Blog
Hi, and welcome to the new VYM Blog. Although this is entered as Ross’s blog, VYM is much more than Ross Grant, but more of that later. In particular though, it is also Sarah Gilston, VYM’s much valued Communication Support Worker, without whom you would receive very limited communication from VYM, and there's the Board of Trustees that governs and supports VYM staff.
Those of you familiar with older VYM Bulletins will remember Ross’s Ramble and it is quite possible that this blog will adopt a similar style and content, but (in theory) on a more frequent basis. I suppose that will...
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Hello All,
Macc and VYM facilitated a meeting last week to discuss the Department for Education National Prospectus Funding Programme for the voluntary sector. Over 50 organisations expressed an interest about this opportunity and over 25 organisations came to the meeting to discuss the opportunity.
The funding programme itself seems designed to enable only large or national organisations to apply with very tight time-scales (Just 3 ½ weeks from their own briefings) and not enough time to develop a partnership approach – which incidentally was one of the areas where you would...
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The Silver Line – helpline for Older People
This will be a pilot for three months in Manchester and the Isle of Man. The pilots are funded through Comic Relief. Depending on the outcome of these pilots the Trustees hope to launch a National Helpline by the Summer 2013.Esther Rantzen is Chair of the Trustees. The Helpline is for older people (no age limit) in the area, who seek information, advice and friendship.
The publicity says ‘it will provide sign-posting to the rich variety of existing organisations offering support for older people’ and ‘ a telephone...
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Last week, I participated in Townstock - a two day event focused on how citizens and communities can engage in and actively take control of the regeneration of their towns and local areas. It was a very interesting event, with speakers from various sectors and initiatives, giving examples and sharing experiences from across the country. Participants were encouraged to share and capture ideas - like this one about 'townternships'.
...
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Are you planning to nominate an individual or a learning project for an Adult Learners Week Award in 2013?
The deadline for nominations is Thursday 13th December 2012 – so don’t hesitate – or you will be too late!!!
Nominations don’t have to come from a provider of learner or even a tutor – anyone can nominate someone for an Award as long as the person you are nominating is over 18, lives in England and has undertaken at least some of their learning between December 2011 and December 2012.
Perhaps you have a friend or work colleague who has undertaken...
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One of the dangers for me in writing a blog is that I'll end up writing only about things I'm angry about (there seems to be quite a lot at the moment) and it will become a terribly depressing read. However, I'm not going to apologise for the bleak picture I'm about to paint because it's what's really happening to people in our communities.
The other day I went to a briefing by Manchester Citizens Advice on a report they had produced in partnership with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies on the...
For nearly a year now, I've been a member of the 'shadow' Manchester Health and Wellbeing Board, representing the voluntary and community sector. This is a new body which was formed under the new NHS and Social Care Act which introduces the Coalition Government's changes to the way health and social care services are structured across England. There must be one Board in each Local Authority area. The Department of Health defines the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board as follows:
- strengthen democratic legitimacy by involving democratically elected representatives and patient...
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The LSEN - Learning Skills Employment Network - is a network of organisations and individuals interested in learning and employment issues in Manchester (and beyond). In this post, we'd like to give an overview of who we are and what we do.
LSEN provides a single point of contact for all Third Sector learning, skills and employment training providers across Manchester. We focus on building capacity and promoting partnership work with our three key objectives...
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A week later and I’ve calmed down a bit now.
I’ve found it rather hard to judge whether our Macc to the Future event last week was a success. People have said great things about it but my memory of the day is one of rushing about: when I wasn’t speaking to an audience I was catching quick conversations with people some of whom I knew and some I didn’t. Still, that's a good sign.
I delighted with the speakers we had at the start of the day. Councillor Sue Murphy (Deputy Leader of the City Council) made a great start by saying how proud the Council is of the local sector. With...
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I've finally got a blog of my own! Of course the immediate problem is what insightful and entertaining pearls of wisdom I should try to create for my first post.
One question I get asked a lot is "What does ‘MACC’ stand for?” And I usually reply by starting to talk about values until it dawns on me that they're actually just asking about the acronym M.A.C.C.
My usual reply was that it stands for ‘Manchester Alliance for Community Care’. Like most acronyms, it tends to leave people not much wiser so I'd have to explain that Manchester Alliance for Community Care started in 1981...
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