Training and Events

A list of training and events that may be relevant to your organisation is shown on this page. Scroll down for the whole list or jump to the month in which it will be held.

Training courses tailored specifically for the VCS are available from GAVCA.

January February March
April May June
July August September
October November December

Alternatively, view non-date-specific courses or information about other training providers here.

 

 

July 2009

A Health and Well Being Event: Providing Information on Services For Older People & their Carers
Wednesday 1 July 2009
10.00am – 12 noon
Venue: St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Montpellier Street, Cheltenham (near Queen’s Hotel).

The United Reformed Church, Cheltenham, are holding this event to bring together a number of public and voluntary-sector agencies involved in providing services for older people and their carers.

 

Working well – One day training to promote staff wellbeing in the post 16 education and training sector
Thursday 2 July 2009
London

"Working Well” one day training is about promoting the positive mental health of people working within the post 16 education sectors. It aims to raise awareness and support employers to develop good practice.

For more information, visit the NIACE website.

 

Count Me In: Tewkesbury
2 July   5.00pm - 7.30pm
Tewkesbury Park Hotel Golf and Country Club

Count Me In is a programme which includes a wide range of initiatives focusing on the Environment, Physical Activity and Food and Nutrition.  This event gives key stakeholders from across the town the opportunity to find out more.

To view the full agenda, please click here.  Please click here to confirm your attendance on the Count Me In! website at www.countmeintewkesbury.com/stakeholder or by contacting philip.leigh@tewkesbury.gov.uk (Tel: 01684 272291).

 

National Equality Partnership: ‘Effective use of Equality Impact Assessments and the role of the VCS’
Monday 6 July
Venue: East Reach House, East Reach, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3EN
Cost: FREE

Places must be booked before 26 June 2009.

For more information, visit the Equality South West website at  www.equalitysouthwest.org.uk

 

Planning for Non-Planners
Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July
Venue: Bristol (location tbc)
Cost: Non-members of BURA £425 (+ VAT)

The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) is offering this two-day programme which aims to help public and CVS sector employees from non-planning backgrounds to interact more effectively with the planning system.

For further information, including a downloadable booking form, visit the BURA website at http://www.bura.org.uk/Training/Planningfor+nonplanners

 

Self-advocacy Workshops

  • 14  July, 10.30 to 12.30
  • 23 July, 10.30 to 4.30

Highnam Community Centre
Refreshments & Buffet Lunch included

Have you ever felt that you weren’t being listened to? Ever felt like you were being given the run around? Have you ever wanted to question your gas, electricity, water or telephone bill? Perhaps you have wanted to make a complaint? Do you know your rights? Do you know who can help?

These workshops have been designed to help you self-advocate.  To speak up and to speak out for yourself.  For more information contact Gloucestershire Lifestyles on        01452 530184 or by email to office@gloslifestyles.co.uk

 

Supporting third sector work with offenders
London 15 July
Cost: £20 (including lunch)

Many voluntary and community organisations deliver services that offenders and their families will access. How can you most effectively support them?

This half day seminar, jointly offered by NAVCA and Clinks, offers participants the opportunity to network, learn from and interact with ex-offenders, volunteers working with offenders, successful VCS projects getting ex-offenders into voluntary roles and expert updates on the criminal justice system and offending in the UK.

Please see www.navca.org.uk/events for further information.

 

What does the Equality Bill mean for you?

Thursday 16 July 2009
London
A major conference for equality practitioners organised by the Equality and Diversity Forum.  For further information visit the EDF website.

Funding and support  to help you collaborate more to cope with the economic downturn - there’s still time to book your place at this FREE event.

It is being held At City works, Alfred Street, Gloucester on Thursday June 18th, from 9.30am till 1.30pm, including lunch,  and will give the you the chance to: 

  • find out about a new grants fund to help you explore how you could become more sustainable through greater collaboration or even, ultimately, a merger with another organisation
  • contribute your experience of the recession and its likely impact on your organisation and service users to help to inform a VCS Recession Action Plan. This Action Plan will be an invaluable tool for the VCS Assembly to use within the partnerships in which it is involved to lobby for the type of support and resources that are needed where they are needed.


It is being hosted by the Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action (GAVCA), who is acting as a Local Delivery Agent for the Modernisation Fund Grants Programme, and facilitated by Gareth Hart, from Perfect Moments, a consultancy which  is currently working with NAVCA to review Local Resilience Action Plans across the country in order to produce a manifesto/briefing paper for government to show how the sector could be supported to avoid the worst aspects of the current economic downturn.

