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WCVA and the Third Sector Anti Poverty Programmes Taskforce respond

WCVA and the Third Sector Anti Poverty Programmes Taskforce respond to the Welsh Government's consultations on European Structural Funds and the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020.

WCVA, together with the Third Sector Anti Poverty Programmes Task Force, has issued two responses to the Welsh Government consultation on the European Structural Funds and the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020. WCVA produced a response on behalf of the third sector, which endorses the Taskforce’s recommendations on the best way to tackle poverty and social exclusion. You can read our responses here.

Many thanks to those of you who contributed your views to inform WCVA’s responses.

The response calls for the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) to:

• strengthen the commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs by enhancing their approach to tackling poverty and social exclusion across the new European Programmes;
• re-inforce the commitment to tackling poverty and social exclusion as a new cross-cutting theme by ‘poverty proofing’ all European Programmes and including visible financial priorities;
• follow the European Commission's recommendation to ring-fence 20% of Convergence ESF for  tackling poverty and social exclusion, and we propose an additional 5% of ERDF is ring-fenced for a community led local development (CLLD) approach, which in combination with LEADER through the RDP would have the potential to facilitate direct interventions to tackle poverty within deprived communities; 
• create a specific theme within Convergence ERDF SME Competitiveness Priority 1 and Priority 6 of the RDP to promote social enterprise through a mix of specialist business support, targeted grants and a loan package;
• work in partnership with the Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC), the Third Sector Anti Poverty Programmes Task Force and WCVA to facilitate and maximise the involvement of the third sector in the design, commissioning and delivery of EU funded projects, either as a lead/joint sponsor or contract deliverer; and
• avoid unnecessary delays to the start of the programmes by discussing future funding arrangements as soon as possible with potential ‘backbone’ projects, including the creation of a strategic anti-poverty programme led by the third sector with a wide range of activities and interventions within it, and that these projects should be supported to proceed at an early stage in 2014 through a ‘mobilisation’ phase. 

WEFO is still consulting on the Equality Impact Assessments and Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments for 2014-2020.  Please submit comments to WEFO by 20 May 2013, in any of the following ways:

Email

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Post

Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Team
Welsh European Funding Office
Rhydycar
Merthyr Tydfil
CF48 1UZ

Please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it third sector European team with any questions or feedback regarding EU funding in Wales.

Women Making a Difference looking for mentors

'Women Making a Difference' is currently looking for mentors to support participants in their ‘Women into Public Life’ training course. If you are able to commit 4 hours a month to help a woman on her journey to success, please do get in touch with 'Women Making a Difference'.

Women Making a Difference delivers a programme of empowerment and personal development which takes women on a journey into community leadership, public and political life. Giving women the confidence to believe in themselves and their own ability to 'make a difference' for themselves, their families and the communities in which they live.
Most people achieve better levels of success if they have someone to guide and support them - keeping them focused, raising their confidence and sustaining their motivation. 

WMAD is looking to recruit mentors - particularly in the Cardiff and Llanelli areas - who will encourage and motivate women who are traditionally furthest away from engaging in civic society to become leaders in their community and at all levels of public and political life.

Mentoring training is available if required.

For more information, please contact:

Paula Manley, Women Making a Difference Project Manager, NFWI Wales Office, 19 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9HA

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Telephone: 029 2022 1965

Laughter could be just the tonic for Welsh communities thanks to big funding

They say that laughter is the best medicine and the emotional and physical benefits of laughter have been well documented.   

That’s why the Feelgood Communities CIC group is among the 65 community-based projects across Wales to share in nearly £240,000 awarded under the latest round of the Awards for All small grants programme (Full list of projects available at the end of release and full project descriptions available by clicking on the link here).

Feelgood Communities CIC will use their award of £5,000 to launch the first ever Wales National Laughter Day (12th June 2013) - a project to promote laughter throughout the country. The aim of the project is to provide wellbeing and laughter activities to improve the mental and general health of communities www.feelgoodcommunities.com and https://www.facebook.com/laugh4wales .

