EXCHANGEThe voluntary and communityyouth sector in dialogue

Summer 2012Issue 14

Young Hopefuls:an Olympic GameChanger?News:New QualificationsCommission on YouthQueen’s Birthday Honours

Policy:Creating a sporting habit for life:A new youth sport strategy

Articles by:The Oasis TrustGirlguiding UKWorldwide VolunteeringThe 360 Trust

EDITORIALWelcome to Issue 14 of Exchange magazine

This edition of Exchange is themed aroundthe Olympics – surprise!

And so they’re upon us...

Over the last few months it’s sometimes felt that little else seems to fill the news cycleOlympics mania has taken over, but many are successfully getting stuck in and using themomentum of the games to highlight important issues for young people – for our younghopefuls.

The world takes a huge interest in the Olympics, and hopeful young people are not restrictedto our shores. What will be the legacy of the games for all of these young people? How willwe ensure good work is carried on after the athletes, visitors, and games volunteers havemade their way home and the dust has settled? Will this global event really be an Olympicgame changer?

Throughout the last few months and up to the end of August and beyond, hundreds ofNCVYS members will have been involved in putting on special Olympic-themed andconnected events; and the breadth, imagination and entrepreneurial skills and spirit on show has been breathtaking and truly inspiring.

The same enthusiasm can be seen right across the sector, and the summer promises to beone full of fantastic opportunities for young people, if not of sunshine! Our two main articlesfeature a pair of organisations, fully focused on ensuring young hopes are met – The OasisTrust (p.10 – 11) and Girlguiding UK (p.14 – 15), both of whom have got some great storiesto share about their plans for the Olympics and whether or not they’ll be a game changer foryoung people.

Although the games themselves may be largely restricted to a few areas of the country,we’ve watched the Olympic flame wind its way around every corner of the country, from hilltop to valley and back again. Some of the chosen Torchbearers have happened to beyoung people that NCVYS are working with, and we’ve taken this opportunity to talk tothem about their experiences and what they think about the legacyof the games, p.07.

From a global perspective on young hopefuls, WorldWide Volunteering tell us about theimportant work in promoting long-term volunteering both at home and abroad in NetworkNews (p.05), while our Case Study on p.16 features on The 360 Trust, whose trip to Ugandawas a real eye-opener for those who went.

Our Workforce Development update explores opportunities in youth sports and looks at acouple who are in this line of work (p.17), while other stand out articles include an interviewwith the CEO of the Media Trust (p.18), a policy analysis piece on sport (p.08), and a Servicedevelopment article on funding, partnerships and the whole wide world (p.13).

As ever, we welcome contributions from our members for our next issue of Exchange, so ifyou’ve got news or ideas for an article, get in touch with us by emailing press@ncvys.org.uk

Enjoy!

Rob Candy Editor

Contents

NCVYS news p04

Network news p05

Member news p06

Opinion: Young Torchbearers shinein light of the Olympic flame p07

Policy update and analysis p08

ENVOY update p09

Article: An Olympic Opportunity for Young People p10

Connections and Communications p12

Ideas bank p13

Article: Going for gold: Thechallenge for guiding in an Olympic Year p14

Case study: 360 Trust p16

Workforce developmentupdate p17

Meet the Chief Executive: CarolineDiehl MBE, Media Trust p18

Heads up p19

04

Our Olympic efforts Not to be left behind by the fantastic efforts and plansof our members, the staff at NCVYS have been busypreparing for the Games. From holding our own officeOlympics, to staff volunteering as Games Makers, to dancers in the opening ceremony, NCVYS havejumped into the swing of things. We’d love to hearabout what you get up to during the games too, so send in your pics and we’ll share them via ourfacebook pages.

Catalyst – new qualifications /training partnershipsEarlier this month, NCVYS were delighted to announcethe release of two new Level 2 qualifications for theyoung people’s workforce. The award and certificate-sized qualifications are an excellent foundation for staffor volunteers in the voluntary and community sectorworking with young people. They cover three coreareas: personal development; work-based skills andworking with young people. It is the first time NCVYShave developed a qualification.

The qualifications, which can be easily delivered inbite-sized chunks, are designed to complement othersalready on the market such as the JNC-recognisedframeworks in Youth Work Practice, or the CWDCsuite of qualifications, but do not replicate or replacethem as they differ in structure, content and primaryaudiences.

For more information on these qualifications visitour website: http://bit.ly/NewQuals

Commission on YouthIn April this year, ResPublica and NCVYS weredelighted to launch a joint 12-month Commissionon Youth. Following our work with many youthorganisations in the aftermath of the August riots,NCVYS has maintained commitment to help buildsolutions with members and partners to one of theworst waves of civil unrest in a generation.

The aim of the Commission in its first stages will beto identify gaps in public understanding and offerinnovative angles to these by investigating thecorrelation between institutional ‘anomie’ and civilunrest. The key question this project will seek toanswer is whether the alienation from social institutionstranslates into the fragmentation of social identity andrejection of self-regulatory values. The discussionsand topics to be explored through the Commission willserve as a basis for future research or policy initiativesin key areas affecting young people and communities.

Please visit our website for more information:http://bit.ly/CoYouth

Faiza’s special day!Congratulations to our fantastic Deputy ChiefExecutive Faiza Chaudary who tied the knot onSunday 1 July! Everyone at NCVYS is thrilled for you!

NCVYS Trustees acknowledgedin Queen’s Birthday HonoursHuge congratulations to NCVYS trustees AshleySweetland and Kevin Curley who have been awardedan MBE and CBE respectively. The recognition of bothvoluntary and community sector stalwarts is bothreward and endorsement for their continued hard work.

In the Honours List, released on Saturday 16 June,Her Majesty The Queen recognised both Ashley andKevin for services given; Ashley Sweetland, Vice Chairof NCVYS’s Board of Trustees, has been awarded anMBE for services to Young People, while Kevin Curley,NCVYS Trustee, has received a CBE for services tothe Voluntary and Community Sector.

However, for neither NCVYS trustee does this meanthe end of a journey, but rather confirmation of thevalue of their continued contribution. To read whatAshley and Kevin said, please visit our website:http://bit.ly/TrusteesHonours

Case studies – working infrontline roles with young peopleOn behalf of the Catalyst consortium NCVYS hasproduced case studies outlining the career paths andskills journeys of 10 individuals who work frontline withyoung people. NCVYS hopes these case studies willencourage workforce development and promote alearning culture across the youth sector. Downloadfrom http://bit.ly/WFDcs

Social EnterpriseAt a time when voluntary sector organisations havebegun a shift towards generating traded incomethrough social enterprise ventures, NCVYS hasproduced a series of handy factsheets aimed atdebunking some common questions surroundingthis topic. To date we have published four factsheets:• a social enterprise jargon buster• social finance for social enterprise• governance structures for charities and social

enterprises• a basic guide to intellectual property protection

All are freely available to download from the NCVYSwebsite (http://bit.ly/OAPsocent), and you may seethem regularly tweeted from @yeahCIC, NCVYS’scommunity interest company.

