booking Link

 

Bid Writing: Distance Learning Package

As an alternative to the Online via Zoom workshops we also offer a Distance Learning Package. The package includes all the topics from the Bid Writing: The Basics and Bid Writing: Advanced workshops as text in PDF format plus eight sample funding bids. The materials are delivered by email. Once you have covered the materials you can submit up to five questions by email.

The cost of the Bid Writing: Distance Learning Package is £190 per trainee.

To order please email orders@nfpmail2001.co.uk with
1) The name of the trainee.
2) The email address to send the materials to.
3) The name of your organisation.
4) The postal address of your organisation.
5) A purchase order number if required.

We will send you an invoice within 24 hours containing BACS electronic payment details. Once we receive payment the materials will be emailed to the specifed email address within 24 hours.

This is a challenging time for us all;  a time to pay extra attention to our own mental health needs and those of the people we serve.

We are The Jen Group www.thejengroup.com.  We are highly experienced trainers with a wealth of knowledge and experience in both the voluntary and statutory sector.

We are offering a series of on-line accredited training courses:

  • Mental Health Awareness – MHFA England
  • Mental Health First Aid – MHFA England
  • Suicide First Aid – Suicide First Aid Ltd

Booking now via our Eventbrite page: http://thejengroup.eventbrite.com