Engage Newsletters
Keep up to date with Engage Renfrewshire
Volunteering Focus - 25 September
Happy Wednesday everyone,
Don’t forget - today is the day the Engage Renfrewshire team will be at the Methodist Church (2 Gauze Street) ready to welcome you to Renfrewshire’s Volunteer Fair 2024! We have a jam packed morning ahead, with 20 fantastic local organisations coming along as stallholders to tell you all about local volunteering opportunities and how you can get involved.
Drop in anytime between 10am-12:30pm for a chat and a cuppa… see you there!
Planning on posting about the fair on social media? Don’t forget to tag us @engagenews1 with the hashtag #Renfrewshirevolunteerfair.
Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults (the Fund) was established in October 2021 and to date has distributed around £51 million to community initiatives supporting mental health and wellbeing across Scotland. In Renfrewshire the fund has seen over £1.5 million distributed to organisations, community groups and community projects. The Fund has a strong focus on prevention and early intervention and aims to support grass roots community groups in tackling mental health inequalities and address priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and tackling poverty and inequality. There will be a continued emphasis in Year 4 on responding to the cost of living crisis and on those facing socio-economic disadvantage.
The overarching aim of the Fund is to:
Support community based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over), with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention. Previous examples of how these funds have been used in relation to volunteer management include; Funding a volunteer manager post (must have a focus on volunteer mental health and wellbeing), covering volunteer expenses, thank you/volunteer wellbeing events (please note these events can’t be one off events and must be embedded into wider programme).
YEAR FOUR APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
See our application pack for full guidance document, the application form and required data entry spreadsheet. All applicants should return a completed application form and data entry spreadsheet by 5pm on the closing date. New and previously funded groups/projects are eligible to apply.
Click to find the full guidance and application pack
Please get in touch with a member of the team if you would like to discuss your application.
Positive About Youth Awards
Nominations open for the 11th Annual Positive about Youth Awards
The sold-out youth celebration event will honour the outstanding qualities of young people aged between 12 and 25 in Renfrewshire and nominations are open till the 17 October 2024 at 5pm. The awards - organised by community based forum Renfrewshire Youth Voice and supported by Renfrewshire Council’s Youth Services - will take place in the Normandy Hotel, Renfrew, on Thursday 07 November.
https://forms.office.com/e/YAEMTDdRgE?origin=lprLink
You can vote on the above link – Nominations open on the 13 September at 10am. Alternatively, the QR code is available on our social media sites.
The seven awards categories are:
- Young Fundraiser Award
- Eco Award
- Forging Your Own Path Award
- Youth Group of the Year
- Ferran Hart Young Artist Award
- Eilish Herron Young Sports Person Award
- The Unsung Hero Award
These awards are integral to the running of Renfrewshire Youth Voice, and embody all we stand for. It is a unique chance for the young people of Renfrewshire to feel appreciated and recognised for their hard work and achievements, which otherwise may go unnoticed. The Positive About Youth Awards are a night of celebration for an age group which for many is often misjudged and is portrayed in a negative way. Any nominations or suggestions you could offer would be much appreciated, to allow us to continue hosting these awards that means so much to so many.
Volunteering for All
Launch of the 'Volunteering For All National Recruitment Campaign'
This National Recruitment Campaign is a collaborative and evolving initiative designed to support the voluntary sector in identified areas of need and concern. Its goal is to inspire and support organisations across Scotland to boost volunteer recruitment effectively.
To achieve this, it aims to collate a comprehensive range of resources, including guidance and best practices to help organisations navigate recruitment challenges. They hope to create networking opportunities, allowing Volunteer-Involving Organisations (VIOs) to connect, share experiences, and collaborate on solutions. Organisations will also have access to up-to-date research, data, and insights to inform their strategies. Furthermore, additional support will be tailored to the evolving needs of the sector, ensuring that every organisation has the tools and knowledge to succeed.
For more information about the National Recruitment Campaign and to find out how you can get involved, please visit volunteeringactionplan.co.uk/national-recruitment-campaign-volunteering-for-all
Youth VIP Welcoming Young People as Volunteers workshop
Would you like to learn more about how to make your organisation more young people friendly? Would you like tips on how to recruit, retain and develop your youth volunteers? If so, join the Youth VIP team for a highly immersive and interactive online workshop with lots of practical takeaways.
Future Training dates below:
- Wednesday 11 December – 10.30am to 12pm.
- Friday 07 February – 9.30am to 11am.
Sign up here Events and Training | Youth VIP
The Eric Liddell 100 is a programme of events and activities to recognise and celebrate the life, sporting and community service achievements of one of Scotland’s iconic figures. It is being planned around 2024, the centenary of Eric Liddell’s historic success at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
YouthLink Scotland will be working with the Eric Liddell Community to award 20 ‘Eric Liddell Recognition Awards’ to celebrate some of the amazing young people aged 12 – 26 years, who have made an outstanding contribution to their community through their involvement in youth work in Scotland.
The criteria for the recognition awards are aligned to the values of the Eric Liddell 100 programme.
- Passion – enthusiasm, dedication, optimism, self-belief
- Compassion – humility, selflessness, respect, care, community-minded
- Integrity – discretion, loyalty, self-sacrifice, principled
They are seeking nominations for young people aged 12 – 26 years who have displayed one or more of the above values, and have made an outstanding contribution to their community through their involvement youth work in Scotland in 2024. Nomination form below:
Eric Liddell Recognition Awards | YouthLink Scotland
Trustees’ Week 4-8 November 2024
Trustees’ week is a time for us to come together and to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK. It’s time to say a huge thank you for the time, commitment and effort your Trustee’s bring to your charities to help them thrive.
Show your support for Trustees’ week with this official Supporters toolkit, including social media cards, logos and more! Supporter resources – Trustees Week
For more general information about the National Campaign Trustees Week – Showcasing the work of charity trustees