The group will provide sessions based on games which encourage laughing and self awareness and include time for discussions and group interaction. The sessions are based on the fact that laughter is proven to relax the whole body, boost the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins and protects the heart. This is particularly beneficial to people with mental health problems, carers and disabled people who often live in stressful circumstances. The sessions will bring people together from a wide range of backgrounds to learn ways of easing stress which enables them to cope better. 

The group will work to recruit volunteers who will run laughter sessions after the first Wales National Laughter Day is held. They will also consult with local community organisations and hold sessions to show people in Wales how they can use laughter to improve their health and happiness.  The long term aim is to establish and run laughter clubs across Wales. The clubs will enable people to learn new skills and mechanisms for dealing with stress and difficult situations, increase their self confidence and ability to express emotions, improve social skills and help them increase awareness and understanding of themselves and others. 

Highlighting the importance of the project, Mr Robin Graham, a Director and Laughter Specialist at Feelgood Communities, said: “We have been developing our laughter-related work since 1998, mixing a scientific approach and analysis with contemporary creative ideas.  We have brought our laughter skills to businesses, local authorities, education establishments, health related and other organisations in the UK and other countries, as well as sharing ideas through theatre based performance.”

Robin, who has an MA in Health and Happiness Awareness, added: “Just by laughing, we can improve our health and our happiness and better manage stress. This is simply because our physiology changes when we laugh. Laughing helps us rebalance ourselves. It helps us to be healthier and relaxed by decreasing stress hormones, increasing antibodies to fight infections, lowering blood pressure, releasing endorphins which give us the ‘feel good factor’ and improving respiration and circulation. It’s also a shared experience that creates a good memory.”

Other grants awarded highlight the diversity of what can be funded through the Awards for All programme. The Anaphylaxis Campaign will use their grant of £1,071 to deliver an interactive workshop in Cardiff for young people aged 11 - 18 with severe allergies, whilst Cylch Meithrin Cwrt Henri in Carmarthenshire will run a project called `Cymraeg i’r teulu’ which will allow parents to develop their Welsh language skills with their children.

And it’s playtime in North Wales thanks to the latest awards. Cylch Meithrin Porthmadog in Gwynedd will spend their award of £5,000 on educational resources and toys including outdoor play equipment for children. And in Rhosllannerchrugog, Wrexham, Canolfan Ceiriog Centre CYF will also spend their award of £3,436 on developing an outdoor play area to provide a safe and stimulating space for children attending the Cylch.

In an intergenerational project, Arts Alive in Crickhowell, Powys, will spend £5,000 on bringing together older people living in sheltered housing and young people at a homeless shelter to create art works exploring themes of housing and homelessness. And last but not least Swallow Laryngectomy Club in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf will use their £1,560 to arrange social outings for their members who are recovering from throat cancer to enable them to adapt to their condition and improve their speech.

Gareth Williams, Awards for All Programme Manager for BIG in Wales, said: “Awards for All is having a positive impact throughout Wales. Money is helping to establish groups, societies and clubs, promoting learning, increasing volunteering opportunities and helping to build stronger communities.”                                                              

Available in English and Welsh, application forms are available to download from www.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0845 4 10 20 30.

Full list of awards (Click here for full project descriptions)

All in this Together update

All in this Together is an independent (non-government funded) organisation which was created to put co-production principles at the heart of public services in Wales.
The All in this Together home page has now been updated at (http://allinthistogetherwales.wordpress.com/) with all relevant and current information about the campaign, including letter templates, press releases, etc.
Click on Wales, the IWA news magazine, is featuring the campaign - ‘Recovering Welsh traditions of co-operation and community‘.
The Guardian Social Care Network will be publishing an item on co-production and the Open Letter in their weekly newsletter, and the Western Mail / Wales Online will also be covering the compaign.

Cardiff Third Sector Council has posted about the campaign here and WCVA has written about their support for the campaign here.
The campaign has sent a Letter to the Editor (Western Mail) and will share the link when it’s published. If you feel so inclined, you could also write to the Western Mail letters page.
All in This Together is encouraging you to tweet , post, email, and tell the world in general about this. Twitter @WalesCoPro