EXCHANGE The voluntary and community youth sector in dialogue
Summer 2012 Issue 14
Young Hopefuls: an Olympic Game Changer? News: New Qualifications Commission on Youth Queen’s Birthday Honours Policy: Creating a sporting habit for life: A new youth sport strategy Articles by: The Oasis Trust Girlguiding UK Worldwide Volunteering The 360 Trust
Contents NCVYS news
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Network news
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EDITORIAL Welcome to Issue 14 of Exchange magazine
Member news
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Opinion: Young Torchbearers shine in light of the Olympic flame p07
Policy update and analysis
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ENVOY update
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This edition of Exchange is themed around the Olympics – surprise! And so they’re upon us... Over the last few months it’s sometimes felt that little else seems to fill the news cycle Olympics mania has taken over, but many are successfully getting stuck in and using the momentum of the games to highlight important issues for young people – for our young hopefuls.
Article: An Olympic Opportunity for Young People p10
The world takes a huge interest in the Olympics, and hopeful young people are not restricted to our shores. What will be the legacy of the games for all of these young people? How will we ensure good work is carried on after the athletes, visitors, and games volunteers have made their way home and the dust has settled? Will this global event really be an Olympic game changer?
Connections and Communications
Throughout the last few months and up to the end of August and beyond, hundreds of NCVYS members will have been involved in putting on special Olympic-themed and connected events; and the breadth, imagination and entrepreneurial skills and spirit on show has been breathtaking and truly inspiring.
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Ideas bank
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Article: Going for gold: The challenge for guiding in an Olympic Year
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Case study: 360 Trust
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Workforce development update
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Meet the Chief Executive: Caroline Diehl MBE, Media Trust p18
Heads up
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The same enthusiasm can be seen right across the sector, and the summer promises to be one full of fantastic opportunities for young people, if not of sunshine! Our two main articles feature a pair of organisations, fully focused on ensuring young hopes are met – The Oasis Trust (p.10 – 11) and Girlguiding UK (p.14 – 15), both of whom have got some great stories to share about their plans for the Olympics and whether or not they’ll be a game changer for young people. Although the games themselves may be largely restricted to a few areas of the country, we’ve watched the Olympic flame wind its way around every corner of the country, from hilltop to valley and back again. Some of the chosen Torchbearers have happened to be young people that NCVYS are working with, and we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to them about their experiences and what they think about the legacy of the games, p.07. From a global perspective on young hopefuls, WorldWide Volunteering tell us about the important work in promoting long-term volunteering both at home and abroad in Network News (p.05), while our Case Study on p.16 features on The 360 Trust, whose trip to Uganda was a real eye-opener for those who went. Our Workforce Development update explores opportunities in youth sports and looks at a couple who are in this line of work (p.17), while other stand out articles include an interview with the CEO of the Media Trust (p.18), a policy analysis piece on sport (p.08), and a Service development article on funding, partnerships and the whole wide world (p.13). As ever, we welcome contributions from our members for our next issue of Exchange, so if you’ve got news or ideas for an article, get in touch with us by emailing press@ncvys.org.uk Enjoy! Rob Candy Editor
NCVYS NEWS Commission on Youth In April this year, ResPublica and NCVYS were delighted to launch a joint 12-month Commission on Youth. Following our work with many youth organisations in the aftermath of the August riots, NCVYS has maintained commitment to help build solutions with members and partners to one of the worst waves of civil unrest in a generation. The aim of the Commission in its first stages will be to identify gaps in public understanding and offer innovative angles to these by investigating the correlation between institutional ‘anomie’ and civil unrest. The key question this project will seek to answer is whether the alienation from social institutions translates into the fragmentation of social identity and rejection of self-regulatory values. The discussions and topics to be explored through the Commission will serve as a basis for future research or policy initiatives in key areas affecting young people and communities. Please visit our website for more information: http://bit.ly/CoYouth
Faiza’s special day! Congratulations to our fantastic Deputy Chief Executive Faiza Chaudary who tied the knot on Sunday 1 July! Everyone at NCVYS is thrilled for you!
Case studies – working in frontline roles with young people On behalf of the Catalyst consortium NCVYS has produced case studies outlining the career paths and skills journeys of 10 individuals who work frontline with young people. NCVYS hopes these case studies will encourage workforce development and promote a learning culture across the youth sector. Download from http://bit.ly/WFDcs
Social Enterprise At a time when voluntary sector organisations have begun a shift towards generating traded income through social enterprise ventures, NCVYS has produced a series of handy factsheets aimed at debunking some common questions surrounding this topic. To date we have published four factsheets: • a social enterprise jargon buster • social finance for social enterprise • governance structures for charities and social enterprises • a basic guide to intellectual property protection All are freely available to download from the NCVYS website (http://bit.ly/OAPsocent), and you may see them regularly tweeted from @yeahCIC, NCVYS’s community interest company. Further factsheets will follow; the next one will look at partnerships and consortia.
NCVYS policy officer Dominic Weinberg ready to be a Games Maker
Suggestions for future topics can be sent to ana@ncvys.org.uk
Our Olympic efforts Not to be left behind by the fantastic efforts and plans of our members, the staff at NCVYS have been busy preparing for the Games. From holding our own office Olympics, to staff volunteering as Games Makers, to dancers in the opening ceremony, NCVYS have jumped into the swing of things. We’d love to hear about what you get up to during the games too, so send in your pics and we’ll share them via our facebook pages.
Current funding environment
NCVYS Trustee Kevin Curley CBE
Catalyst – new qualifications / training partnerships Earlier this month, NCVYS were delighted to announce the release of two new Level 2 qualifications for the young people’s workforce. The award and certificatesized qualifications are an excellent foundation for staff or volunteers in the voluntary and community sector working with young people. They cover three core areas: personal development; work-based skills and working with young people. It is the first time NCVYS have developed a qualification. The qualifications, which can be easily delivered in bite-sized chunks, are designed to complement others already on the market such as the JNC-recognised frameworks in Youth Work Practice, or the CWDC suite of qualifications, but do not replicate or replace them as they differ in structure, content and primary audiences. For more information on these qualifications visit our website: http://bit.ly/NewQuals 04
NCVYS Trustee Ashley Sweetland MBE
NCVYS Trustees acknowledged in Queen’s Birthday Honours Huge congratulations to NCVYS trustees Ashley Sweetland and Kevin Curley who have been awarded an MBE and CBE respectively. The recognition of both voluntary and community sector stalwarts is both reward and endorsement for their continued hard work. In the Honours List, released on Saturday 16 June, Her Majesty The Queen recognised both Ashley and Kevin for services given; Ashley Sweetland, Vice Chair of NCVYS’s Board of Trustees, has been awarded an MBE for services to Young People, while Kevin Curley, NCVYS Trustee, has received a CBE for services to the Voluntary and Community Sector. However, for neither NCVYS trustee does this mean the end of a journey, but rather confirmation of the value of their continued contribution. To read what Ashley and Kevin said, please visit our website: http://bit.ly/TrusteesHonours
NCVYS has developed a number of services for members interested in the current funding environment. Our financial monitoring blog compiles information on financial news that affects the voluntary and community youth sector. This includes evidence of cuts affecting young people and the voluntary and community sector at a national and local level, as well as documenting new initiatives that add funding to the sector. Our monthly funding update includes details of national and local funding opportunities, including grants and contracts, for the voluntary and community youth sector. It also highlights funding with a focus on workforce development. We are also continuing to collect information about how cuts in funding are affecting our members. If you have any intelligence you would like to contribute to this area of work, please contact Dominic@ncvys.org.uk. We will be using this information to share your experiences with relevant Government departments and the wider sector. Read our financial monitoring blog at http://bit.ly/FinancialMonitoringBlog You can view our monthly funding update by visiting http://bit.ly/FundingUpdate
NETWORK NEWS Sometimes, even local volunteering has international dimensions. Amit, a senior school student from Ilford, Essex, was inspired by our project manager there to do some volunteering. He agreed to do six months in a nearby Oxfam shop. A lot of valuable skills can be learned in charity shops, from stock display to dealing with customers to bookkeeping and handling money. But they are often seen as boring, not as places to start an adventure. Amit did not find the Oxfam shop boring. In fact, at first he found it very challenging, and emailed us about it shortly after he started. He thought the manageress was awful and could not see anything in the work that he particularly liked. But he recalled that he had promised our project manager that he would do it for six months. We thought: “sad he doesn’t like it, but he’s no quitter”.
