News
e-youthaction no. 63, July 2010
05 July 2010
‘Big Society’
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) has launched the Big Society Placement scheme to offer MPs, Peers and Civil Servants the chance to be placed with a NCVYS member organisation to look at what the Big Society means in terms of front line delivery of services to communities. Junior children's minister Tim Loughton and civil society minister Nick Hurd signed up to the scheme at a parliamentary event held for the voluntary and community sector to meet the new parliament.
NCVYS has also published a briefing paper summarising the Big Society policy programme and highlighting potential issues for the voluntary and community youth sector.
Nat Wei, the government’s adviser on the Big Society was interviewed by the Guardian on how the Big Society will transform communities.
The Big Lunch is taking place on Sunday 18 July with the aim of encouraging people to knock on their neighbours' doors, say hello and invite them for lunch. The Big Lunch website has a section dedicated to getting young people involved in taking part or organising an event. The Big Lunch was devised by Eden Project Chief Executive Tim Smit, and Chief Executive of the Big Society Network Paul Twivy. It is supported by a number of partners, including Communities and Local Government.
Voluntary sector
Minster for Civil Society Nick Hurd has confirmed that the £200m Futurebuilders programme is to end. The money will be used to provide grants to stimulate the creation and development of neighbourhood groups, the stated goal of the government's Big Society concept. He also announced that Capacitybuilders and v, a strategic partner of the former Office of the Third Sector, were under review.
Workforce
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has agreed savings of £15m for 2010-11 with the DfE and has confirmed a revised remit with a strong emphasis on cost-effective delivery to support front-line services. CWDC confirmed that the pilot on Youth Professional Status will now not proceed, but that the third sector workforce capacity building training project with NCVYS and the YMCA George Williams College will continue.
Mentoring
CSV has launched a new mentoring project designed to help troubled young people avoid turning to crime and improve their prospects in life. Young people will be offered grandparent-style mentors as part of a three year pilot that hopes to expand nationwide. Trained and screened senior volunteer mentors will be matched with young people aged 14-19 particularly those not in education, employment or training. The ‘Grandmentors’ will assist with career planning, getting back into mainstream education and supporting care leavers to adapt to independent living.
Research
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has published Intergenerational practice: outcomes and effectiveness. NFER along with the National Youth Agency, undertook research funded by the Local Government Association to examine what works in intergenerational practice. The report found that the most fundamental outcome for all participants is that they enjoy the activities. Specific benefits for young people include positive benefits for academic work and improved relationships with grandparents. A range of key factors of effective intergenerational practice were also identified.
NFER has also published research into young people’s views about web 2.0 technologies. The research explored young people’s personal use of social media, but also looked at how they might use these tools in a community or local authority context, for example, to communicate with other young people, organise meetings and events, express their views, or take part in a youth cabinet or similar representative group. The report found that there is enormous potential for using web 2.0 technologies to collect the views of young people and therefore involve them in civic duties and local and national democracy.
Research, commissioned by Catch22 into young people’s perceptions of the Budget and the ‘Big Society’ has found that almost three quarters (71 per cent) of young people between 16 and 25 do not know that the ‘Big Society’ is a government initiative. The research shows how young people would prioritise government spending to help them most. Almost 30 per cent of young people surveyed cite providing affordable housing as a priority and around a quarter (23 per cent) want to see more training opportunities and apprenticeships. The research also shows that over a third (34 per cent) believe that avoiding making cuts to services that support 16 to 25s is the most positive way of helping young people as they become adults.
Resources
Volunteering England has launched a new Volunteer Management Portal, a signposting tool for people managing volunteers. It aims to provide greater access to a wide range of information on support, training and development opportunities.
Funding
Early announcement: The NYA will shortly be opening the Young Researcher Network (YRN) grants programme for 2010/11. The Network is run by the National Youth Agency as part of its work with the Local Government Association, supported through topsliced funding for local authorities. The mission of the YRN is to value, support and encourage research led by young people. The grant programme is designed to enable organisations working with young people to complete a short research project, funded and supported by the YRN. Small grants will be available for local authorities and youth sector organisations who are interested in youth-led research, to undertake projects exploring issues which affect young people's lives. Grants will be awarded in September, to support projects up to the end of March 2011. For more information on the YRN, please visit our website.
The DfE has confirmed that it withdrawing funding for the Shine campaign, a consortium led by the National Youth Agency to celebrate the achievements of young people in schools and youth organisations. Due to contractual commitments the government will not recoup all the cash that was dedicated to Shine Week 2010.
Awards
Barnardo's has partnered with the Marsh Christian Trust to launch a new award that aims to recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals or groups who work with children and families. The deadline for nominations is 31 July.
Events
The British Youth Council is holding a series one-day Conventions across the UK during the summer. They offer a choice of skills workshops; time to meet and share ideas with other young people and youth workers; a topical panel debate and lots of fun. Please email Selena Brown for more information.
The Citizenship Foundation is looking for schools who would like to bring groups of five students to take part in this year’s Margaret Quass Debate on 15 December 2010. The Margaret Quass Debate encourages young people to come together in dialogue with a panel of experts on a current topic. To take part please register your interest with Ruxandra Ratiu by Monday 19 July 2010.