Further factsheets will follow; the next one will lookat partnerships and consortia.

Suggestions for future topics can be sent toana@ncvys.org.uk

Current funding environmentNCVYS has developed a number of services formembers interested in the current fundingenvironment. Our financial monitoring blog compilesinformation on financial news that affects the voluntaryand community youth sector. This includes evidenceof cuts affecting young people and the voluntary andcommunity sector at a national and local level, as wellas documenting new initiatives that add funding to thesector. Our monthly funding update includes detailsof national and local funding opportunities, includinggrants and contracts, for the voluntary and communityyouth sector. It also highlights funding with a focus onworkforce development.

We are also continuing to collect information abouthow cuts in funding are affecting our members. If youhave any intelligence you would like to contribute tothis area of work, please contactDominic@ncvys.org.uk. We will be using thisinformation to share your experiences with relevantGovernment departments and the wider sector.

Read our financial monitoring blog athttp://bit.ly/FinancialMonitoringBlog You can view our monthly funding update by visitinghttp://bit.ly/FundingUpdate

NCVYS NEWS

NCVYS Trustee Ashley Sweetland MBENCVYS Trustee Kevin Curley CBE

NCVYS policy officer Dominic Weinberg ready to be a Games Maker

05

VOLUNTEERING ADVENTURES

With the Olympic Games aboutto dominate the headlines, worldattention will for three weeksfocus more than usual oninternational matters.

WorldWide Volunteering (WWV)has promoted volunteering since1994. Our online database(www.wwv.org.uk) contains 1.6million volunteering placementsfrom approximately 3,000organisations all over the world.

WWV project managers also personally inspire andassist thousands of people to become volunteers.These are school students, disabled students,ex-offenders, injured servicemen and women, andvulnerable young people such as those leaving care.

Much of the volunteering young people do is local.It is usually more convenient, and cheaper, thanoverseas volunteering. But going abroad hasadvantages. Tourism may not broaden the mind, buttravel certainly can, and volunteering in completelydifferent cultures and environments can be one ofthe most life-changing adventures possible.

Released after being jailed for not paying drivingoffence fines, YMCA resident Barry (not his realname) met a WWV project manager working inpartnership with Action for Children to helpdisadvantaged Merseyside youngsters govolunteering.

Our project manager encouraged Barry to volunteerwith conservation charity BTCV. Then she introducedhim to an Operation New World voluntary courseaimed at giving young people job skills andexperience.

With BTCV, Barry cleared rhododendrons which weredisplacing native English trees. Then, after a trainingcourse in London, Operation New World sent Barryto the Canary island of Fuerteventura, a UNESCOWorld Biosphere Reserve. His job was to surveysections of the island to help local people protectits environment.

Despite the apparently attractive venue, Barry’sadventure was no holiday and certainly did provelife-changing. He said:

“Fuerteventura was hard work, working 6 am until 10pm every day. It was really, really hot in the sun andwe were out in it most of the day, doing surveys oflarge areas in small groups. When we had completedthat, we’d have to write it up and give presentations.

“It’s changed everything, just everything. The way Ilook at things has changed totally from being outthere, from seeing how some people have to live outthere, realising it’s not just you who sometimes hasit tough.

“Thank you so much, thank you again for organisingeverything. It was so good, and it really has improvedeverything, my confidence, my outlook on life, justeverything, thank you again. I had been down in thedumps so long since prison but now I feel muchmore positive. I have also got myself a job.”

Sometimes, even local volunteering has internationaldimensions. Amit, a senior school student from Ilford,Essex, was inspired by our project manager there todo some volunteering. He agreed to do six months ina nearby Oxfam shop. A lot of valuable skills can belearned in charity shops, from stock display todealing with customers to bookkeeping and handlingmoney. But they are often seen as boring, not asplaces to start an adventure.

Amit did not find the Oxfam shop boring. In fact,at first he found it very challenging, and emailed usabout it shortly after he started. He thought themanageress was awful and could not see anythingin the work that he particularly liked. But he recalledthat he had promised our project manager that hewould do it for six months. We thought: “sad hedoesn’t like it, but he’s no quitter”.

Then we had another email from Amit, more upbeatthan the first. He could begin to see where themanageress was coming from, he said, and couldalso see the good the shop was doing. He wasbeginning to enjoy it. We thought: “that’s better”,and wondered if there would be more.

There was. Several weeks later, Amit wrote again.Not an email this time, but a handwritten letter.This is very rare nowadays, and we lapped it up.According to Amit, the sun now shone out of themanageress’s eyes and the shop was the mostfantastic place to work. He could not get enough ofit. He had also studied what Oxfam was about andmade a decision. He wanted to spend his lifeteaching in Africa. We thought: “from a charity shopto a lifelong adventure”.

These stories, and others, underline the tremendouspotential of volunteering and its ability to foster aninternational perspective. The Olympics will doubtlessbe just a sports feeding frenzy for most but I amequally sure that the international amity they representwill sow the seeds of international volunteering in theminds of others, many of whom, just like Barry andAmit, are hopeful of something more.

Peter Sharp,Director, WorldWide Volunteering

NETWORK NEWS

Thank you again for

organising everything. It

was so good, and it really

has improved everything,

my confidence, my outlook

on life, just everything,

thank you again.

Peter Sharp, Director, WWV

Sammy Nanneh, a WWV volunteer in Kenya

06

MEMBER NEWS

Campaign to tackle isolationof deaf teenagers launched

The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) islaunching a campaign called Look, Smile, Chatto help deaf and hearing teenagers communicatewith each other.

The campaign aims to reduce the social isolationexperienced by some deaf teenagers by puttinghearing teenagers in the shoes of their deafclassmates and giving them simple steps to makecommunicating easy.

Free resources, including short films, lesson plans andposters have been created for professionals workingwith young people.

NDCS is asking for your help in telling the teachers,social workers and other professionals you work withabout the campaign and how they can help to improvethe lives of the UK’s 45,000 deaf children.

For further information and to access the freeresources, go to: www.buzz.org.uk/looksmilechat

NCVYS New membersFollowing recent trustee board meetings, and since thelast issue of Exchange, NCVYS has now welcomed 13new members. Below are links to our five most recentmembers and a bit about the great work they do.