Sammy Nanneh, a WWV volunteer in Kenya
VOLUNTEERING ADVENTURES With the Olympic Games about to dominate the headlines, world attention will for three weeks focus more than usual on international matters. WorldWide Volunteering (WWV) has promoted volunteering since 1994. Our online database (www.wwv.org.uk) contains 1.6 million volunteering placements from approximately 3,000 organisations all over the world. WWV project managers also personally inspire and assist thousands of people to become volunteers. These are school students, disabled students, ex-offenders, injured servicemen and women, and vulnerable young people such as those leaving care. Much of the volunteering young people do is local. It is usually more convenient, and cheaper, than overseas volunteering. But going abroad has advantages. Tourism may not broaden the mind, but travel certainly can, and volunteering in completely different cultures and environments can be one of the most life-changing adventures possible. Released after being jailed for not paying driving offence fines, YMCA resident Barry (not his real name) met a WWV project manager working in partnership with Action for Children to help disadvantaged Merseyside youngsters go volunteering. Our project manager encouraged Barry to volunteer with conservation charity BTCV. Then she introduced him to an Operation New World voluntary course aimed at giving young people job skills and experience.
With BTCV, Barry cleared rhododendrons which were displacing native English trees. Then, after a training course in London, Operation New World sent Barry to the Canary island of Fuerteventura, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. His job was to survey sections of the island to help local people protect its environment. Despite the apparently attractive venue, Barry’s adventure was no holiday and certainly did prove life-changing. He said:
Thank you again for organising everything. It was so good, and it really has improved everything, my confidence, my outlook on life, just everything, thank you again.
Then we had another email from Amit, more upbeat than the first. He could begin to see where the manageress was coming from, he said, and could also see the good the shop was doing. He was beginning to enjoy it. We thought: “that’s better”, and wondered if there would be more. There was. Several weeks later, Amit wrote again. Not an email this time, but a handwritten letter. This is very rare nowadays, and we lapped it up. According to Amit, the sun now shone out of the manageress’s eyes and the shop was the most fantastic place to work. He could not get enough of it. He had also studied what Oxfam was about and made a decision. He wanted to spend his life teaching in Africa. We thought: “from a charity shop to a lifelong adventure”. These stories, and others, underline the tremendous potential of volunteering and its ability to foster an international perspective. The Olympics will doubtless be just a sports feeding frenzy for most but I am equally sure that the international amity they represent will sow the seeds of international volunteering in the minds of others, many of whom, just like Barry and Amit, are hopeful of something more.
“Fuerteventura was hard work, working 6 am until 10 pm every day. It was really, really hot in the sun and we were out in it most of the day, doing surveys of large areas in small groups. When we had completed that, we’d have to write it up and give presentations. “It’s changed everything, just everything. The way I look at things has changed totally from being out there, from seeing how some people have to live out there, realising it’s not just you who sometimes has it tough. “Thank you so much, thank you again for organising everything. It was so good, and it really has improved everything, my confidence, my outlook on life, just everything, thank you again. I had been down in the dumps so long since prison but now I feel much more positive. I have also got myself a job.”
Peter Sharp, Director, WWV
Peter Sharp, Director, WorldWide Volunteering
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MEMBER NEWS Mental Health Foundation describe themselves as the the UK’s leading mental health research, policy and service improvement charity. They are committed to reducing the suffering caused by mental ill health and to help everyone lead mentally healthier lives. They help people to survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ Humanutopia is a social enterprise that changes lives whilst contributing to all six Ofsted outcomes. They do two things help people grow, and in doing so help to transform communities. They do this by creating and developing bespoke and inspirational, life-changing courses that can be tailored to suit any academic environment. http://www.humanutopia.com/
Campaign to tackle isolation of deaf teenagers launched The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) is launching a campaign called Look, Smile, Chat to help deaf and hearing teenagers communicate with each other. The campaign aims to reduce the social isolation experienced by some deaf teenagers by putting hearing teenagers in the shoes of their deaf classmates and giving them simple steps to make communicating easy. Free resources, including short films, lesson plans and posters have been created for professionals working with young people. NDCS is asking for your help in telling the teachers, social workers and other professionals you work with about the campaign and how they can help to improve the lives of the UK’s 45,000 deaf children. For further information and to access the free resources, go to: www.buzz.org.uk/looksmilechat
NCVYS New members Following recent trustee board meetings, and since the last issue of Exchange, NCVYS has now welcomed 13 new members. Below are links to our five most recent members and a bit about the great work they do. Three Faiths Forum (3FF) builds understanding and lasting relationships between people of all faiths and beliefs. They run education, engagement and action programmes that bring diverse communities together. Their main focus is in the UK, but they also work internationally to create new models for intercultural cooperation, particularly in the EU, USA and Middle East. http://www.threefaithsforum.org.uk/ Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) are based in South Gloucester are an independent charity. SBCP run a range of projects to: help children and young people through the transition into independence and adulthood; make sure families get support that meets their individual needs; reduce isolation, especially amongst older people; and support the development of safe, strong and inclusive communities. http://www.southernbrooks.org.uk/
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ReachFor is a social enterprise formed by eight likeminded organisations throughout England delivering services to young people and adults. The eight organisations are: Careers South West, Connexions Leicester Shire, Connexions Thames Valley, CSWP, CXK, GMCP, Inspira, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Futures. Their purpose is to work together to deliver high quality services to support young people and adults (particularly those who are vulnerable) through key transitions in their lives, in particular to achieve positive destinations in employment, education and/or training http://reachfor.org.uk/ Other recently new NCVYS members include: Safer London Foundation, North West Regional Youth Work Unit (NWRYWU), Islington Children and Young People’s Voluntary Sector Forum, National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), We Have A Voice (formerly YPA winners Autzine), Youth Media Agency, Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs (BAYC), and The Howard League for Penal Reform.
Adam Bradford's world tour! Adam Bradford is a 19-year-old social entrepreneur, whose main company UnITe Computing has just celebrated its first birthday. Launched with the support of celebrity chef Levi Roots, UnITe have since enjoyed working with big name clients such as Google UK through to start-ups as far away as India. Adam is an avid supporter of NCVYS [see Ideas Bank, page 13], as well as continuing to run his portfolio of businesses and provide investment, mentoring and inspiration to other aspiring young people. He is setting off on a world tour this summer in Miami, India and France to talk to youngsters and speak at events to motivate young people to achieve their very best. You can get in touch with him and find out more about his work at www.entrepreneuradam.tv.
St John Ambulance training
St John Ambulance – offer to NCVYS members
For more information about membership and to see a full list of current NCVYS members please visit http://bit.ly/NCVYSmembers
With first aid and health and safety skills, you can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. NCVYS is pleased to be partnering with St John Ambulance to offer a negotiated 15% discount on a range of their First Aid, and Health and Safety courses – exclusively for our membership.
UK Youth and Microsoft launch national IT skills project
Every year, up to 150,000* people die in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live – which is why St John Ambulance, a NCVYS member, aims to equip young people, workers, volunteers and others in every community with vital life saving skills.
Microsoft is celebrating 30 years in the UK by launching a ground breaking charity partnership with UK Youth. Microsoft will promote its existing training, work experience and apprenticeship opportunities through the UK Youth network. It will also be offering 30 youth clubs across the country the chance to become IT Youth Hubs who will receive a technology makeover and support from an IT mentor. This partnership follows the success of Microsoft’s Britain Works campaign, which aimed to help 500,000 people into work by the end of 2012 through training, apprenticeships and work experience. To date, this campaign has supported over 480,000 people many of whom are 16-24 years- old.
