Youth Sector Development Fund summer funding round August 13, 2008
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Funding of £30m is being made available to third-sector organisations whose work supports disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in finding their pathway to success. The Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) will help organisations to grow their capacity, support them to compete for local contracts and become fully sustainable.
Applications are welcome from organisations which provide services to society’s most vulnerable young people, and particularly those whose work has a focus on preventing young people from committing crime, or becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, and those that, through the provision of positive activities, provide engaging and constructive alternatives for our young people.
For details and application packs : http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/TP00046/
The YSDF Managing Body is running three workshops to provide information to potential applicants on the YSDF summer bidding round.
The workshops will cover:
- The aims and objectives of the YSDF
- What makes a good application
- Requirements of projects funded through YSDF
- How to apply and application timetable
Each workshop will last half a day and will be repeated in the morning and afternoon on the following dates:
- Monday 18 August Birmingham
- Tuesday 19 August Manchester
- Thursday 21 August London
To book your place, go to http://ysdf.ecotec.com/form.asp
Community Foundation for Merseyside ‘Grass Roots Grants Programme’ August 13, 2008
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Community Foundation for Merseyside are pleased to announce a new three-year grants programme for small, grass-roots community and voluntary groups with an annual turnover of less than £20,000 in Sefton, Knowsley, Halton, St Helens and Wirral. Your local CVS is available to support your group in making an application (see contact details below).
Purpose:
This grants programme is aimed at sustaining and developing small, grass-roots organisations with an annual turnover of less than £20,000 who have been active in their local community since at least December 2006.
Grassroots Grants can be used for anything that increases or develops the capacity of small voluntary and community groups, enabling them to continue or expand their work including advocacy, community voice and service provision for local people.
Projects should aim to meet local priorities, in particular those that have been agreed within Local Area Agreement targets for each borough. Speak to your local advice agency (see contact details below) for support on this.
Examples of what can be funded are: -
- The purchase of equipment
- The costs of putting on a local event or workshop
- Staff costs to enable the employment of sessional workers
- Training for volunteers
- Activities that meet an identified need in the local community
- Contribution to rent costs related to activities/service delivery
In order to be eligible for a Grassroots Grant, groups must:
- be a not-for-profit voluntary or community group, active in their local community for not less than 12 months prior to 31 December 2007
- have an evidenced income of less than £20,000 per annum, taken as an average turnover for the last three financial years (or over the life of the group if it is less than three years old), and net of any grants received through the Grassroots Grants programme
- be volunteer led (i.e. with largely volunteer based output)
- be connected with and/or meeting the needs of the local community
- have a governing document that has as a minimum the name, aim/purpose, objects, a dissolution clause for the organisation, a list of Trustees/Committee members, and Trustees’/Committee members’ signatures
Area: this scheme covers St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral, Halton, Knowsley. A similar fund has been established for Liverpool, though this is managed by Liverpool CVS (www.lcvs.org.uk, 0151 236 7728)
Grant Range: £5,000 max. – organisations can only receive this amount within the three year programme – it could, however, be broken over a number of small grants (e.g. £1,000, £2,000 and £2,000 grants).
Overall Budget: £1,547,721.78
How to Apply: Download application pack from links below. Alternatively, in the short term, you can obtain an application pack from the Community Foundation for Merseyside by contacting them direct (see details below). A downloadable application pack will soon be available on their website (www.cfmerseyside.org.uk). Details of local support agencies that can advise on applying to the Grass Roots Fund are outlined below.
Application Form: www.mfip.org.uk/docs2/grassrootsapplicationform.doc
Guidelines: www.mfip.org.uk/docs2/grassrootsguidelines.pdf
4Talent Awards Looking for Creative Under-30s August 13, 2008
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Channel 4 is scouring the country for the UK’s most exciting young creative talent for the 4Talent Awards 2008. Categories include:
- Short Documentary (screen);
- Dramatic Writing (stage and screen);
- Dramatic Performance (stage, film and TV);
- Directing (film and TV);
- Comedy Writing (stage, film and TV);
- Comedy Performance (stage, film and TV);
- Music;
- Animation;
- Photography, and several more.
All entrants must be under 30 on 31 December 2008 and both your completed online form and any posted supporting materials must be received by 5pm on Friday 29 August 2008.
To find out more go to www.4talentmagazine.com/awards.
Original source: www.merseysideacme.com
Abstract Art as Therapy August 12, 2008
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| Abstract art is not just a mixture of colourful meaningless patterns and arbitrary shapes.
