E_

E-News	February 2009
In this edition:	New Third Sector Interface Volunteer Managers Forum Open Door Recipe for Success Stirling Young Volunteers Cast - A new vision for a new generation MV Volunteering Passport Doorstep Crime IT Services Stirling Multi-Cultural Partnership Womens Day Health in the Community
New Third Sector Interface	Planning for Change On 23 rd January 2009 at a conference organised by the Stirling Community and Voluntary Hub in conjunction with the Volunteer Centre, CVS Stirling and the Community Planning Partnership, there was considerable support for the Scottish Government’s desire to address how best to improve the interface between CPPs and the third sector and discussion took place around the best way of achieving this. The Scottish Government has encouraged discussion of the overall proposition for the Third Sector Interface to facilitate dialogue between the Community Planning Partnership and the Voluntary Sector across Scotland. They asked for a brief report from CVS Stirling, the Volunteer Centre Stirling and the Community Planning Partnership by 18 th February. A letter signed by all three organisations was sent to the Government informing them of the ongoing dialogue. Both the CVS and VC are held a joint Board meeting on 25 th February 2009 and the issue of a Third Sector interface was discussed and the outcome of those discussions made known to Government. __________________________________________________

Third Sector Conference Report	The report is now on our website Third Sector Report You can find the link on the Home page. ________________________________________________
Volunteer Managers Training	Monitoring and Evaluating Volunteering: Measuring the Impact of Volunteers Wednesday, 25^th March 2009 You are invited to join us to discuss why it is increasingly important to monitor and evaluate the impact that volunteers make both within our organisations and also within the wider context of our organisational aims. We will share ideas over lunch on what to measure and different monitoring tools to use, including volunteer portfolios and case studies. When:Wednesday March 25th 2009 12.00pm - 2.00pm Where: Cowane Centre, 69 Cowane Street, Stirling, FK8 1JS Please book your place using our online booking form; Volunteer Manager Forum Booking Form ________________________________________________________
Open Door	A three year funding package from the Big Lottery allowed the service to be expanded to other disadvantaged groups and created two part time posts. The community is benefiting from the injection of Lottery Funding and more and more people are contacting the service for assistance. ________________________________________________________
Recipe for Success	Free tickets available The Food Standards Agency are hosting an evening cookery demonstration presented by celebrity chef Phil Vickery at the Albert Halls, Stirling on Tuesday 10th March 2009 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm (complimentary sandwich buffet from 6.30pm). The show is part of a series of events throughout Scotland called ‘Recipe for Success’ and is hosted by broadcaster Shereen Nanjiani. The demonstration is an opportunity for the audience to learn about cooking, healthy eating and food safety. Phil will prepare a delicious menu of nutritious dishes. Members of the audience can ask questions with prizes on offer - all building towards a highly enjoyable night! For information and tickets call Dave Leiper 07598 977310 or email RFS@speak.co.uk __________________________________________________
Stirling's Young Volunteers	From Cowie to Callander, Bridge of Allan to Bannockburn young people are getting involved in their communities, volunteering and making a real difference to their lives and the lives of others. Impressively 33% of young people in Scotland have volunteered within the last year Below are the stories of 3 local young volunteers. Abigail – My name is Abigail Christie and I volunteer with Girlguiding UK in the Stirling area. I am a Brownie guider at 6 th Stirling Brownies. I started in the girl guides as a brownie Myself and the ladies I volunteer with opened our unit in January last year to enable more girls in the area to have the chance to join brownies to have the fun and education it provides to them, that I found so valuable in my life. I love the feeling of being involved in the local community, I moved here as a student and it has helped me to integrate into local life and gives me the feeling that I am giving something back to the community. Volunteering is so valuable to the community and helps the areas in which we live to thrive. Faye - I have worked with the British Red Cross (BRC) and the SDAMH (Stirling District Association of Mental Health). BRC: I was working both in the youth education sector/office and out in the community with a variety of different school and youth groups. In the office I was involved in a variety of projects and preparation work however most of the time I was establishing peer education and school speaker resources on humanitarian issues such as HIV/AIDS, child soldiers and climate change. Out of the office I was facilitating peer education workshops, working with secondary school students to create an assembly day about HIV/AIDS. Activities included designing posters/information leaflets, cartoon strips, coming up with fundraising ideas and even making a film written and produced by the students. As a school speaker I delivered interactive assemblies to students from age 5 on specific topics. SDAMH: I befriended a 13 year old teenager with mental health problems. Together we did a range of activities friends do together, including going to cinema, bowling, walking, cycling and our favourite …swimming followed by a trip to the ice cream shop at the university. I volunteer as it provides me with a variety of challenges, the opportunity to learn certain things about myself, others and certain skills I would otherwise not have the opportunity to obtain. Oh and of course it is unbelievably rewarding and enjoyable. Lynsey I volunteer in a local Primary School. I am based in Alan’s Primary where I help out in the classroom working with the teacher. I have also been a part of a recent school trip to Edinburgh which involved supervising the children out of school. I volunteer because there are so many benefits to be gained from it. For example, from my experiences as a volunteer I have greatly enhanced my CV, as well as broadening my knowledge of the role of a Primary Teacher. This has been invaluable to me as I intend to apply to become a teacher in the next year. _________________________________________________ We are often told by individuals that it was through word of mouth or by hearing the story of someone who is already volunteering that they were encouraged to start volunteering. We are keen to capture the volunteering stories of young people who are volunteering so if any of the volunteers you work with are interested in sharing their volunteering story please contact fiona.hutchison@volunteerstirling.org.uk, 01786 430000 _______________________________________________________
	CAST is developing a new programme ‘After Hours’ where young people from 15+ can attend a seminar and get information, both practically and theoretically from different organisations that specialise in certain fields some of which are in the poster. ‘After Hours’ will take place after our drop in youth café finishes from 7pm – 8.30pm and will take the form of a workshop/seminar style for an hour with half an hour to ask questions or speak to people. The programme begins this week with chatting to the group about the types of issues/topics they want covered by the programme. We hope to run ‘After Hours’ the second Tuesday of every month and the fourth Tuesday of every month we would have open session ‘After Hours’ where young people could get support on CV’s, filling in application forms, just chat about issues, perhaps access some applications forms for jobs or college course etc or get information about volunteering opportunities. If you feel you could lead a workshop/seminar or could support young people during open sessions please contact me on the details below. Alternatively, if you work with young people who could benefit from this programme either contact me and I can send them information or invite them along. Gemma Greer Youth Director Tel: 01786 462647 or 07912845537 Email: gemma@rockcommunityproject.org.uk __________________________________________________