For more information on claiming this discount please visit http://bit.ly/SJAdiscount Please note, that the First Aid course made available through this opportunity has no direct link to the new First Aid accredited unit in the Level 2 Working with Young People qualification. For more information about the Level 2 Working with Young People qualification please contact claire@ncvys.org.uk *Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, 2008 (for England & Wales).
For more information visit http://bit.ly/UKYMicro
Send in your member news We are always on the lookout for stories and news about our membership. If you have a story that you would like to share with our network of over 290 members and the readership of Exchange, please contact the Exchange editor via press@ncvys.org.uk
OPINION I was doing it for all the young people who I have sat with on several youth participation teams throughout the country. I hope that some of these young people were watching me on the BBC! When I passed over the torch to the next bearer, I made sure that I performed a small dance, as I am involved with the Arts, and I wanted to demonstrate this to the world.
Young Torchbearers shine in light of the Olympic flame As the Olympic flame has wound its way up/down/through/side-to-side/back and forth across the country, there’s been a fantastic turn out of support from the public. Braving the drizzle and cooler than normal temperatures, many have lined the torchbearer’s routes to see the flame, which itself has managed to (mostly!) burn brightly. And it’s been great. From toddlers to grandparents, the flame’s route has been lined by thousands of people, and has been watched by millions online and via their television screens; in total the flame will have travelled to within an hour of 95% of the people in the UK – quite a journey! The London 2012 website states the Olympic flame stands for peace, unity and friendship, and that its route will enable local communities to shine a light on the best their area has to offer. But how exactly does this work? How does the flame show the best that local communities have to offer? Well, this is where the torchbearers come in. Because, after all, what’s better about a community than the people who live in it? Here at NCVYS we’re continually amazed by the young people who work with us – by their resourcefulness, determination, and simply by who they just are. We caught up with a few who’ve been given the opportunity to be torchbearers and asked them about the experience. We interviewed Jhon and Megan before they carried the torch, and Ceri and Jaffer afterwards. Here’s what they said...
Jhon Bateman, 15, Leicestershire I’m really excited at being selected – something to remember forever! I want the wider community to know that there are young people out there who are doing good things, and I hope the flame will be a really positive event for everyone here. Hopefully the Olympics in general will help show how much we need volunteers, and will promote the fantastic work they already do, all across the country. Not only does volunteering help others, but as a side effect I found I’ve also benefitted – gaining work experience and transferrable skills.
Megan Fearnley
Megan Fearnley, 19, Cumbria I am over the moon about being selected to be an Olympic Torch Bearer! I have had a difficult few years and things have not gone right for me in a long time, but being selected to be an Olympic Torch Bearer has been the most amazing news I have ever had. I’m honoured to be a part of the London 2012 Olympics and just being involved is more than enough. I am currently a part time youth worker for a charity organisation called Young Cumbria. I’ve been involved with Young Cumbria since I was a young person and have worked my way through the organisation to where I am today. I think the Olympic torch will have a positive impact not just on my community, but on all; it will change the way people think and boost their confidence to do what they want to in life. The legacy of the games will be huge for young people, not just in Cumbria, but all over. This is partly because of the funding that is available for youth groups to improve facilities for sports to continue after the games, but also over the next few months our programme is all about the Olympics and getting different sporting professions in to teach our young people new sports and skills. I hope the games also inspire a lot more people to volunteer more regularly. I think due to the current state of the economy the sector would not be able to survive without the use and help of their volunteers. Young Cumbria rely on their volunteers to support the young people to develop to their full potential.
Jaffer Hussain, 24, Blackburn Carrying the torch felt amazing! The buzz, the atmosphere, and the people – all of them were just perfect – I had dreamt for a long time about how it would it feel and the entire day surpassed anything I imagined. The weather that day was one of the worst the Torch has ever had to endure (that’s what one of the Torch Bearer Stewards told me) but that didn’t stop the people coming out to support and cheer me on. Unfortunately I couldn’t run in my hometown, but six car-fulls of people still came with me as support.
Ceri Davies, 22, West Midlands
I got drenched waiting for the torch to reach me, but it was so exciting I spent the time soaking in not only the rain but the atmosphere too! Then from the corner of my eye I saw the flame coming towards me. I shook hands with the torch bearer and our torches met with mine receiving the flame and I was off! I started a slow jog towards the next torch bearer and from the corner of my eye I saw my brothers on one side running with me and my friends on the other. The wind and the rain got more ferocious as I continued my jog but I was just loving it! The people were encouraging me on, whooping, cheering and shouting as I ran past them. After a few minutes I saw the next torch bearer and as I approached her she swung out her arm, we joined together and did a little jig! The crowd went crazy and so did the stewards – everyone loved it!
On Saturday 30th June, I carried the Olympic Torch through Wolverhampton which was a great honour and definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It was brilliant to see all my family, friends and supporters lining the streets for me and, when I stepped off the bus, I was shocked and overwhelmed at how many people were there to cheer me on. As I was carrying the torch I felt as though
How will the Olympics impact our communities? Much like the Royal wedding last year and the Jubilee this summer, the Games and the Torch relay bring communities together in a shared celebration. These events show inclusion and cohesion, and I really hope they help people to realise that despite our differences, we’re all in this together.
Jhon Bateman
Ceri Davies
Carrying the torch felt amazing! The buzz, the atmosphere, and the people – all of them were just perfect!
Jaffer Hussain
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POLICY ANALYSIS
POLICY UPDATE
Sport
NCVYS consultation responses
Creating a sporting habit for life: A new youth sport strategy In January Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt launched Creating a sporting habit for life: A new youth sport strategy. The £1 billion, five-year youth and community sport strategy aims to inspire a generation to get involved in sport – a promise made in the 2012 Games bid. A Parliamentary Question revealed that this was mostly financed by the National Lottery, with £200 million from the Treasury. The strategy will be delivered by Sport England. It includes £100 million for tackling the drop-off in sports participation that can happen when young people leave school - Sport England recently found that the number of 16-19 year olds playing sport three times a week has fallen from 930,400 in 07/08 to 825,900 in 10/11. Some of this will be invested in new school-based sports clubs, which will be distinct from PE – expert coaches will run sessions and the clubs will be linked to existing local community sports clubs. £50 million will be invested in sport provision at further education colleges and universities. The strategy includes funding to open up school sport facilities to the local community – Sport England has recently published guidance to help schools to do this. With 76% of sports halls, 73% of artificial grass pitches, 29% of swimming pools and 52% of grass pitches in England in the education sector it is vital that these facilities are used during evenings and weekends. The strategy will invest over £50m between now and 2017 in sports clubs and voluntary and community groups. It also asks sports governing bodies, where young people are the main participants, to spend around 60% of their funding on activities that promote sport as a habit for life amongst young people. It aims to deliver: consistent growth in sports participation in the 14 - 25 age range; high quality talent development; and a growth in participation by people who have disabilities. There is plenty of evidence that sport can be a fantastic tool to engage and work with young people in the most deprived communities – New Philanthropy Capital found that sport can often be the 'hook' needed to engage young people in wider programmes of education and support. However, a report from the Centre for Social Justice suggests that Britain’s poorest young people stand to gain little from the massive investment in the 2012 Games. It says an overhaul of the sports system is needed to connect sports with the most vulnerable young people – with links with voluntary and community organisations vital. An Ofsted survey of school sports found that schools should build strong partnerships with local voluntary and community groups in order to engage young people in sport – especially those at risk of adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Further challenges to engaging all young people in sport remain: a recent report from the Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation found that more than half of secondary school girls are put off sport by their experiences of school PE, with only 12% of 14-year-old girls are achieving the recommended levels of exercise. The report suggests that girls don’t like the activities on offer and that schools should make PE a trial rather than a pleasure. Further research from NSPCC has found that issues surrounding body image and emotional abuse are “commonplace” in organised sport. The Sport and Recreation Alliance has identified that in order for the 150,000 sports clubs across the UK to fully benefit their communities there needs to be a reduction in red tape and bureaucracy. Their most recent report Red Card to Red Tape: One Year On is an update on the progress that has been made in the campaign. This includes details of proposals for a refreshed Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme, a new code on insurance liability and changes to the vetting and barring framework through the Protection of Freedoms (further details will be available when guidance is produced). Yet many barriers are still in place – there are still challenges to be overcome to ensure that investment in sport delivers for all young people. To view links to articles mentioned above please visit http://bitly.com/bundles/ncvys/l.