Three Faiths Forum (3FF) builds understanding andlasting relationships between people of all faiths andbeliefs. They run education, engagement and actionprogrammes that bring diverse communities together.Their main focus is in the UK, but they also workinternationally to create new models for interculturalcooperation, particularly in the EU, USA and MiddleEast. http://www.threefaithsforum.org.uk/

Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP)are based in South Gloucester are an independentcharity. SBCP run a range of projects to: help childrenand young people through the transition intoindependence and adulthood; make sure families getsupport that meets their individual needs; reduceisolation, especially amongst older people; andsupport the development of safe, strong and inclusivecommunities. http://www.southernbrooks.org.uk/

Mental Health Foundation describe themselves asthe the UK’s leading mental health research, policy andservice improvement charity. They are committed toreducing the suffering caused by mental ill health andto help everyone lead mentally healthier lives. Theyhelp people to survive, recover from and preventmental health problems.http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

Humanutopia is a social enterprise that changes liveswhilst contributing to all six Ofsted outcomes. They dotwo things help people grow, and in doing so help totransform communities. They do this by creating anddeveloping bespoke and inspirational, life-changingcourses that can be tailored to suit any academicenvironment. http://www.humanutopia.com/

ReachFor is a social enterprise formed by eight like-minded organisations throughout England deliveringservices to young people and adults. The eightorganisations are: Careers South West, ConnexionsLeicester Shire, Connexions Thames Valley, CSWP,CXK, GMCP, Inspira, Nottingham and NottinghamshireFutures. Their purpose is to work together to deliverhigh quality services to support young people andadults (particularly those who are vulnerable) throughkey transitions in their lives, in particular to achievepositive destinations in employment, education and/ortraining http://reachfor.org.uk/

Other recently new NCVYS members include: Safer London Foundation, North West Regional YouthWork Unit (NWRYWU), Islington Children and YoungPeople’s Voluntary Sector Forum, National DeafChildren’s Society (NDCS), We Have A Voice (formerlyYPA winners Autzine), Youth Media Agency,Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs (BAYC), andThe Howard League for Penal Reform.

For more information about membership and tosee a full list of current NCVYS members pleasevisit http://bit.ly/NCVYSmembers

UK Youth and Microsoft launchnational IT skills project

Microsoft is celebrating 30 years in the UK bylaunching a ground breaking charity partnership withUK Youth. Microsoft will promote its existing training,work experience and apprenticeship opportunitiesthrough the UK Youth network. It will also be offering30 youth clubs across the country the chance tobecome IT Youth Hubs who will receive a technologymakeover and support from an IT mentor.

This partnership follows the success of Microsoft’sBritain Works campaign, which aimed to help 500,000people into work by the end of 2012 through training,apprenticeships and work experience. To date, thiscampaign has supported over 480,000 people manyof whom are 16-24 years- old.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/UKYMicro

Adam Bradford's world tour!

Adam Bradford is a 19-year-old social entrepreneur,whose main company UnITe Computing has justcelebrated its first birthday. Launched with the supportof celebrity chef Levi Roots, UnITe have since enjoyedworking with big name clients such as Google UKthrough to start-ups as far away as India. Adam is anavid supporter of NCVYS [see Ideas Bank, page 13],as well as continuing to run his portfolio of businessesand provide investment, mentoring and inspiration toother aspiring young people. He is setting off on aworld tour this summer in Miami, India and France totalk to youngsters and speak at events to motivateyoung people to achieve their very best. You can get intouch with him and find out more about his work at www.entrepreneuradam.tv.

St John Ambulance – offer toNCVYS membersWith first aid and health and safety skills, you can bethe difference between a life lost and a life saved.NCVYS is pleased to be partnering with St JohnAmbulance to offer a negotiated 15% discount on arange of their First Aid, and Health and Safety courses– exclusively for our membership.

Every year, up to 150,000* people die in situationswhere first aid could have given them a chance to live– which is why St John Ambulance, a NCVYSmember, aims to equip young people, workers,volunteers and others in every community with vital lifesaving skills.

For more information on claiming this discountplease visit http://bit.ly/SJAdiscount

Please note, that the First Aid course made availablethrough this opportunity has no direct link to the newFirst Aid accredited unit in the Level 2 Working withYoung People qualification. For more information aboutthe Level 2 Working with Young People qualificationplease contact claire@ncvys.org.uk

*Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics,

2008 (for England & Wales).

Send in your member newsWe are always on the lookout for stories and newsabout our membership. If you have a story that youwould like to share with our network of over 290members and the readership of Exchange, pleasecontact the Exchange editor viapress@ncvys.org.uk

St John Ambulance training

07

OPINIONYoung Torchbearers shine in lightof the Olympic flame

As the Olympic flame has wound its wayup/down/through/side-to-side/back and forthacross the country, there’s been a fantastic turnout of support from the public. Braving the drizzleand cooler than normal temperatures, many havelined the torchbearer’s routes to see the flame,which itself has managed to (mostly!) burn brightly.And it’s been great. From toddlers to grandparents,the flame’s route has been lined by thousands ofpeople, and has been watched by millions onlineand via their television screens; in total the flamewill have travelled to within an hour of 95% of thepeople in the UK – quite a journey!

The London 2012 website states the Olympic flamestands for peace, unity and friendship, and that its routewill enable local communities to shine a light on the besttheir area has to offer. But how exactly does this work?How does the flame show the best that localcommunities have to offer? Well, this is where thetorchbearers come in. Because, after all, what’s betterabout a community than the people who live in it?

Here at NCVYS we’re continually amazed by the youngpeople who work with us – by their resourcefulness,determination, and simply by who they just are. Wecaught up with a few who’ve been given the opportunityto be torchbearers and asked them about theexperience. We interviewed Jhon and Megan before theycarried the torch, and Ceri and Jaffer afterwards. Here’swhat they said...

Jhon Bateman, 15, Leicestershire

I’m really excited at being selected – something toremember forever! I want the wider community to knowthat there are young people out there who are doinggood things, and I hope the flame will be a really positiveevent for everyone here. Hopefully the Olympics ingeneral will help show how much we need volunteers,and will promote the fantastic work they already do, all across the country. Not only does volunteering helpothers, but as a side effect I found I’ve also benefitted– gaining work experience and transferrable skills.

Megan Fearnley, 19, Cumbria

I am over the moon about being selected to be anOlympic Torch Bearer! I have had a difficult few yearsand things have not gone right for me in a long time, butbeing selected to be an Olympic Torch Bearer has beenthe most amazing news I have ever had. I’m honoured tobe a part of the London 2012 Olympics and just beinginvolved is more than enough.

I am currently a part time youth worker for a charityorganisation called Young Cumbria. I’ve been involvedwith Young Cumbria since I was a young person andhave worked my way through the organisation to where I am today.

I think the Olympic torch will have a positive impact notjust on my community, but on all; it will change the waypeople think and boost their confidence to do what theywant to in life.

The legacy of the games will be huge for young people,not just in Cumbria, but all over. This is partly because ofthe funding that is available for youth groups to improvefacilities for sports to continue after the games, but alsoover the next few months our programme is all about theOlympics and getting different sporting professions in toteach our young people new sports and skills.

I hope the games also inspire a lot more people tovolunteer more regularly. I think due to the current stateof the economy the sector would not be able to survivewithout the use and help of their volunteers. YoungCumbria rely on their volunteers to support the youngpeople to develop to their full potential.