There is, I believe, a definite therapeutic value to be found in most of the enigmatic marks featured by the very different styles available today. What appears to be the most important decision to make hinges on a very careful consideration of the specific audience in conjunction with the choosing of the appropriate artwork. This is not something to be taken lightly or quickly. This can cover anybody within the following wide spectrum of alternatives: a busy boardroom environment … a single office or room where quick thinking, fast reactions, and serious decision making is required … a worker who returns from a hard days work, simply wanting to be visually massaged by an easily observed enigma; … or even the space in which the desperate and mostly misunderstood person is gradually losing a tentative hold on the sense of reality. There is a tremendous variety of possibilities to consider. Here are some suggested associations from one artist’s point of view: Colour plays an obvious healing and therapeutic role to be found in a carefully selected crafted piece. Colour-field work is growing in popularity, and was first conceived by artists like Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly with their vast areas of empty colour space. This might add a general feeling of peace and quiet to an otherwise noisy and hectic environment. There being very few variations within such a large image, a gentle sense of immersion into abstract stillness can slow down any fretful or irratic thinking, and even assist with the adrenal challenge of a creative person. Indefinite shapes or patterns such as those of Jackson Pollock, Peter Lanyon, and Howard Hodgkin show a very positive association (similar works inspired by these very different abstract styles can be seen in many exhibitions, shops and galleries) These may perhaps persuade a mind filled with illogical thoughts to pause, simply take in the apparent spontaneity, and then take a different direction. Hodgkin paintings in particular can be seen as puzzle-like canvases in which the observer has no real point of reference so is free to “start” anywhere upon the picture. Because sometimes there are very few defined areas, observers inevitably find themselves regarding the piece with little emotion, and therefore can freely make a comment – positive or otherwise. Let us not deny, however, the fact that many an image that has the potential to provoke a negative response can nonetheless be of great value to those observers who might actually benefit from seeing such a challenging picture that features a bad association. Better there on the wall than here inside the head… In this case the classic associations of red for blood and danger, black for death and sin, brown for decay and illness, along with dramatic lines and movements, when found in a painting, are equally valuable stimuli … – if revealed within the appropriate environment. This comes back to my point made at the beginning – when choosing a picture, very careful consideration must be taken in order to find that work of art which speaks directly to the very deepest parts of the observer. Bylines: |
Chief Officers Journal 7th August August 7, 2008
Posted by chiefdragon in Chief officers journal, Uncategorized.Tags: third sector, VCF Sector
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VCF sector technophobia is alive and well
We are now well into the twenty first century and we can’t seem to make a slice of toast without programming the microchips in the toaster, yet I am constantly dismayed by the number of community groups out there who you are still unable to contact by email or through other messaging technology. We do go out into the community and visit venues, centres and join in with events, however we do have a ‘virtual’ side to our business, but trying to engage with other groups this way is proving to be very difficult.
Where we are based in St Helens, Merseyside there are 1500 people who are housebound for health reasons, (and they’re just the one’s we know about!) – that’s the size of small village!!!! Many of these people are only connected to the world through virtual means – or could be connected. I feel that VCF should be looking much more at the way technology can assist them to engage with these hardest to reach of the ‘hard to reach’ groups in our society.
From my day job in the third sector I know that over the last ten years, millions of pounds worth of technology, have been invested into the community…so why is no-one using it? You could say that it is because people don’t know how to use it…but there are opportunities to learn. I have witnessed too many IT course places be cancelled or be left unused. – this morning I heard of a computer suite being shut down because of lack of take up! So this leaves me with only one conclusion the VCF sector, at grass roots level, is still stuck in a time before the 1980’s and its trustees are still shortsighted when it comes to the benefits of technology to the sector itself and to the service users.
Maybe funders should take note and fund technology to service users only, then once the service users begin to demand products and services ‘on-line’ then the sector will have to begin to use it…?
Bluecoat Display Centre – National Sculpture Prize August 7, 2008
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| National Sculpture Prize 2008 Viewing Friday 8 August 17.30 – 19.30 Exhibition 9 August to 13 September 2008 The winner of the cash prize will be announced on Friday 5th September at 6pmWork by the six artists who have been shortlisted for this competition will be exhibited at Bluecoat Display Centre Two. With the support and sponsorship of Malthouse & Co Chartered Accountants, we are proud to present our first national sculpture competition, with a cash prize of £1000 for the overall winner.Work by the six artists who have been shortlisted for this competition will be exhibited at Bluecoat Display Centre Two with a complementary display of sculptural work by invited contemporary applied artists at the original Bluecoat Display Centre located within the Bluecoat during the same dates. The six short listed artists are Claire Burbridge, Olivia Ferrier, Peter Lewis, Naomi Matthews, Seamus Moran and Rebecca Wilson. The complementary show will include work by Stephen Bird, Ian Gregory, Peter Hayes, Regina Heinz, Merete Rasmussen and Antonia SalmonThe winner of the cash prize will be announced on Friday 5th September at 6pmsource; http://www.artinliverpool.com/index.php/maingalleries/bluecoat-disp/101-bluecoat-disp/688-bdc-national-sculpt |
Superlambanana On The Run! August 7, 2008
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As a fan of the Scouse fruity farm animal I had to post this…
A Superlambanana originally captured by creative consultancy Uniform and caged on Arthouse Square for all to see and ponder, has managed the unthinkable and escaped.
A security check at 8am on Wednesday 23rd July revealed that the animal had forced the steel bars open and sneaked gingerly out of the space while no-one was looking. It is not known why the animal wanted to escape, having previously played up to the crowds that have been to see her. No sightings have been made as of yet however the Uniform team is keen to make sure the animal is located ASAP for her own safety as well as others.
Posters and flyers to aid a quick recapture will be distributed throughout the city over the next two days. Anyone with any information on The Great Superlambanana is requested to advise us via The Great Superlambanana blog at http://thegreatsuperlambanana.typepad.com.
Source: http://www.merseysideacme.com/displaynews.asp?item=1286
Chief officers journal August 5th 2008 August 5, 2008
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I have been summarily told off for being far to…impersonal…let’s say, with my blog posts, so this is me being me, and this will be a sort of journal on the life of a chief officer and of a new creative social enterprise.
As with any new enterprise, social or otherwise, the main concern is money and when you don’t have much to play with you become quite resourceful and become highly creative in the way that you recyle and use things. However, the crux has come when on my desk yesterday morning, were two empty boxes with a note on it from one of the board saying, “Free storage facilities”, which tickled me…it makes me wonder what next…a pen…free printer…maybe?