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NCVYS continues to submit consultation responses in order to inform and influence policy that impacts on young people and the voluntary sector at a local, regional and national level. On behalf of Catalyst we submitted a joint response with Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS) to the Big Lottery Fund's consultation ‘Building Capabilities for Impact and Legacy'. The response argued for investment in existing infrastructure support and for a focus on support with obtaining core funding and developing sustainability. Our joint response with Clinks to the Justice Select Committee's inquiry into Youth Justice said that the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector is well placed to offer the holistic services necessary to meet the needs of particularly vulnerable groups of offenders such as children and young people. We put together a working group of our members and partners to respond to the Department for Education’s Draft Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on Services and Activities to Improve Young People's Wellbeing. We supported the Changemakers response to the Department of Health on the draft guidance on joint strategic needs assessments and health and wellbeing strategies. The response called for the guidance to be stronger in stressing the importance of taking the needs of children and young people into account. If you would like to inform NCVYS's responses, please contact Faiza Chaudary, Director of Policy and Communications E: faiza@ncvys.org.uk
Briefing papers Social Enterprise UK, on behalf of the Catalyst consortium, have published Social Enterprise and youth policy. The paper sets out the findings from Social Enterprise UK's work over the last few months with social enterprises and with young people themselves. The National Youth Agency, on behalf of the Catalyst consortium, has produced a briefing paper summarising key points of Budget 2012 that relate to young people and the voluntary and community youth sector (VCYS). NCVYS, on behalf of the Department for Education’s Overarching Strategic Partnership, has published a briefing on gangs. It includes information on the Government's paper, Ending Gang and Youth Violence: A Cross-Government Report, including further evidence and good practice case studies. It also outlines details of a new approach to gangs in London. Other partners in the Overarching Strategic Partnership have recently published briefings which are available on the Children England website. This includes areas such as the Localism Act, the Review of Charities Act, Music Licensing, Social Value and Supporting Children and Young People whose First Language is not English. On behalf of the Department for Education’s Overarching Strategic Partnership, NCVYS also held a number of events in early 2012. These were to support those working in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector with children, young people and families. The Unemployment Roundtable shared knowledge of Rathbone’s perspective on youth unemployment. The Eye of the Storm seminar was a one-day, multi-sector health and wellbeing seminar for service planners and practitioners. The Justice for Youth and Free from Trouble seminar (29 February, London) explored youth justice, early intervention and the riots with Leap Confronting Conflict and Just for Kids Law. Policy classes looked at prominent areas of policy development: localism, education, safeguarding and benefit reforms. Notes and briefing papers from the events are available on the events section of our website. To find copies of our consultations, briefing and policy papers mentioned in this article, please take a look at the Influencing Policy pages of our website: http://www.ncvys.org.uk/influencing.html
ENVOY
Young Partners Update (Youth participation at NCVYS) Now in its ninth year, the Young Partners Award (YPA) is a celebration of voluntary and community youth organisations who involve young people in the decision-making processes of their organisation. Nominations opened in February 2012 and after receiving a large number of applications from youth organisations and projects across the country, preparation for this year’s awards is well on the way. Members from our national youth forum, ENVOY, are working alongside our youth participation staff to ensure this year’s award process is a great success.
Nominations are now closed and five organisations were long-listed to the next stage of the awards process. ENVOY members visited each of the five long-listed projects to meet the people that make the project what it is. The visits gave our teams the chance to evidence the projects’ nomination forms, what it means to the people involved and how they have benefitted. Following these visits three organisations have been shortlisted in each award category for the final Awards ceremony on October 20 2012. The YPA awards help to develop the skills and experiences of ENVOY members as they plan, shortlist and deliver the entire awards process and ceremony. If you’re a young person aged 11-25 with an interest in events management and you’d like to help plan next year’s awards, then please email envoy@ncvys.org.uk.
Delegates listen to youth participation seminar at a NCVYS event
Regional showcase events
Hot topics
The Young Partners Award places a great emphasis on youth participation and best practise sharing across the Voluntary and Community youth Sector. As part of the YPA process, NCVYS will be hosting three regional showcase events in the Midlands, North, and South, w/c 13th and 20th August 2012. Shortlisted organisations will showcase their work, exploring the successes and challenges to working in partnership with young people. Previous events have been well attended and offer regional organisations the opportunity to learn and share with each other. All participants will have the opportunity to:
Do you work with young people aged 11-25? Then why not tell them about our new Hot Topics forum, an online space for young people to discuss and debate topics that impact their lives. Hot Topics will be posted on the ENVOY Facebook page for young people to share their thoughts and experiences. This information will support our young person’s policy group, which exists to inform NCVYS’s core work by representing the views and opinions of young people around the country. For further information about Hot Topics please email envoy@ncvys.org.uk .
• network with youth practitioners and professionals in the sector; • learn how other organisations engage young people in their work; • find out more about NCVYS, the Young Partners Award and how you can apply next year; • take away hints and tips to bring back to your organisation. Further information on how you can sign up to attend these FREE events is now available on our website at: www.ncvys.org.uk. In the meantime if you’d like to speak to our team about the events please email: envoy@ncvys.org.uk.
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AN OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE How the 2012 Games present an incredible opportunity for young people in Britain, but a very real threat to vulnerable youths elsewhere Through a number of youth work projects, community support programmes and of course, our family of academies, Oasis works with countless young people across the country. To be involved with someone’s life, particularly at the formative stage in their development is a huge privilege. However, at a time where public perceptions of our youth are at an all-time low, it is also an awesome responsibility. These negative perceptions of young people have been growing steadily worse for a number of years. Since the tragic and dramatic riots of last summer, many people in the media, government and society in general have made no attempt to hide their disdain for the standards of the younger generation. According to our teachers, youth workers and community support teams, this has left our nation’s youth feeling concerned, hurt, angry and confused as to why so many people feel they have so little to offer. The 2012 London Olympic Games are an opportunity for this to change. Throughout history, the iconic sporting occasion has always been about more than athletics. It has been about cultural richness, team spirit and national pride. By coming almost a year after the dramatic scenes of last summer, the games give British young people an opportunity to show the world just how determined they are to be positive members of their society. But to do this, they need help and guidance. Oasis – like many other organisations that are entrusted with the care of children and teenagers – is determined not to let this opportunity pass us by and has launched two projects that enable our young people and others to celebrate the Olympic spirit that is spreading through the nation.
100 Days of Peacemaking The need to promote peace is not new to the 2012 Olympics. In fact, it has been one of the core tenants of the Games since the very beginning. According to the age-old tradition, each participating country pledged to maintain 50 days of peace before
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the Olympics to enable all athletes to travel safely to the host country. And then, after the event had finished, peace was maintained for a further 50 days in order to allow safe passage home. This year, thanks to a new Oasis campaign, 100 Days of Peacemaking will benefit far more than just the travelling athletes. Playing on the ancient tradition, we will be calling on young people across the country to use these 100 days to re-establish their commitment to peace making – not just peace. Across our hubs in the UK, we will be looking at what it really means to be a peace maker and we’re inviting other people to join the challenge. We want people to think about peace, what it means to them personally and how they can build towards more peaceful homes, schools, streets and communities. What are the issues where you live and what can you do to help contribute to more peaceful communities? As part of this campaign a group of young people from across our academies recently travelled to London where they spent the day together exploring these questions. At the end of the day, they were able to contribute to a debate led by David Lammy, MP for Tottenham on the causes of the riots. During the day, students and staff all made pledges about making their communities places of peace and places that create peace. These pledges covered a broad area including developing relationships with local police, playing a role in Restorative Justice, supporting Care Homes and rebuilding trusts with local businesses. Throughout the campaign, other activities have included peace rallies in different parts of the country and local ‘People’s Parliament’ events where local MPs and decision makers have been invited to debate issues such as knife crime and gang violence. These local expressions are leaving communities in no doubt whatsoever as to the positive role that young people want to play in society.
we will be calling on young people across the country to use these 100 days to re-establish their commitment to peace making – not just peace.