Ceri Davies, 22, West Midlands

On Saturday 30th June, I carried the Olympic Torchthrough Wolverhampton which was a great honour anddefinitely a once in a lifetime experience. It was brilliant tosee all my family, friends and supporters lining the streetsfor me and, when I stepped off the bus, I was shockedand overwhelmed at how many people were there tocheer me on. As I was carrying the torch I felt as though

I was doing it for all the young people who I have satwith on several youth participation teams throughout thecountry. I hope that some of these young people werewatching me on the BBC! When I passed over the torchto the next bearer, I made sure that I performed a smalldance, as I am involved with the Arts, and I wanted todemonstrate this to the world.

Jaffer Hussain, 24, Blackburn

Carrying the torch felt amazing! The buzz, theatmosphere, and the people – all of them were justperfect – I had dreamt for a long time about how it wouldit feel and the entire day surpassed anything I imagined.The weather that day was one of the worst the Torch hasever had to endure (that’s what one of the Torch BearerStewards told me) but that didn’t stop the peoplecoming out to support and cheer me on. Unfortunately I couldn’t run in my hometown, but six car-fulls of peoplestill came with me as support.

I got drenched waiting for the torch to reach me, but itwas so exciting I spent the time soaking in not only therain but the atmosphere too! Then from the corner of myeye I saw the flame coming towards me. I shook handswith the torch bearer and our torches met with minereceiving the flame and I was off! I started a slow jogtowards the next torch bearer and from the corner of myeye I saw my brothers on one side running with me andmy friends on the other. The wind and the rain got moreferocious as I continued my jog but I was just loving it!The people were encouraging me on, whooping,cheering and shouting as I ran past them. After a fewminutes I saw the next torch bearer and as I approachedher she swung out her arm, we joined together and did alittle jig! The crowd went crazy and so did the stewards –everyone loved it!

How will the Olympics impact our communities? Muchlike the Royal wedding last year and the Jubilee thissummer, the Games and the Torch relay bringcommunities together in a shared celebration. Theseevents show inclusion and cohesion, and I really hopethey help people to realise that despite our differences,we’re all in this together.

Ceri Davies

Megan Fearnley

Jaffer Hussain

Carrying the torch feltamazing! The buzz, theatmosphere, and the

people – all of them werejust perfect!

Jhon Bateman

Sport

Creating a sporting habit for life: A new youthsport strategyIn January Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt launched Creating a sportinghabit for life: A new youth sport strategy. The £1 billion, five-year youthand community sport strategy aims to inspire a generation to getinvolved in sport – a promise made in the 2012 Games bid. AParliamentary Question revealed that this was mostly financed by theNational Lottery, with £200 million from the Treasury.

The strategy will be delivered by Sport England. It includes £100 million for tacklingthe drop-off in sports participation that can happen when young people leaveschool - Sport England recently found that the number of 16-19 year olds playingsport three times a week has fallen from 930,400 in 07/08 to 825,900 in 10/11.Some of this will be invested in new school-based sports clubs, which will bedistinct from PE – expert coaches will run sessions and the clubs will be linked toexisting local community sports clubs. £50 million will be invested in sport provisionat further education colleges and universities.

The strategy includes funding to open up school sport facilities to the localcommunity – Sport England has recently published guidance to help schools todo this. With 76% of sports halls, 73% of artificial grass pitches, 29% of swimmingpools and 52% of grass pitches in England in the education sector it is vital thatthese facilities are used during evenings and weekends.

The strategy will invest over £50m between now and 2017 in sports clubs andvoluntary and community groups. It also asks sports governing bodies, whereyoung people are the main participants, to spend around 60% of their funding onactivities that promote sport as a habit for life amongst young people. It aims todeliver: consistent growth in sports participation in the 14 - 25 age range; highquality talent development; and a growth in participation by people who havedisabilities.

There is plenty of evidence that sport can be a fantastic tool to engage and workwith young people in the most deprived communities – New Philanthropy Capitalfound that sport can often be the 'hook' needed to engage young people in widerprogrammes of education and support. However, a report from the Centre forSocial Justice suggests that Britain’s poorest young people stand to gain little fromthe massive investment in the 2012 Games. It says an overhaul of the sportssystem is needed to connect sports with the most vulnerable young people – withlinks with voluntary and community organisations vital. An Ofsted survey of schoolsports found that schools should build strong partnerships with local voluntary andcommunity groups in order to engage young people in sport – especially those atrisk of adopting unhealthy lifestyles.

Further challenges to engaging all young people in sport remain: a recent reportfrom the Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation found that more than half ofsecondary school girls are put off sport by their experiences of school PE, with only12% of 14-year-old girls are achieving the recommended levels of exercise. Thereport suggests that girls don’t like the activities on offer and that schools shouldmake PE a trial rather than a pleasure. Further research from NSPCC has foundthat issues surrounding body image and emotional abuse are “commonplace” inorganised sport.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance has identified that in order for the 150,000sports clubs across the UK to fully benefit their communities there needs to be areduction in red tape and bureaucracy. Their most recent report Red Card to RedTape: One Year On is an update on the progress that has been made in thecampaign. This includes details of proposals for a refreshed Community AmateurSports Club (CASC) scheme, a new code on insurance liability and changes to thevetting and barring framework through the Protection of Freedoms (further detailswill be available when guidance is produced). Yet many barriers are still in place –there are still challenges to be overcome to ensure that investment in sport deliversfor all young people.

To view links to articles mentioned above please visithttp://bitly.com/bundles/ncvys/l.

NCVYS consultation responsesNCVYS continues to submit consultation responses in order to inform andinfluence policy that impacts on young people and the voluntary sector at a local,regional and national level.

On behalf of Catalyst we submitted a joint response with Independent AcademicResearch Studies (IARS) to the Big Lottery Fund's consultation ‘BuildingCapabilities for Impact and Legacy'. The response argued for investment inexisting infrastructure support and for a focus on support with obtaining corefunding and developing sustainability.

Our joint response with Clinks to the Justice Select Committee's inquiry intoYouth Justice said that the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sectoris well placed to offer the holistic services necessary to meet the needs ofparticularly vulnerable groups of offenders such as children and young people.

We put together a working group of our members and partners to respond tothe Department for Education’s Draft Statutory Guidance for Local Authoritieson Services and Activities to Improve Young People's Wellbeing.

We supported the Changemakers response to the Department of Health on thedraft guidance on joint strategic needs assessments and health and wellbeingstrategies. The response called for the guidance to be stronger in stressing theimportance of taking the needs of children and young people into account.

If you would like to inform NCVYS's responses, please contact Faiza Chaudary,Director of Policy and Communications E: faiza@ncvys.org.uk

Briefing papersSocial Enterprise UK, on behalf of the Catalyst consortium, have publishedSocial Enterprise and youth policy. The paper sets out the findings from SocialEnterprise UK's work over the last few months with social enterprises and withyoung people themselves.

The National Youth Agency, on behalf of the Catalyst consortium, has produceda briefing paper summarising key points of Budget 2012 that relate to youngpeople and the voluntary and community youth sector (VCYS).