	MV Volunteering Passport The MV Volunteering Passport was launched in October 2007 – it is an exiting free tool which enables young people to track of the number of hours of volunteering they do, on-line, keep a journal of their volunteering should they wish to and receive recognition via the MV Awards. Over 1000 young people aged 16 – 25 in Scotland have signed up to passport so far. Feedback from young people using the passport has been positive. "I signed up for the MV Volunteering Passport because it allowed me the chance for my achievements involved in volunteering to be recognised. Volunteering is not only a great way to help other people, but also a great opportunity to develop your own skills and confidence and to feel like you are making a difference." Rebecca Glancy, "The MV Volunteering Passport lets me keep a track of the work I have done which gives me a sense of pride. I can also prove to employers and potential placement companies what I am capable of. I believe that no one exists just because of themselves, we are a product of the things we do and the people we meet, volunteering is a good way to expand your life and that of other people." Lisa Thompson The passport is a valuable tool for volunteer involving organisations as it offers a fully automated system for approving volunteers’ hours in order for them to claim their MV Awards. At the same time it allows you to promote your opportunity and to offer the MV Awards with the linked resources for supporting your young volunteers’ personal development The MV Volunteering Passport can be found at www.mvvolunteeringpassport.org.uk If you would like any more information about the passport or a demonstration of how it works please contact Fiona Hutchison, Youth Development Worker, 01786 430000, fiona.hutchison@volunteerstirling.org.uk ________________________________________________________
Doorstep Crime	'The reducing doorstep crime partnership are facilitating training on Doorstep Crime. This session is aimed at front line staff, volunteers and services supporting older and vulnerable people. Door stoppers is important for all our communities because it addresses a growing area of crime which hits the elderly and vulnerable. If you would like more information please do not hesitate to contact either Neil Chalmers, chalmersn@stirling.gov.uk or Pam Campbell, campbellp@stirling.gov.uk Booking Form Background Info _________________________________________________________
IT Services	Affordable IT services for the Voluntary Sector If you haven’t already, I would be grateful if you could help with this initiative by taking 5-10 minutes to complete the attached marketing survey and return it to Cultenhove Opportunities Project, even if this is not a service your organisation would take up. Cultenhove Opportunities Project, (COP) is a Stirlingshire community group that is looking at starting up a social enterprise to provide ethical and affordable IT services to the voluntary sector. Completing the questionnaire will not only assist COP in gauging the need for the service, it will also help local voluntary organisations who would greatly benefit from access to affordable to IT support. Information on where to return it by email is on the form. Thank you in advance for your time and support. Questionnaire ________________________________________________________
Stirling Multicultural Partnership Women's Day	The Stirling Multicultural Partnership is hosting its 4th annual International Women's Day event in the Albert Halls on Sunday the 8th of March from 2:30pm - 6:00pm. They are looking for volunteers to help with a variety of activities including registration of visitors and collecting the small entry fee, selling of healthy multicultural cookbooks and assisting with the children's activities. The event programme includes a multicultural fashion show, dances, craft workshops from the various countries and a sampler buffet in the afternoon. This is a popular event attended by over 300 visitors each year. Volunteers can assist for the entire day or just a few hours. There are two shifts: 1:30- 3:30 or 3:30- 5:30. Please get in touch with Jennifer Shearman for more information. jennifer.shearman@volunteerstirling.org.uk Phone: 01786 446071 _______________________________________________________
Health in the Community	Health in the Community Conference - pdf Developing Healthy Communities Forth Valley Inchyra Grange Hotel, Polmont - Friday 13 March 2009 9.15am – 15.30pm In partnership with the Scottish Health Council and Meeting the Shared Challenge Regional Development Group, we are organising a one day conference on Friday 13 March. This conference will bring together key organisations, agencies and people in Forth Valley to look at how we can work together to improve health through sharing good practice and developing voluntary sector capacity. There is no charge for attending the conference. For more details and choices of workshops, please see the programme attached. Places are limited. If you, or a colleague, are interested please complete the booking form and send it back to us before Thursday 5^th March. Once a place is reserved, a confirmation letter will be sent which will provide travel information.
info@volunteerstirling.org.uk	www.volunteerstirling.org.uk