Oasis Olympics The Olympic Games may only involve a limited number of athletes and take place in a specific location but through our very own ‘Oasis Olympics’ we are giving young people from across our family of academies the chance to have their very own taste of Olympic victory this summer. During this event, the top athletes from each of the 14 Oasis Academies will travel to Nottingham to compete against each other in a selection of Olympic events with one school emerging as the champion. Each event during the games will be an Olympic activity with teams competing under typical Olympic conditions. Throughout our time working with young people, we have learnt how important sport can be to a child’s development. As well as the obvious benefits of exercise to a person’s wellbeing, physical activities encourage a great sense of team spirit and inspire young people to achieve and apply themselves. However, the Oasis Olympics is about far more than the young people actually taking part in the event on the day. Ahead of these we have already seen a broader group of students ‘virtually’ compete against each other across a range of events including a cooper run, sit up test and long jump. And the celebrations have extended beyond athletics. Over the past six months, each of our academies has taken it in turns to host the Oasis Olympic flag, mirroring the way that the Olympic Torch travels around the world until it reaches the host country. This has given the academies the chance to host ceremonies in the presence of local dignitaries and ensure the whole school and wider community has had a chance to celebrate the Olympic Spirit.
An opportunity but also a threat There is no doubt that the Olympics create a huge opportunity for young people; in fact it will probably be another generation before our youth have the chance to show a global audience that the future is safe in their hands. However, for anyone who is passionate about the next generation the 2012 Games also present a very real threat; for every opportunity to improve engagement with and the reputation of youths in Britain, there is a very real danger that the spectacle of the Olympics will be used to entice people from around the world away from their homes and into a life of human trafficking. As a member of the ‘STOP THE TRAFFIK’ coalition, Oasis is committed to supporting activities that ensure the athletes, not the traffickers are ultimate winners of the 2012 Olympics. Every year, millions of people are tricked into leaving their home by being promised a better life elsewhere. When they arrive at their destination however, they discover that they have been deceived and in one form or another, live a life of modern-day slavery. This crime is known as ‘Human Trafficking’, and the fact that London – already one of the most popular destinations for traffickers - is hosting the Olympics only adds to its appeal as an opportunity to make money for its perpetrators.
An Academy student addresses the audience at an Oasis People's Parliament event - Peace at Home and Abroad & Restoring Peace
Human Trafficking can take a number of different forms including domestic servitude, forced street crime, sexual exploitation and forced labour. Whatever the differences in the ultimate exploitation however, trafficking tends to begin in a similar way, with people tricked or taken against their will and transported into a form of slavery. It might be that parents are deceived into releasing their children or into selling them for as little as $20 to a local gangmaster or serious organised international trafficking ring, convinced that they were going to give them the chance of ‘a better life’. But there is something that can be done. Human trafficking is fundamentally an act of deception; a reality that will be creatively illustrated through STOP THE TRAFFIK’s campaign featuring giant gift boxes located in Cathedrals and in key locations elsewhere across London from 13th July – 12th August. On the outside, these walk-in pieces of public art have the look and feel of intriguing gifts, symbolising the enticing promises made by traffickers. However, on the inside they will contain a three dimensional, thought-provoking and interactive experience that will introduce all those who enter to the reality of human trafficking as well as suggesting ways in which visitors can help to bring an end to this global crime.
Mood board at an Oasis youth event
But to really make this work, we need your help. The gift boxes need to be manned by volunteers who care about the cause and would be able to answer visitors questions as well as help them navigate around the boxes. Can you give a week or more to help make a difference? For more information please visit http://www.ungiftbox.org www.oasisuk.org
A STOP THE TRAFFIK giant gift box
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CONNECTIONS Young people and sport & leisure Research has claimed that fewer young people are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity outside of school, so NCVYS recently carried out our own study to see if we would draw a similar conclusion. Our survey asked young people aged 11-25 what local services they use in their area and what services they would like to see more of. Sports and leisure facilities came up as one of the top services that young people engage in and also wished to see more of in their area. Responses such as, ‘I enjoy using the local leisure centre because the services they provide keep me fit and healthy’ and ‘more leisure/ recreational facilities should be introduced to local areas’ demonstrate the educational benefits of regularly participating in physical activity.
There are a number of initiatives set up to inspire young people to take part in sport. StreetGames, a charity bringing sport to the doorstep of young people in disadvantaged communities across the UK, are one of the organisations doing just that. Founded in 2007, they have over 200 sporting projects across the UK with an astonishing 150,000 young people regularly taking part. Participants also have the opportunity to earn accredited qualifications as well as becoming organisers and coaches for other young people. StreetGames’ involvement in the London 2012 Olympics was another key motivation for young people to participate in sports, with many of the projects having some involvement in the olympics. To find out more about StreetGames and how they engage young people in sports, as well as their involvement in the olympics, then check out their website: www.streetgames.org
COMMUNICATIONS The image bank corruption Every organisation needs a good bank of usable photos. Whether it’s for a flyer, your website, annual report, or presentation for the trustees, images can define who you are, and what you’re trying to achieve. However, organisations often find it a struggle to keep an image bank stocked with usable photos in terms of quality and content. So here are a few tips to help you on your way. 1. Settings
5. All the ‘grounds’ – foreground and background
Unless you know your way around all the settings on your camera, use the auto setting to ensure satisfactory results.
Try not to use distracting or overly busy backgrounds and avoid strong lines in the surrounding area that might lead the eye away from the subject. Depth of field is key here. Changing your aperture can make the background blurry and help the subject to stand out.
2. Use your legs Optical zoom will only take you so far, and while digital zooms should be steered clear of, the most effective zoom you’ve got is your legs – use them!
6. Flash
3. The ‘law of thirds’
Flash can be harsh if used in a dimly-lit room, so if the subject isn’t moving about and it’s not too dark, you’ll often find you get better results by turning it off. Keep in mind that raising your ISO can help when the flash is turned off.
In your mind’s eye, try dividing your viewfinder into three horizontal and vertical lines. Where the lines dissect are natural focal points – try placing your subject at one of these points.
4. Quality – 300dpi For use in print and online, you should be aiming for images of 300dpi. Most digital cameras should allow you to alter the settings to ensure pictures are high res.
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7. Organise your photos Keep your online files manageable and make sure you keep a separate folder for duplicates suitable for promotional purposes; e.g. not all the photos you take will work on your website, but for those that do, keep a specific folder and copy photos across as you upload them to your image bank.
8. Get photo consent Ensure you have consent forms signed by a parent/guardian or the subject if over 16, BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTOS. As well as being very serious in terms of safeguarding, it’ll also potentially save you a lot of time should anything go wrong.
IDEAS BANK Funding, partnerships, and the whole wide world Having had the privilege of working with many partners from across the globe and all the perks that go with it – lots of travel and the opportunity to test the aptitude for foreign languages over and over, to name but two – I often wonder why we English are so reluctant to venture our outlook beyond this island of ours on a more regular basis. In my experience, ‘international co-production’ was not about kudos and travel opportunities, it was often the only way to raise the necessary funds. The reduction of funds to the voluntary sector is not news, but where some look overseas for partnerships, there is no reason for it not to happen more. After all, one of the most powerful gains from working in a partnership is the learning and shared expertise – why not widen that pot? The Olympics, as with many sporting events, gives us the opportunity to see how other countries do things. I’m a big fan of the tennis and watching Wimbledon I despair at the annual comments from some pundit wondering why we have such trouble getting ourselves a champion. Invariably they ask what is it the Spanish/Swiss/Germans/Americans do that we don’t. I don’t think any of us can really answer that question, but I am often left wondering why we keep asking it and don’t just go and look at what the others do and make it happen here.