NCVYS, on behalf of the Department for Education’s Overarching StrategicPartnership, has published a briefing on gangs. It includes information on theGovernment's paper, Ending Gang and Youth Violence: A Cross-GovernmentReport, including further evidence and good practice case studies. It alsooutlines details of a new approach to gangs in London.

Other partners in the Overarching Strategic Partnership have recently publishedbriefings which are available on the Children England website. This includesareas such as the Localism Act, the Review of Charities Act, Music Licensing,Social Value and Supporting Children and Young People whose First Language is not English.

On behalf of the Department for Education’s Overarching Strategic Partnership,NCVYS also held a number of events in early 2012. These were to support thoseworking in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector with children,young people and families.

The Unemployment Roundtable shared knowledge of Rathbone’s perspective onyouth unemployment. The Eye of the Storm seminar was a one-day, multi-sectorhealth and wellbeing seminar for service planners and practitioners. The Justicefor Youth and Free from Trouble seminar (29 February, London) explored youthjustice, early intervention and the riots with Leap Confronting Conflict and Justfor Kids Law.

Policy classes looked at prominent areas of policy development: localism,education, safeguarding and benefit reforms. Notes and briefing papers fromthe events are available on the events section of our website.

To find copies of our consultations, briefing and policy papers mentionedin this article, please take a look at the Influencing Policy pages of ourwebsite: http://www.ncvys.org.uk/influencing.html

POLICYANALYSIS

POLICYUPDATE

08

ENVOY

(Youth participation atNCVYS)

Now in its ninth year, the YoungPartners Award (YPA) is a celebrationof voluntary and community youthorganisations who involve youngpeople in the decision-makingprocesses of their organisation.Nominations opened in February 2012and after receiving a large number ofapplications from youth organisationsand projects across the country,preparation for this year’s awards iswell on the way. Members from ournational youth forum, ENVOY, areworking alongside our youthparticipation staff to ensure this year’saward process is a great success.

Nominations are now closed and five organisationswere long-listed to the next stage of the awardsprocess. ENVOY members visited each of the fivelong-listed projects to meet the people that makethe project what it is. The visits gave our teams thechance to evidence the projects’ nomination forms,what it means to the people involved and how theyhave benefitted. Following these visits threeorganisations have been shortlisted in each awardcategory for the final Awards ceremony on October20 2012. The YPA awards help to develop the skillsand experiences of ENVOY members as they plan,shortlist and deliver the entire awards process andceremony. If you’re a young person aged 11-25 withan interest in events management and you’d like tohelp plan next year’s awards, then please emailenvoy@ncvys.org.uk.

Regional showcase eventsThe Young Partners Award places a great emphasison youth participation and best practise sharingacross the Voluntary and Community youth Sector.As part of the YPA process, NCVYS will be hostingthree regional showcase events in the Midlands,North, and South, w/c 13th and 20th August 2012.Shortlisted organisations will showcase their work,exploring the successes and challenges to workingin partnership with young people. Previous eventshave been well attended and offer regionalorganisations the opportunity to learn and share with each other. All participants will have theopportunity to:

• network with youth practitioners and professionalsin the sector;

• learn how other organisations engage youngpeople in their work;

• find out more about NCVYS, the Young PartnersAward and how you can apply next year;

• take away hints and tips to bring back to yourorganisation.

Further information on how you can sign up toattend these FREE events is now available on ourwebsite at: www.ncvys.org.uk. In the meantime ifyou’d like to speak to our team about the eventsplease email: envoy@ncvys.org.uk.

Hot topics Do you work with young people aged 11-25? Thenwhy not tell them about our new Hot Topics forum,an online space for young people to discuss anddebate topics that impact their lives. Hot Topics willbe posted on the ENVOY Facebook page for youngpeople to share their thoughts and experiences. Thisinformation will support our young person’s policygroup, which exists to inform NCVYS’s core work byrepresenting the views and opinions of young peoplearound the country. For further information aboutHot Topics please email envoy@ncvys.org.uk .

09

YoungPartnersUpdate

Delegates listen to youth participation seminar at a NCVYS event

10

AN OLYMPICOPPORTUNITY FORYOUNG PEOPLEHow the 2012 Games presentan incredible opportunity foryoung people in Britain, but avery real threat to vulnerableyouths elsewhere

Through a number of youth work projects,community support programmes and of course,our family of academies, Oasis works with countlessyoung people across the country. To be involvedwith someone’s life, particularly at the formativestage in their development is a huge privilege.However, at a time where public perceptions of ouryouth are at an all-time low, it is also an awesomeresponsibility.

These negative perceptions of young people havebeen growing steadily worse for a number of years.Since the tragic and dramatic riots of last summer,many people in the media, government and societyin general have made no attempt to hide theirdisdain for the standards of the younger generation.According to our teachers, youth workers andcommunity support teams, this has left our nation’syouth feeling concerned, hurt, angry and confusedas to why so many people feel they have so littleto offer.

The 2012 London Olympic Games are anopportunity for this to change. Throughout history,the iconic sporting occasion has always been aboutmore than athletics. It has been about culturalrichness, team spirit and national pride. By comingalmost a year after the dramatic scenes of lastsummer, the games give British young people anopportunity to show the world just how determinedthey are to be positive members of their society.

But to do this, they need help and guidance. Oasis– like many other organisations that are entrustedwith the care of children and teenagers – isdetermined not to let this opportunity pass us byand has launched two projects that enable ouryoung people and others to celebrate the Olympicspirit that is spreading through the nation.

100 Days of PeacemakingThe need to promote peace is not new to the 2012Olympics. In fact, it has been one of the core tenantsof the Games since the very beginning.

According to the age-old tradition, each participatingcountry pledged to maintain 50 days of peace before

the Olympics to enable all athletes to travel safelyto the host country. And then, after the event hadfinished, peace was maintained for a further 50 daysin order to allow safe passage home.

This year, thanks to a new Oasis campaign, 100Days of Peacemaking will benefit far more thanjust the travelling athletes. Playing on the ancienttradition, we will be calling on young people acrossthe country to use these 100 days to re-establishtheir commitment to peace making – not just peace.

Across our hubs in the UK, we will be looking at whatit really means to be a peace maker and we’re invitingother people to join the challenge. We want people tothink about peace, what it means to them personallyand how they can build towards more peacefulhomes, schools, streets and communities. Whatare the issues where you live and what can you doto help contribute to more peaceful communities?

As part of this campaign a group of young peoplefrom across our academies recently travelled toLondon where they spent the day together exploringthese questions. At the end of the day, they wereable to contribute to a debate led by David Lammy,MP for Tottenham on the causes of the riots. Duringthe day, students and staff all made pledges aboutmaking their communities places of peace and placesthat create peace. These pledges covered a broadarea including developing relationships with localpolice, playing a role in Restorative Justice,supporting Care Homes and rebuilding trustswith local businesses.