 During the workshop you will have chance to:

  • look at how the economic downturn may be affecting the local communities you serve
  • look at what your organisation can do to respond and increase your impact and become more resilient by working more closely with others
  • learn more about a range of useful resources
  • find out more about how to apply for the new Modernisation Fund Grants Programme  - aimed at organisations delivering services that meet the needs of communities affected by the recession, this fund offers £1,000 bursaries to pay for initial advice to explore how they can become more resilient and increase their impact  by working more closely with others.

For more information about the Modernisation Fund Grants Programme, which is now open for applications, go to the ModernisationFund website.

To register for this event, please contact GAVCA on 01452 332424 or email

 

Awards for All Seminar

  • Guildhall Gloucester – Thursday 16 July 2009
  • Cheltenham Area Civil Service Club – Wednesday 22 July 2009

10.30am to 1.00 pm
Free

Do you need £300 - £10,000 for a small community project?  This is your invitation to a free seminar on the Awards for All small grants scheme, led by Big Lottery Fund staff.

More information about the day can be found on the website www.gavca.org.uk/chelt_index.html .

Places to this free event are limited and you must book in advance in order to get a place (limited to a maximum of 2 people per organisation). Please email Cheltenham VCA  cheltadmin@gavca.org.uk  or telephone 01242 227737 by 10 July 2009 (Gloucester seminar) or 14 July 2009 (Cheltenham seminar) to request your place. Please include details of any dietary or access requirements you may have.

 

September 2009

 

Free understanding and using an outcomes focus training

Please note: funding is only available for four more organisations to benefit from from this FREE two-day training.

September 10th & 25th 2009 (Gloucester - venue to be confirmed)

How much do you know about the effects of your organisation’s work? Would you like to know more about outcomes? Are your funders asking about outcomes monitoring?

The courses are offered as part of the National Outcomes Programme, run by Charities Evaluation Services. For more details contact Pete Kirby at peterkirby@hildyard.fsnet.co.uk or 07899 843 923

 

Let’s Get Back Together 2009: Conference
Saturday 12 September
Location tbc

'Let’s Get Back Together' is a South West conference organised by Intercom for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) community groups. The conference will not only provide the opportunity for LGBT communities to find out what organisations are doing but will also offer organisations a rare opportunity to meet and consult with often hard to reach communities all in one place.

To find out more, please contact Paul on 01392 201019 or paul@intercomtrust.org.uk .

 

Home-Start Stroud and Dursley: Volunteers’ Training Course
September 21st for ten weeks (Mondays 10 a.m to -2.30 p.m.)

The Home-Start Stroud & Dursley scheme was set up ten years ago and helps about 70 families every year in the area.  It has around 40 volunteers who spend a few hours a week helping parents with children under five years old. 

For further information about taking part in the volunteers’ course, and for an application pack please call 01453-759911 or email: homestartsd@yahoo.com

 

Better Commissioning Workshops
The following workshops have been organised as part of the VCS Assembly’s VCS Commissioning Project which will develop a VCS Commissioning Strategy that is adopted by the Gloucestershire Conference.

  • 22 September 9:30 -1pm, GAVCA in Gloucester
  • 8 October, Cheltenham Resource Centre in Cheltenham

This half-day workshop (repeated) is designed for small and medium-sized voluntary and community sector organisations.  The workshop has the two aims:

  • To increase their awareness of commissioning and to explore its implications, building on their current experience
  • To gather their views on the key issues for the VCS that the new  commissioning strategy should address

3 November 9:30 – 1pm
GAVCA in Gloucester

This half-day workshop is designed for small and medium-sized organisations working with children and young people, and has two aims:

  • To increase their awareness of the implications of commissioning, building on their current experience
  • To gather their views on the key issues for the VCS that the new commissioning strategy should address

12 October 9:30 -1pm
GAVCA in Gloucester

This half-day workshop is designed for small and medium-sized health and community wellbeing organisations, and has two aims:

  • To increase their awareness of commissioning and to explore its implications, building on their current experience
  • To gather their views on the key issues for the VCS that the new  commissioning strategy should address

To book your place on a workshop contact 01452 522600 stating the name and date of the workshop.

 

Other Training Providers/ Non-dated Courses

Working with Perpetrators
Sea Change are offering an intensive and in-depth course, to equip practitioners with the knowledge and skills to work individually or in a group with perpetrators of violence and abuse.

For more information, visit the Sea Change website http://www.seachangedv.co.uk/ for more courses, or call 01242 580702.

 

Public Policy Exchange Courses and Events

PPE offer a range of courses and events that may be relevant to the VCS. Visit the PPE website for more information about up-coming events.

 

Gloucestershire Enterprise

A wide range of courses and workshops are available through Gloucestershire Enterprise. Read the latest courses on offer on the Gloucestershire Enterprise website.