Adam Bradford at his main company's launch - UnITe Computing - last June
I would wholeheartedly recommend time spent abroad to any young person – not on ‘holiday’ but really ‘living’, experiencing another way of doing things. This may seem unreachable to some, but there are opportunities out there, it just takes a bit of looking. Stepping over that channel, quite literally broadens horizons, builds independence, respect and tolerance while keeping those eyes open. There really is so much more than this island and an awful lot more than a package tour. On that note, I will leave the last word to one of our ENVOY members Adam Bradford, who is also young entrepreneur in his own right and advisor to yeah CIC: "As a young entrepreneur I've been on quite a journey following a tough school life, suffering rejection and bullying. But now I'm making a success of myself I really feel as if it's my duty to give back to others who deserve opportunities. That's why I'm taking part in a number of international opportunities this year, including taking a group of young businesspeople over to France to develop their business ideas, spreading the enterprising message in India, and also working with a number of Universities in the USA to further inspire and support young people with untapped potential. I can't wait, and want other young people to get involved too. To join in with my international work and for support, the best method of contact is through Twitter: @Entre_Adam." Beth Parker, Director of Service Development, NCVYS yeah CIC – Taking the Best to the Rest For further details on yeah CIC, please don’t hesitate to contact the Service Development team: Takita Bartlett, Marketing and Support Officer takita@ncvys.org.uk
NCVYS Director of Service Development Beth Parker
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GOING FOR GOLD: THE CHALLENGE FOR GUIDING IN AN OLYMPIC YEAR
Worcester Brownies pass their Olympic Torch between units, inspired by On Your Marks
Headline-grabbing research from the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation suggests that many girls avoid physical activity because they don’t enjoy their school PE lessons, lack confidence in their own abilities, or just dislike getting sweaty. As a response to these figures and to celebrate the Olympic and
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Paralympic Games coming to the UK, Girlguiding UK developed three tools: activity pack On Your Marks…, downloadable toolkit Celebrate! and blogsite Global Conversations. As the largest organisation for girls and women in the UK, we’re particularly well placed to reach and inspire women – and it certainly
helps that the Olympic and Paralympic values run throughout our programme. Our Statement of Purpose means that everything we do ‘enables girls and young women to develop their potential and to make a difference to the world’, and every member thinks seriously about the commitment involved in promising to ‘do her best’.
On Your Marks… In their regular meetings, thousands of girls across the UK have been inspired by the Games and supported by our pack of activities and badges. On Your Marks… brings the sport, culture and values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games into the meeting place. Girls can try new sports (or invent their own), find out about the culture surrounding the Games – from inspiring graffiti to street theatre – and explore values that guiding and the Games share, with activities promoting friendship, equality and respect. The youngest Rainbows can learn about the importance of fairness in games (and life), and older girls and young women are challenged to produce TV reports about their local area or speak to their MP about the Olympic Truce. Jane Riley, a Brownie Leader from Worcester says, ‘Most units in the area are using On Your Marks… at the moment. The girls love picking their own activities and choosing something a bit different. Although they are studying the Olympics at school, it’s great to be able to supplement their learning with some more creative activities (like making their own Greek pots) and some active ones, like inventing and demonstrating their own sports – a lot of them involving hula hoops! The girls love working in small groups to come up with their own ideas. We held a mini-Games in March and in preparation they passed their own Olympic Torch between all the units in the Division. Each handover became quite an event! The actual Torch will be passing through this area soon and it means even more to the girls now.’
International links We’re keen to remind everyone that guiding is a global phenomenon. Girlguiding UK is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) – a movement of ten million girls and women worldwide. We’ve set up a blog called Guiding Conversations on which adult volunteers and girls from any WAGGGS Member Organisation can share their thoughts on each of the Olympic and Paralympic values, how they relate to guiding and the ways they’ve come alive. It’s a fantastic way to share ideas and give members an idea of what guiding is like outside their home country.
An Olympic Year Our third key resource, called Celebrate!, is designed to help Leaders plan larger Games-inspired events and has youth participation at its heart. It’s our chance to support Leaders and to help them include girls in the planning process from the start. Jane tells us, ‘The Celebrate! toolkit was very useful when planning our Division’s mini-Games as it gave us a structure to follow. It also meant that we incorporated the culture and values elements into our event, and the girls are getting a better understanding of the Olympic values as a result.’ Once planned, each event – from activity days to sleepovers – is plotted on an interactive map so each unit can see how it fits into the bigger picture. Thirteen Guide units in Exeter have pooled their resources to organise a series of events that everyone can contribute to. Each unit represents a different country and will compete in several events – from swimming, to team sports like football and netball, to the final athletics event and closing ceremony in September. Nicola Durman, Exeter Division Commissioner, says, ‘We’ve had support from many sources – the tennis club where one
of our Leaders is a member has let us use its facilities, we’re working with the Sea Scouts for the raft-building and canoeing, and the Trefoil Guild is sponsoring and presenting the medals. The girls are really enjoying working as a team – and the competitive element will definitely increase as the points stack up over the summer!’
Thank you! We’re also taking this opportunity to turn the spotlight on our volunteers and the fantastic work they do for girls, often behind the scenes. Many of the Olympic Torchbearers were selected because of their services to guiding, and as well as being a public ‘thank you’ for some of our hardest-working volunteers, it will drum up some well-earned publicity for local guiding. It’s important to remember that we are not changing our core programme to fit in with the Olympic Games. Our values have always been the same and there is a great match between guiding’s ethos and the Olympic and Paralympic values. That’s something that girls will be constantly reminded of this year – sport isn’t about selfishly trying to beat everyone else at any cost; it’s about teamwork, equality and friendship too.
Local inspiration Chris Smith, a Leader with 1st Buckingham Brownies, explains, ‘Stoke Mandeville was the birthplace of the Paralympics so we’ve organised a Fun Day at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in September for around 2,000 girls and their Leaders. We made contact with WheelPower [a charity that supports disabled sport] and they have helped by booking wheelchair basketball and rugby lessons, organising site visits, and coming to our meetings. We are fundraising for WheelPower in return so it’s a productive partnership for us both.’ This project also won the Inspire Mark – recognition from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) that it shares the Olympic and Paralympic values – just as On Your Marks… and Celebrate! did at a national level. ‘Gaining the Inspire Mark wasn’t particularly difficult – it was just a matter of explaining how guiding works and that our ethos and the Olympic ethos are very similar,’ says Chris. Gaining the Inspire Mark means Girlguiding UK was entitled to use a selection of LOCOG trademarks on our resources and gain the kudos of being officially ‘inspired by’ the Games.
Try something new Essentially our aim during the Olympic year has been to ensure that every girl is able to try something new, in the safe and supportive girl-only environment which guiding provides. Our resources enable volunteers to adapt their plans to the age and interest of girls, and make the most of local facilities. The greatest legacy for Girlguiding UK is that girls will be inspired to try new things, get involved with their communities and build links with other organisations. Both the Olympic Games and guiding have a long and illustrious history and a strong set of values, and both movements are inspired (rather than constrained) by their past. Just as the Games embrace new sports and technology, guiding moves with the times, conducting research into girls’ perceptions of role models and remaining receptive to the needs of girls in the 21st century.
Badges which girls can earn by completing challenges from the Culture, Values and Sport section of On Your Marks
Our ten top tips for an Olympic year: 1. Girls in the lead – provide a varied and exciting programme and encourage young people to make their own choices as they respond to the Olympic challenge. 2. Use national events to spark new ideas – but use the publicity to highlight the great work you already do. 3. Demonstrate Olympic values in action – and ask volunteers to share the ways they have talked about the values with young people. 4. Thank your volunteers – make the most of their time in the limelight! 5. Surprise people – find an unusual way to celebrate, or an angle that is unique to your organisation. 6. Cooperate – within the organisation, with other groups, and internationally. And keep these links alive after 2012. 7. Dispel myths – do girls think that football is just for boys? Do potential volunteers think that they don’t have time to commit to volunteering with you? 8. Sell the values – remind members how topical their work is and how valuable they are for instilling determination, courage and friendship in young people. 9. Share the national and international picture – remind everyone that they are part of a larger movement which achieves great things. 10. Support members and understand the demands on their time – provide ‘pick up and go’ resources to make it easy, as well as a challenge for the more ambitious.