Throughout the campaign, other activities haveincluded peace rallies in different parts of the countryand local ‘People’s Parliament’ events where localMPs and decision makers have been invited todebate issues such as knife crime and gang violence.These local expressions are leaving communities inno doubt whatsoever as to the positive role thatyoung people want to play in society.

Oasis OlympicsThe Olympic Games may only involve a limitednumber of athletes and take place in a specificlocation but through our very own ‘Oasis Olympics’we are giving young people from across our familyof academies the chance to have their very owntaste of Olympic victory this summer.

During this event, the top athletes from each of the14 Oasis Academies will travel to Nottingham tocompete against each other in a selection of Olympicevents with one school emerging as the champion.Each event during the games will be an Olympicactivity with teams competing under typical Olympicconditions.

Throughout our time working with young people, wehave learnt how important sport can be to a child’sdevelopment. As well as the obvious benefits ofexercise to a person’s wellbeing, physical activitiesencourage a great sense of team spirit and inspireyoung people to achieve and apply themselves.

However, the Oasis Olympics is about far morethan the young people actually taking part in the eventon the day. Ahead of these we have already seen abroader group of students ‘virtually’ compete againsteach other across a range of events including acooper run, sit up test and long jump.

And the celebrations have extended beyond athletics.Over the past six months, each of our academies hastaken it in turns to host the Oasis Olympic flag,mirroring the way that the Olympic Torch travelsaround the world until it reaches the host country.This has given the academies the chance to hostceremonies in the presence of local dignitaries andensure the whole school and wider community hashad a chance to celebrate the Olympic Spirit.

we will be calling on youngpeople across the countryto use these 100 daysto re-establish theircommitment to peacemaking – not just peace.

11

An opportunity but also a threatThere is no doubt that the Olympics create a hugeopportunity for young people; in fact it will probably beanother generation before our youth have the chanceto show a global audience that the future is safe intheir hands.

However, for anyone who is passionate about thenext generation the 2012 Games also present a veryreal threat; for every opportunity to improveengagement with and the reputation of youths inBritain, there is a very real danger that the spectacleof the Olympics will be used to entice people fromaround the world away from their homes and into alife of human trafficking. As a member of the ‘STOPTHE TRAFFIK’ coalition, Oasis is committed tosupporting activities that ensure the athletes, not thetraffickers are ultimate winners of the 2012 Olympics.

Every year, millions of people are tricked into leavingtheir home by being promised a better life elsewhere.When they arrive at their destination however, theydiscover that they have been deceived and in oneform or another, live a life of modern-day slavery.This crime is known as ‘Human Trafficking’, and thefact that London – already one of the most populardestinations for traffickers - is hosting the Olympicsonly adds to its appeal as an opportunity to makemoney for its perpetrators.

Human Trafficking can take a number of differentforms including domestic servitude, forced streetcrime, sexual exploitation and forced labour.Whatever the differences in the ultimate exploitationhowever, trafficking tends to begin in a similar way,with people tricked or taken against their will andtransported into a form of slavery. It might be thatparents are deceived into releasing their children orinto selling them for as little as $20 to a localgangmaster or serious organised internationaltrafficking ring, convinced that they were going togive them the chance of ‘a better life’.

But there is something that can be done. Humantrafficking is fundamentally an act of deception; areality that will be creatively illustrated through STOPTHE TRAFFIK’s campaign featuring giant gift boxeslocated in Cathedrals and in key locations elsewhereacross London from 13th July – 12th August. On theoutside, these walk-in pieces of public art have thelook and feel of intriguing gifts, symbolising theenticing promises made by traffickers. However,on the inside they will contain a three dimensional,thought-provoking and interactive experience that willintroduce all those who enter to the reality of humantrafficking as well as suggesting ways in which visitorscan help to bring an end to this global crime.

But to really make this work, we need your help. Thegift boxes need to be manned by volunteers who careabout the cause and would be able to answer visitorsquestions as well as help them navigate around theboxes. Can you give a week or more to help makea difference? For more information please visithttp://www.ungiftbox.org

www.oasisuk.org

An Academy student addresses the audience at an Oasis People's Parliament event - Peace at Home and Abroad & Restoring Peace

Mood board at an Oasis youth event

A STOP THE TRAFFIK giant gift box

12

CONNECTIONS

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Settings

Unless you know your way around all the settings on your camera, use theauto setting to ensure satisfactory results.

2. Use your legs

Optical zoom will only take you so far, and while digital zooms should besteered clear of, the most effective zoom you’ve got is your legs – use them!

3. The ‘law of thirds’

In your mind’s eye, try dividing your viewfinder into three horizontal and verticallines. Where the lines dissect are natural focal points – try placing your subjectat one of these points.

4. Quality – 300dpi

For use in print and online,you should be aiming forimages of 300dpi. Mostdigital cameras should allowyou to alter the settings toensure pictures are high res.

5. All the ‘grounds’ – foreground and background

Try not to use distracting or overly busy backgrounds and avoid strong lines inthe surrounding area that might lead the eye away from the subject. Depth offield is key here. Changing your aperture can make the background blurry andhelp the subject to stand out.

6. Flash

Flash can be harsh if used in a dimly-lit room, so if the subject isn’t movingabout and it’s not too dark, you’ll often find you get better results by turningit off. Keep in mind that raising your ISO can help when the flash is turned off.

7. Organise your photos

Keep your online files manageable and make sure you keep a separate folderfor duplicates suitable for promotional purposes; e.g. not all the photos you takewill work on your website, but for those that do, keep a specific folder and copyphotos across as you upload them to your image bank.

8. Get photo consent

Ensure you have consent forms signed by a parent/guardian or the subject ifover 16, BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTOS. As well as being very serious interms of safeguarding, it’ll also potentially save you a lot of time should anythinggo wrong.

Young people and sport & leisure

Research has claimed that fewer young people are not getting therecommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity outside of school,so NCVYS recently carried out our own study to see if we would draw asimilar conclusion. Our survey asked young people aged 11-25 what localservices they use in their area and what services they would like to seemore of. Sports and leisure facilities came up as one of the top servicesthat young people engage in and also wished to see more of in their area.Responses such as, ‘I enjoy using the local leisure centre because theservices they provide keep me fit and healthy’ and ‘more leisure/recreational facilities should be introduced to local areas’ demonstratethe educational benefits of regularly participating in physical activity.

There are a number of initiatives set up to inspire young people to take part insport. StreetGames, a charity bringing sport to the doorstep of young people indisadvantaged communities across the UK, are one of the organisations doing justthat. Founded in 2007, they have over 200 sporting projects across the UK with anastonishing 150,000 young people regularly taking part. Participants also have theopportunity to earn accredited qualifications as well as becoming organisers andcoaches for other young people. StreetGames’ involvement in the London 2012Olympics was another key motivation for young people to participate in sports,with many of the projects having some involvement in the olympics.

