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REACH provides activities to unlock the potential within people who feel socially excluded or who have committed offences. REACH has been given a substantial grant towards the costs of a workshop in Waterwell Industrial park, Gloucester, in which it can extend its work with socially excluded people.
The workshop will have a computer suite, as well as facilities for learning skills in bricklaying, carpentry and plumbing.
REACH are meeting with various potential partners over the next couple of months to look at ways in which this workshop can facilitate their work. If any voluntary or community organisation is interested in discussing how they could make use of the new facility, please contact Matthew Haynes by emailing
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What do you think the perfect organisation for volunteers would look like? Why not read this article from Energize Inc to find out what others think are the key characteristics.
Read more here. |
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The Centre for Social Justice has said a scheme which gives companies tax relief for subsidising voluntary work carried out by their employees would boost donations to charities by around £1bn a year.
Read more about this story. |
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In a poll run by the social network i-volunteer.org in December, members were asked were asked 'Do you think Government should charge volunteers for a Portable Criminal Record Check?' 90% said no, with 6% stating that it would depend on cost. Over 900 members voted in the poll which ran for nearly four weeks.
Read more on this story, here. |
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 GAVCA are pleased to announce the start of a new project called 'Down to Business', headed up by Shelley Bartlett. The project aims to support the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector through building greater understanding and developing partnerships between it and the private sector. It is anticipated that these partnerships could lead to the transfer of needed skills, experience and knowledge, as well greater learning and development opportunities, increased volunteering support and of course income diversification.
The project is still in the early stages of its development and creation, but Shelley has already started meeting members of the VCS and the business community, discussing their differing needs and methods for engaging both. If you are interested in talking with Shelley about how the Down to Business project could support you then please feel free to contact her on
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or 07968 827 308 or come along to one of the VCS Forums where she will be speaking with groups.
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During the last four months of 2011 GAVCA conducted a survey of voluntary and community organisations in Gloucestershire, concerning the ways in which changes to levels of funding were affecting the sector. The information was collected to help GAVCA in our work of representing, supporting and informing the voluntary and community sector in Gloucestershire.
The survey closed at the end of November, and the results have now been analysed. The full report can be downloaded, below.
We would like to thank all those voluntary and community organisations which completed the survey and contributed to the collection of this important information about the state of the voluntary and community sector in the county.
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Monday 5 December 2011 marked International Volunteer Day, and Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, made this statement:
"Beginning with the words "We the peoples", the United Nations Charter reminds us that crafting solutions to global challenges is a job not only for Governments, but for people, communities and civil society.
On International Volunteer Day, we recognize the dedication of volunteers, their admirable spirit of service, and their wide-ranging efforts to promote the goals of the United Nations.
With the world population having surpassed seven billion this year, we must tap every person's potential to help others. Everyone can make a difference. Volunteering matters.
All over the globe, millions of volunteers are helping to advance sustainable development and peace. This engagement takes many forms: volunteering organizations, individuals working on their own in their communities, and service with us and our partners as UN Volunteers.
This year's first-ever State of the World's Volunteerism Report showcases the impact that volunteers have made. I congratulate the UN Volunteers programme and commend the many millions of volunteers working for sustainable development, humanitarian assistance, environmental preservation, and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
With passion and commitment, they are helping to show how volunteering can change the world. As we mark International Volunteer Day, I encourage policymakers to do even more to support and welcome volunteerism, and I urge everyone to consider what they can do to join the movement."
Read the text on the UN website here. |
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The VCS Assembly Commissioning Management Group has successfully allocated the second round of capital grants for the Performance Reward Grant Fund. The intended outcome of this portion of the fund, as agreed by the VCS Assembly, was to increase the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector in Gloucestershire. All the successful applications in Round 2 are from projects working in partnership, and more information on all of these projects will be added to the Gloshub website, as soon as the final grant details have been agreed.
So far, in Round 1 seven voluntary and community organisations were awarded just over £325,000 (see the Gloshub website for details). In Round 2, five voluntary and community organisations have been awarded £140,000 of capital funding between them for a range of projects, including building refurbishments to benefit other voluntary and community groups. A really wide range of voluntary and community groups in the county will be able to benefit from all of these projects.
There is still approximately £150,000 to allocate for small grants. The Commissioning Management Group will be meeting next week to discuss the applications received.
Come along to the Gloscars ceremony on Wednesday 7 December to hear from some of the successful projects from Round 1 of the funding and to see how your project can benefit.
For information about the Performance Reward Grant Fund, contact
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or phone 01452 336273. |
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Over the past few months GAVCA has been building its Facebook page to offer voluntary and community organisations an additional way to find out about events, courses and resources.
We hope that the page will grow, over time, to be somewhere anyone can post news or comments about their work in the voluntary and community sector in Gloucestershire.
To help our page grow, however, we need you! So if you're a fan of Facebook, why not visit us - we'd love to 'see' you, and hear your comments. If you like what you see, then please 'like' us too! |
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