Suzie Green, Programme and Events Manager at Girlguiding UK Useful links: www.girlguiding.org.uk www.girlguidingukshop.co.uk www.guidingglobalconversations.blogspot.com www.wagggs.org www.facebook.com/girlguidinguk www.twitter.com/girlguidinguk
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CASE STUDY
A visit to the slums of Kampala to meet some of the street kids in the places where they ëliveí
Learning how to make friendship bracelets in a microenterprise set up by some street kids in Kampala
Teaching the street kids numbers and colours, through a game of Uno
360 Trust - Ready, set, go....to Uganda In October 2011, a team of eight adults and young hopefuls from The Lighthouse Group and two team leaders from The 360 Trust, travelled to Uganda for a two week stay. The trip, organised by The 360 Trust, gave the young people an opportunity to participate in voluntary work overseas, and in doing so to learn more about themselves, develop self-worth, and gain new skills, while also benefitting the local community. Here’s the story of their trip.... The 360 Trust works with locally based partners in the UK to provide life-changing opportunities for UK-based young people living in and seeking to overcome difficult circumstances to go on shortterm trips abroad and serve with overseas partners in less developed countries. On this trip, The 360 Trust partnered with The Lighthouse Group (TLG) who work with excluded young people or those who are at risk of exclusion, combining education with personal development to help bring about life change. The team travelled to Uganda and spent two weeks working with local projects in Kampala and the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Types of work undertaken involved leading catch-up education sessions and sports workshops with Kampala street kids, teaching at rural primary schools, and leading impromptu play sessions for children at an orphanage and in the Acholi informal settlement. The young people took the lead in planning and delivering the sessions with support from the adult team members, and it was very powerful seeing the same young people who have had such negative education experiences in the past, take on the role of teacher in a positive and empowering way. This aspect of the trip had a great impact on all the young people, both through the experience of discovering the ability to stand up in front of a class of children, imparting knowledge to them in a fun
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and interactive way, but also in generating a new respect for education in general; those still in education have returned to it with a significantly improved attitude.
Case study: Nathan* is 16 and spent three months with TLG after being excluded from school for drugs-related offences. At the time of the trip he had successfully completed two months in a different school. In July 2012 Nathan will sit a number of GCSEs before hopefully progressing to study IT in a local college. ‘I’m a lot more focused in school now,” said Nathan, “largely because I want to go back one day and make a difference. I now see the value of education a lot more and how important it is.”
Impacts of the trip varied between team members; attitudes to money, poverty, wastefulness, family and helping others were all cited as having changed for the better.
Case study: Steve* is 20 and left school with poor GCSEs and no plans. The trip to Uganda was a big boost to Steve’s self-confidence, especially with regard to youth work, and as a result he is now looking at an NVQ in health and social care to improve his qualifications and employability. In preparation for that he has enrolled in GCSE maths and English evening classes. Steve believes the trip’s impact is still having an effect: “‘Cos of seeing children with no food, I just have sensible portion sizes, rather than eating for the sake of it and being greedy like I was before. When I see homeless people now I buy them some food rather than just giving some money. ’Cos of seeing the kids in the slum who were addicted to glue etc. I don’t want to encourage others to have addictions by helping them buy the stuff. And, I have more confidence in talking to people generally.”
Funding for the trip came from a range of sources, but one of the key aspects was that the young people were involved in the fundraising themselves, and as a result took more ownership of the journey. The skills developed through the fundraising activities were also a positive benefit, including team work, speaking in front of others, letter writing, and making contact with businesses.
I’m a lot more focused in school now... largely because I want to go back one day and make a difference. The 360 Trust is interested in working with other UK-based agencies to provide this sort of opportunity to other disadvantaged young people. Trips can be to a number of different developing countries due to the wide range of international links that the 360 Trust has, and the types of voluntary work undertaken can be equally diverse and designed to best suit the skill mix of the participants. * Names have been changed to protect identity
If your organisation would like to explore this possibility further, please contact Helen Harrison, helen@the360trust.org.uk For more information visit our website: www.the360trust.org.uk Find us on Facebook: The 360 Trust Follow us on Twitter: @Helen360Trust
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Nichola Brown, Workforce Development Officer
Working in youth sports - supporting future Olympic hopefuls and young people’s active enjoyment in sport
Go on, take a guess – what’s the level of sports activity in the VCS? Well, current figures show that the largest number of staff and volunteers that work with young people in this country is in the field of youth sports... And with the London Olympics upon us, and the drive to promote healthy lifestyles and fight obesity, this area of work is set to grow even more popular. In the report A Picture Worth Millions: State of the young people’s workforce, published in 2009 by the Children’s Workforce Development Council, it stated that 363,000 paid staff work with young people aged 13-19 and up to 25 for those with learning difficulties or disability, and an incredible 3.4 million volunteer!
Roles available The type of roles available to those working in youth sports include: coaches, sport leaders, sport development workers, lifeguards, officials and leisure attendants. The work will vary according to the organisation and the particular job, but it is likely to involve a lot of face-to-face work with young people, coaching or leading sporting activities, as well as associated administrative duties. As well as planning and delivering structured sessions, you are likely to be supporting volunteers and young sport leaders in delivering activities for young people. At times youth sport workers are required to motivate and inspire young people from diverse backgrounds to be active, as well as supporting them to overcome any barriers to participation. The Olympics will certainly help youth sport workers to inspire young people to enjoy sport and raise their aspirations to become future Olympic hopefuls.
What’s great about being a youth sports worker? Graham Norman, a Youth Development Officer (Sport) for seven years at Warwickshire Clubs for Young people explains what is so great about his job: “Having a positive impact on young people and creating opportunities for them to change, as they are the future....I enjoy residentials and being able to pass on skills.”
Graham Norman, Youth Development Officer, Warwickshire Clubs for Young people
Gaining experience and skills through volunteering Another youth sports worker who enjoys her role is Sarah Evans, who works as a Community Sports Development Officer for Sporting Futures, a charity based in Derbyshire which engages hard to reach/vulnerable children and young people through sport. Although Sarah is qualified to a very high level (she has completed a degree in Sports Development and Coaching), she also values the skills and experience she gained through volunteering. Sarah initially worked for her current employer as a volunteer then as a paid casual coach and during this time completed a Level 2 Community Sports Leaders Award and various coaching qualifications. One of Sarah’s most exciting volunteering experiences came in the summer of 2010 when she was selected to undertake a three month placement in South Africa as a sports coach (this opportunity was advertised by her university and offered by the Football Foundation of South Africa). Through structured sports sessions delivered in schools and in the community, Sarah and her colleagues delivered the powerful message of the importance of Aids protection. Sarah is of course volunteering at the London 2012 Olympic Games and will be working within the mixed zone at the Aquatics Centre for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Sarah says with regards to the benefits of volunteering “Volunteering is the best thing I ever did. I do not think I would be where I am today if I had not taken up every opportunity which was presented to me.”
Youth Sector Pathways web tool – careers information and qualifications guide for those working with young people Sarah’s skills development journey is featured within a case study, which together with the Youth Sports Worker Careers Information Sheet will be available for download from an exciting new web tool called Youth Sector Pathways. The website is currently being developed by NCVYS. Its aim is to guide employers and the workforce through their training and development options, simplifying qualification choices for those working with young people. There are 15 youth sector pathways to choose from, which feature careers information, progression routes and the qualifications available from Level 1 to Level 4. For example the pathways include youth justice, youth volunteering, youth work and of course sport and recreation. More information: The Youth Sector Pathways is expected to be available during the summer of 2012 and you will be able to find the link to the web tool from the NCVYS web site www.ncvys.org.uk. If you have any queries please contact Gethyn Williams, Director of Workforce Development: email gethyn@ncvys.org.uk. Article written by Nichola Brown, NCVYS’s Workforce Development Officer To read Sarah’s case study in its entirety please visit http://www.ncvys.org.uk/UserFiles/ Training/youth_sports_worker_FINAL.pdf.