To find out more about StreetGames and how they engage young people insports, as well as their involvement in the olympics, then check out their website:www.streetgames.org

The image bank corruption

Every organisation needs a good bank of usable photos. Whether it’s for a flyer, yourwebsite, annual report, or presentation for the trustees, images can define who you are,and what you’re trying to achieve. However, organisations often find it a struggle to keepan image bank stocked with usable photos in terms of quality and content. So here are afew tips to help you on your way.

13

IDEAS BANKFunding, partnerships, and the whole wide world

Having had the privilege of working with manypartners from across the globe and all the perksthat go with it – lots of travel and the opportunityto test the aptitude for foreign languages overand over, to name but two – I often wonder whywe English are so reluctant to venture ouroutlook beyond this island of ours on a moreregular basis.

In my experience, ‘international co-production’ wasnot about kudos and travel opportunities, it was oftenthe only way to raise the necessary funds. Thereduction of funds to the voluntary sector is not news,but where some look overseas for partnerships, thereis no reason for it not to happen more. After all, one ofthe most powerful gains from working in a partnershipis the learning and shared expertise – why not widenthat pot?

The Olympics, as with many sporting events, gives usthe opportunity to see how other countries do things.I’m a big fan of the tennis and watching Wimbledon I despair at the annual comments from some punditwondering why we have such trouble gettingourselves a champion. Invariably they ask what is itthe Spanish/Swiss/Germans/Americans do that wedon’t. I don’t think any of us can really answer thatquestion, but I am often left wondering why we keepasking it and don’t just go and look at what the othersdo and make it happen here.

I would wholeheartedly recommend time spentabroad to any young person – not on ‘holiday’ butreally ‘living’, experiencing another way of doingthings. This may seem unreachable to some, butthere are opportunities out there, it just takes a bitof looking. Stepping over that channel, quite literallybroadens horizons, builds independence, respect andtolerance while keeping those eyes open. There reallyis so much more than this island and an awful lot morethan a package tour.

On that note, I will leave the last word to one of ourENVOY members Adam Bradford, who is also youngentrepreneur in his own right and advisor to yeah CIC:

"As a young entrepreneur I've been on quite a journeyfollowing a tough school life, suffering rejection andbullying. But now I'm making a success of myself I really feel as if it's my duty to give back to others who deserve opportunities. That's why I'm taking partin a number of international opportunities this year,including taking a group of young businesspeopleover to France to develop their business ideas,spreading the enterprising message in India, andalso working with a number of Universities in theUSA to further inspire and support young peoplewith untapped potential. I can't wait, and want otheryoung people to get involved too. To join in with myinternational work and for support, the best methodof contact is through Twitter: @Entre_Adam."

Beth Parker, Director of Service Development,NCVYS

yeah CIC – Taking the Best to the Rest

For further details on yeah CIC, please don’thesitate to contact the Service Developmentteam: Takita Bartlett, Marketing and SupportOfficer takita@ncvys.org.uk

Adam Bradford at his main company's launch - UnITe Computing - last June

NCVYS Director of Service Development Beth Parker

14

GOING FOR GOLD:THE CHALLENGEFOR GUIDING INAN OLYMPIC YEAR

Headline-grabbing research fromthe Women’s Sport and FitnessFoundation suggests that many girlsavoid physical activity because theydon’t enjoy their school PE lessons,lack confidence in their own abilities,or just dislike getting sweaty.

As a response to these figuresand to celebrate the Olympic and

Paralympic Games coming to theUK, Girlguiding UK developed threetools: activity pack On Your Marks…,downloadable toolkit Celebrate! andblogsite Global Conversations.

As the largest organisation for girlsand women in the UK, we’reparticularly well placed to reachand inspire women – and it certainly

helps that the Olympic andParalympic values run throughoutour programme. Our Statement ofPurpose means that everything wedo ‘enables girls and young womento develop their potential and tomake a difference to the world’, andevery member thinks seriously aboutthe commitment involved inpromising to ‘do her best’.

Worcester Brownies pass their Olympic Torch between units, inspired by On Your Marks

15

On Your Marks…In their regular meetings, thousands of girls acrossthe UK have been inspired by the Games andsupported by our pack of activities and badges. OnYour Marks… brings the sport, culture and values ofthe Olympic and Paralympic Games into the meetingplace. Girls can try new sports (or invent their own),find out about the culture surrounding the Games –from inspiring graffiti to street theatre – and explorevalues that guiding and the Games share, withactivities promoting friendship, equality and respect.The youngest Rainbows can learn about theimportance of fairness in games (and life), and oldergirls and young women are challenged to produceTV reports about their local area or speak to theirMP about the Olympic Truce.

Jane Riley, a Brownie Leader from Worcester says,‘Most units in the area are using On Your Marks… atthe moment. The girls love picking their own activitiesand choosing something a bit different. Although theyare studying the Olympics at school, it’s great to beable to supplement their learning with some morecreative activities (like making their own Greek pots)and some active ones, like inventing anddemonstrating their own sports – a lot of theminvolving hula hoops! The girls love working in smallgroups to come up with their own ideas. We held amini-Games in March and in preparation they passedtheir own Olympic Torch between all the units in theDivision. Each handover became quite an event! Theactual Torch will be passing through this area soonand it means even more to the girls now.’

International linksWe’re keen to remind everyone that guiding is aglobal phenomenon. Girlguiding UK is a memberof the World Association of Girl Guides and GirlScouts (WAGGGS) – a movement of ten million girlsand women worldwide. We’ve set up a blog calledGuiding Conversations on which adult volunteers andgirls from any WAGGGS Member Organisation canshare their thoughts on each of the Olympic andParalympic values, how they relate to guiding and theways they’ve come alive. It’s a fantastic way to shareideas and give members an idea of what guiding islike outside their home country.

An Olympic Year Our third key resource, called Celebrate!, is designedto help Leaders plan larger Games-inspired eventsand has youth participation at its heart. It’s ourchance to support Leaders and to help them includegirls in the planning process from the start. Jane tellsus, ‘The Celebrate! toolkit was very useful whenplanning our Division’s mini-Games as it gave us astructure to follow. It also meant that we incorporatedthe culture and values elements into our event, andthe girls are getting a better understanding of theOlympic values as a result.’ Once planned, eachevent – from activity days to sleepovers – is plottedon an interactive map so each unit can see how itfits into the bigger picture.

Thirteen Guide units in Exeter have pooled theirresources to organise a series of events thateveryone can contribute to. Each unit represents adifferent country and will compete in several events– from swimming, to team sports like football andnetball, to the final athletics event and closingceremony in September. Nicola Durman, ExeterDivision Commissioner, says, ‘We’ve had support from many sources – the tennis club where one

of our Leaders is a member has let us use itsfacilities, we’re working with the Sea Scouts forthe raft-building and canoeing, and the Trefoil Guildis sponsoring and presenting the medals. The girlsare really enjoying working as a team – and thecompetitive element will definitely increase as thepoints stack up over the summer!’

