Engage Update - 07 October

How can charities get to grips with tech on a tight budget?

John Fitzgerald (SCVO) has pulled together a brilliant new guide for third sector professionals who want to make the most of digital, data and design without breaking the bank.

Newsletters

Trading Standards Scotland Bulletin 03 October 

Social Security Scotland - Stakeholder Newsletter - September 2024

News, Training and Events from Generations Working Together

Aye Mind - Digital Youth Wellbeing Information Sharing

Aye Mind - TikTok 

Office for rent

Contact Kate at Engage on 0141 887 7707 or info@engagerenfrewshire.com to arrange a viewing. 

Winter Connections

Community groups and voluntary organisations are being encouraged to apply for grant funding from Renfrewshire Council to enable them to put on activities for local people from October to March next year. Winter Connections is a network of local places and spaces across Renfrewshire where people can connect with others in their community during winter.

The £75,000 fund is open to local groups and organisations who can offer a community venue, run an activity, or would like to open up their existing activities as part of Winter Connections. Groups and organisations can apply for up to £2,000 to cover costs such as activities, materials, energy, providing food, staffing or cleaning. 

Projects applying to the fund should be: 
• open, free and easy to access 
• inclusive, welcoming, respectful and safe 
• able to offer warm drinks/snacks/food along with activities, where possible 
• able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports. 

The fund is not open to groups arranging one-off activities or events, or projects that charge people for taking part. 

Applicants must also have a written constitution, bank account and be able to demonstrate an understanding of what their local community currently needs. 

Awards will be made from October, and the fund will remain open until all available funding has been used. Anyone considering applying for funding should make sure they read the guidance for the funding and is encouraged to get their applications in as quickly as possible. Any grant received from the fund must be spent by the end of March 2025. 

Please see  www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/winter-connections for more information and an application form

Cost of Living Event

On Tuesday 08 October between 10am and 1pm, Southend Action Centre (57 Stock Street, Paisley, PA2 6NL) will be hosting a Cost-of-Living event as part of Challenge Poverty Week. A range of organisations will be in attendance for you to chat to and seek advice including:

• Social Security Scotland
• Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance
• Invest in Renfrewshire
• Renfrewshire Carers Centre
• Energy Management Unit
• Adult and Family Learning Services
• Free Period Products Team
• And many more!

This event is open to all. Pop along, have a cuppa and find out what support is available in Renfrewshire.

Funding Seminar - 28 October

The Invest in Renfrewshire Communities (IiRC) Team host monthly webinars on External Funding Support available for Renfrewshire third sector groups.  The focus is on the wider Invest in Renfrewshire programme updates and current grant programmes that are open to third sector groups and the type of support available to groups when completing draft funding applications.  The webinar will help assist constituted third sector groups to clearly demonstrate their economic and social benefit, evidence longer term sustainability as well as articulate the impact their proposed projects will have. In addition to this, the monthly webinars cover wider support available from the Invest in Renfrewshire team including further information on Social Enterprise support available and updates on the Invest in Employability and the Invest in Business programme updates.

• Monday 28 October 2024 at 14:00 – 16:00

To book a space please contact our Funding & Development Officer via Email:  Econdev.community@renfrewshire.gov.uk or Tel: 07974071320.
 

Harm Reduction Response Team Roadshow

The Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) will be running a week long roadshow, in various locations across Renfrewshire, beginning on Monday 07 October and running until the following Friday 11 October.

The roadshow will give people a chance to come on to the van and learn important harm reduction information as well as find out more about the HaRRT service.

The full timetable with dates, times and locations can be found on the HSCP website here: Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership - Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) Roadshow (hscp.scot).

Paisley Afternoon Tea and Policy Discussions

'Paisley Afternoon Tea and Policy Discussions’ event is a series of five workshops on the University of the West of Scotland’s Paisley campus. The workshops are organised by the UWS-Oxfam Partnership and the university’s Sustainable Policy Analysis Research Centre. 

At these workshops, we hope to jointly develop with Renfrewshire-based organisations a comprehensive understanding about how a range of issues – cost of living; housing; care and caring; learning and employment; health and wellbeing – play out in Renfrewshire and what policy solutions might work and which do not work. Public, private and third sector organisations have expertise on these issues and are experienced on the ground in the local community. We, at UWS, wish to bring these organisations together – over lunch, coffee and tea.

Through the workshops, we invite participants to create outputs with the explicit aim to influence policy change. Such outputs could be a jointly written ‘manifesto for change’ that could be sent to decision-makers or a jointly written op-ed for a newspaper. Outputs can also be adapted by participating organisations for their own advocacy purposes.

A further aim is to foster networks between organisations in the Renfrewshire community, including UWS.

It would be great if we could welcome you on campus. If you wish to participate, please register using the Eventbrite links below for the workshop(s) that you would like to participate in. Please do forward this invite to anyone you think might be interested.

Each organisation should only register one participant, but you are very welcome to take part in all workshops. The workshops are free to attend, with lunch provided.

Workshop dates and themes

Friday 01 November, 12 to 2.30pm: Cost of living - Register

Friday 06 December, 12 to 2.30pm: Housing - Register

Friday 07 February , 12 to 2.30pm: Care and caring - Register

Friday 07 March, 12 to 2.30pm: Learning and employment - Register

Friday 04 April , 12 to 2.30pm: Health and wellbeing - Register

Scottish Recovery Network

Below are some opportunities from our latest newsletter which may be of interest to your audiences / colleagues.

Full newsletter can be read here https://bit.ly/SeptOctNews2024
 
Peer support works in crisis situations – short film
Peer support has a powerful role to play in community mental health crisis services. In this short film Wendy Given, Chief Operating Officer and Louise McQueen, Lead Mentor from The Neuk in Perth, talk about: why peer support works in crisis situations; what this looks like in practice and why cross sector collaboration benefits all https://youtu.be/3OKqE8brxCM?si=K0N2wy0O8dflsXRu (6 min watch)
 
Scottish Recovery Network is hiring!
Scottish Recovery Network are looking for an experienced Projects Coordinator with great organisational and people skills to join their team. You will be committed to values-based practice and mental health recovery. You will be excited by the opportunity to work with others to bring about much needed change to our mental health system. Closes 11 October 2024 at 17:00

 

Call for Evidence - Changing Lives through Sport and Physical Activity

Spirit of 2012, sportscotland, Scottish Government, The Robertson Trust and Research Scotland are seeking evidence from organisations that have intentionally used sport and physical activity to bring about positive outcomes for people and communities. This could include wellbeing, inclusion, skills, community connections or other outcomes.
 
We are looking for evidence that helps us to understand:

• what are the key ingredients of the approach
• what works well and what is challenging
• what difference it can make
• how this difference is brought about.

 If you have a report, case study or other evidence about using sport and physical activity to bring about change, please share it with us!
 
Please email it to ann.elliott@researchscotland.org
 
This important work will inform the production of a range of resources to help people to use and understand the Changing Lives approach, and the difference it can make.
 
Please get in touch by 11 October 2024 if you can help.