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MEET THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE An interview with Caroline Diehl, Chief Executive for the Media Trust
'Adam Bradford [second from left] with the Media Trust team [CEO Catherine Diehl front-right]
Media Trust work with media organisations and charities to enhance their communications and enable communities to find their voice and make it heard What kind of work does Media Trust do with young people and with the voluntary sector? We have a strong belief in the power of media to change lives. We harness the power of the media industry to change those lives and to support charities, communities and young people to have a voice and be heard - from training courses run across the UK, to engaging media professionals to support charities with their communications or to mentor young people working on media projects. We run the national television channel Community Channel and have a range of distribution partnerships with the media industry, so that charities and young people can get their voice out there. Do you have examples of how young peoples' voices can be heard in the media through your work? We run a number of initiatives that get young voices heard. For the past two years we have partnered with The Sun to run a fantastic competition called Column Idol, which gives young people from all walks of life the chance to really shout about what's important to them. Young people submit a short paragraph on
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what they’d like to write about, and six finalists are chosen and supported by journalists from The Sun to develop their creative ideas; the winner gets their whole column printed in The Sun newspaper. Through the project the journalists come into contact with the kinds of young people that in their ordinary day job they would never meet and they start to understand young people in a way that perhaps normally they don't. We hope that this will encourage a more positive reflection of young people in their editorial and in their discussions with each other. Last year we also launched ‘ITV News and ITN Breaking Into News’ to reach out to a huge range of young people who might not normally have an opportunity be heard. It gave young people the chance to be mentored by experienced journalists and to create news packages that would be considered for an ITN news platform. It again used the principle of bringing together journalists working on the news agenda with young people who had issues that they wanted to talk about. On Community Channel we have a fortnightly magazine show created by young people called London360, funded by The City Bridge Trust. It uncovers stories that affect Londoners; stories which don't get into the mainstream media. Through our partnerships, Community Channel’s ten London360 reporters have a regular column
in 'The Voice' newspaper and a regular slot on BBC Radio London. There are also 100 young community reporters who get the opportunity to send in their stories, be mentored by media professionals, and enhance their CV’s. Are you looking forward to the Olympics at Media Trust? We're already starting to tell the stories of young people's groups and activities linked to the Olympics and Paralympics, both around community sports and community cultural and arts activities. There's some fantastic stuff going on around the country. Community Channel is one of those unique platforms where these projects can be seen and heard and those stories about what's going on in the community can be profiled. We're putting lots of pressure on our media partners to take as many of those stories as possible and not just focus on the 'big' games!
How to get involved: Community Channel recruits 100 young people across the year as community reporters for 'London360'. To find out more contact L360@communitychannel.org If you have a short film that you'd think might be right for Community Channel email acquisitionsgroup@communitychannel.org To find out more visit www.mediatrust.org
HEADS UP Do you have news for our readers? Exchange is distributed across the voluntary and community youth sector, going to Chief Executives, Parliamentarians and Civil Servants. We’re always interested in news, articles and case studies in best practice from our members. If you have a story to tell, please contact the editor: E: press@ncvys.org.uk
Annual Conference and AGM – save the date! NCVYS, UK Youth, and Leap Confronting Conflict are delighted to invite you to save the 28 November in your diary for a joint conference. Given the shifting landscape for voluntary sector infrastructure and the tough economic climate, there hasn’t been a more important time to focus on how organisations should be working together – building bridges – in order to continue the invaluable work the sector provides millions of young people throughout the country. In pursuing greater partnership and good stewardship of resources, NCVYS, UK Youth, and Leap Confronting Conflict are teaming up to deliver a joint conference on this theme. The day will also include time for both organisations to hold their AGMs.
Overarching Partnership Events The Department for Education’s Overarching Strategic Partnership are currently planning the below events to support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector serving children, young people and families. More information will be publicised closer to the time, however please do put these dates in your diary. The events will bring together VCSE organisations to learn from each other, exploring planning and service design, as well as developing responses which will be fed back to Government. These events are aimed at frontline VCSE organisations focused on, or interested in working with children, young people and families, as well as VCSE infrastructure bodies.
The front cover for this issue was designed by Alex Boustead Alex is a 27-year-old Graphic Design graduate, based in London. Since completing her studies, Alex has worked within advertising, website and packaging design, where she enjoys using visual communication to express the ideals and aspirations of individual businesses. This is the fourth time that Alex has designed for Exchange. About the design Alex said: “The cover theme draws from the hopes and dreams of young people in light of the 2012 Olympics. People from different communities, both at home and abroad, hold onto expectations about how the London games will impact their lives. Some have higher expectations than others, and celebrate the opportunities the event will bring.” Alex is currently working as a freelance designer and her portfolio can be found at http://www.alexboustead.com. You can contact her via email: E: alex.boustead@gmail.com
Exchange now online NCVYS publishes an online version of Exchange magazine, aimed at readers in the voluntary and community youth sector.
Event
When
Where
Who
Peer learning events on equality and diversity
16 October & 13 November 2012
Liverpool
The Race Foundation
Every Business Matters Training
6 September 2012
Bristol
NAVCA
Localism for Development Workers
26 July 2012
10:00 – 15:00 Leeds St Georges Centre
NAVCA
Readers can view previous issues for free by visiting the link below. NCVYS will still continue to print and distribute issues of Exchange, which members receive free as part of their membership to our network.
Every Business Matters Training
18 September 2012
Norfolk - Cromer
NAVCA
See www.issuu.com/ncvys
Community Asset Management
25 and 26 September 2012
10:00 – 16:00 Norfolk
Community Matters
Community Asset Management
8 and 9 November 2012
10:00 – 16:00 Liverpool
Community Matters
Exchange distribution Exchange is read across the voluntary and community youth sector. We can send bulk copies to offices requiring 10 copies or more. If you or a colleague is receiving Exchange and would like us to stop sending copies, please email Rob Candy, Exchange Editor at E: press@ncvys.org.uk
APPG on Young People and the Olympics
Keep up to date with NCVYS’s information and policy services
The next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs will take place in Westminster in November. It will explore the Olympics and the sporting legacy for young people and their communities. The APPG is a meeting with MPs and young people in Parliament, which takes place three times a year.
NCVYS publishes a range of policy and information services through a number of channels. You can follow us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ncvys, watch videos from our events like the annual conference at http://www.youtube.com/ncvys and listen to audio interviews at http://www.audioboo.fm/ncvys
Please note, however, that there are only 4 spaces for ENVOY members and at least 1 space for a NEM Policy Group member, so please only register if you have a strong interest in the particular topic. Priority will be given to those who have not had the opportunity to attend an APPG meeting before. NEM policy group members, please email envoy@ncvys.org.uk to express an interest in attending.
We continue to provide our weekly Strategic Intelligence Service bulletin every Friday afternoon and our NECTAR update at the start of each month. In addition, our policy team regularly updates our funding blog with news of grants and service cuts. Take a look at http://www.ncvyspolicy.wordpress.com to find out more. Last but not least, all our news, policy and information documents go up on the website at www.ncvys.org.uk. Check back regularly to see updates about our work.
Feedback and contributions If you have any publications, events, training or projects that you would like to be featured in Exchange or would like to send in letters, comments or ideas for future articles, please contact Rob Candy, Exchange Editor on: E: press@ncvys.org.uk
Cover illustration by: Alex Boustead alex.boustead@gmail.com
Exchange is a regular magazine, bringing together a unique collection of news, policy analysis and practical advice for voluntary and community organisations and networks working with young people. Exchange contains articles by expert contributors from the sector and beyond. The magazine is distributed throughout the youth sector, reaching around 5000 readers in print and offline. Designed/produced by arc. www.arc-cs.com
Editorial
If you would like to promote your work in Exchange, please email news and press releases to: press@ncvys.org.uk or contact Rob Candy, Editor on: 020 7843 6471
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3rd Floor Lancaster House 33 Islington High Street London N1 9LH T: 020 7278 1041 F: 020 7833 2491 E: press@ncvys.org.uk W: www.ncvys.org.uk
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