Thank you!

We’re also taking this opportunity to turn the spotlighton our volunteers and the fantastic work they do forgirls, often behind the scenes. Many of the OlympicTorchbearers were selected because of their servicesto guiding, and as well as being a public ‘thank you’for some of our hardest-working volunteers, it willdrum up some well-earned publicity for local guiding.

It’s important to remember that we are not changingour core programme to fit in with the Olympic Games.Our values have always been the same and there is agreat match between guiding’s ethos and theOlympic and Paralympic values. That’s somethingthat girls will be constantly reminded of this year– sport isn’t about selfishly trying to beat everyoneelse at any cost; it’s about teamwork, equality andfriendship too.

Local inspiration

Chris Smith, a Leader with 1st BuckinghamBrownies, explains, ‘Stoke Mandeville was thebirthplace of the Paralympics so we’ve organised aFun Day at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Septemberfor around 2,000 girls and their Leaders. We madecontact with WheelPower [a charity that supportsdisabled sport] and they have helped by bookingwheelchair basketball and rugby lessons, organisingsite visits, and coming to our meetings. We arefundraising for WheelPower in return so it’s aproductive partnership for us both.’

This project also won the Inspire Mark – recognitionfrom the London Organising Committee of theOlympic Games (LOCOG) that it shares the Olympicand Paralympic values – just as On Your Marks… andCelebrate! did at a national level. ‘Gaining the InspireMark wasn’t particularly difficult – it was just a matterof explaining how guiding works and that our ethosand the Olympic ethos are very similar,’ says Chris.Gaining the Inspire Mark means Girlguiding UK wasentitled to use a selection of LOCOG trademarks onour resources and gain the kudos of being officially‘inspired by’ the Games.

Try something newEssentially our aim during the Olympic year has beento ensure that every girl is able to try something new,in the safe and supportive girl-only environment whichguiding provides. Our resources enable volunteers toadapt their plans to the age and interest of girls, andmake the most of local facilities. The greatest legacyfor Girlguiding UK is that girls will be inspired to trynew things, get involved with their communities andbuild links with other organisations. Both the OlympicGames and guiding have a long and illustrious historyand a strong set of values, and both movements areinspired (rather than constrained) by their past. Justas the Games embrace new sports and technology,guiding moves with the times, conducting researchinto girls’ perceptions of role models and remainingreceptive to the needs of girls in the 21st century.

Our ten top tips for an Olympic year:

1. Girls in the lead – provide a varied and excitingprogramme and encourage young people tomake their own choices as they respond to theOlympic challenge.

2. Use national events to spark new ideas– but use the publicity to highlight the great workyou already do.

3. Demonstrate Olympic values in action– and ask volunteers to share the ways theyhave talked about the values with young people.

4. Thank your volunteers – make the most oftheir time in the limelight!

5. Surprise people – find an unusual way tocelebrate, or an angle that is unique to yourorganisation.

6. Cooperate – within the organisation, with othergroups, and internationally. And keep these linksalive after 2012.

7. Dispel myths – do girls think that football is justfor boys? Do potential volunteers think that theydon’t have time to commit to volunteering withyou?

8. Sell the values – remind members how topicaltheir work is and how valuable they are forinstilling determination, courage and friendshipin young people.

9. Share the national and international picture– remind everyone that they are part of a largermovement which achieves great things.

10. Support members and understand thedemands on their time – provide ‘pick upand go’ resources to make it easy, as well asa challenge for the more ambitious.

Suzie Green, Programme and Events Managerat Girlguiding UK

Useful links:www.girlguiding.org.ukwww.girlguidingukshop.co.ukwww.guidingglobalconversations.blogspot.comwww.wagggs.orgwww.facebook.com/girlguidingukwww.twitter.com/girlguidinguk

Badges which girls can earn by completing challenges fromthe Culture, Values and Sport section of On Your Marks

16

CASE STUDY

360 Trust - Ready, set, go....to Uganda

Learning how to make friendship bracelets in amicroenterprise set up by some street kids in Kampala

A visit to the slums of Kampala to meet some ofthe street kids in the places where they ëliveí

Teaching the street kids numbersand colours, through a game of Uno

I’m a lot more focused

in school now... largely

because I want to go

back one day and make

a difference.

In October 2011, a team of eight adultsand young hopefuls from TheLighthouse Group and two teamleaders from The 360 Trust, travelledto Uganda for a two week stay. Thetrip, organised by The 360 Trust, gavethe young people an opportunity toparticipate in voluntary work overseas,and in doing so to learn more aboutthemselves, develop self-worth, andgain new skills, while also benefittingthe local community. Here’s the storyof their trip....

The 360 Trust works with locally based partnersin the UK to provide life-changing opportunitiesfor UK-based young people living in and seekingto overcome difficult circumstances to go on short-term trips abroad and serve with overseas partnersin less developed countries.

On this trip, The 360 Trust partnered with TheLighthouse Group (TLG) who work with excludedyoung people or those who are at risk of exclusion,combining education with personal development tohelp bring about life change.

The team travelled to Uganda and spent twoweeks working with local projects in Kampala andthe Queen Elizabeth National Park. Types of workundertaken involved leading catch-up educationsessions and sports workshops with Kampala streetkids, teaching at rural primary schools, and leadingimpromptu play sessions for children at anorphanage and in the Acholi informal settlement.

The young people took the lead in planning anddelivering the sessions with support from the adultteam members, and it was very powerful seeing thesame young people who have had such negativeeducation experiences in the past, take on the roleof teacher in a positive and empowering way. Thisaspect of the trip had a great impact on all theyoung people, both through the experience ofdiscovering the ability to stand up in front of a classof children, imparting knowledge to them in a fun

and interactive way, but also in generating anew respect for education in general; those stillin education have returned to it with a significantlyimproved attitude.

Case study: Nathan* is 16 and spent threemonths with TLG after being excluded fromschool for drugs-related offences. At the timeof the trip he had successfully completed twomonths in a different school. In July 2012 Nathanwill sit a number of GCSEs before hopefullyprogressing to study IT in a local college. ‘I’ma lot more focused in school now,” said Nathan,“largely because I want to go back one day andmake a difference. I now see the value ofeducation a lot more and how important it is.”

Impacts of the trip varied between team members;attitudes to money, poverty, wastefulness, familyand helping others were all cited as having changedfor the better.

Case study: Steve* is 20 and left school withpoor GCSEs and no plans. The trip to Ugandawas a big boost to Steve’s self-confidence,especially with regard to youth work, and asa result he is now looking at an NVQ in healthand social care to improve his qualificationsand employability. In preparation for that hehas enrolled in GCSE maths and English eveningclasses. Steve believes the trip’s impact is stillhaving an effect: “‘Cos of seeing children withno food, I just have sensible portion sizes, ratherthan eating for the sake of it and being greedylike I was before. When I see homeless peoplenow I buy them some food rather than just givingsome money. ’Cos of seeing the kids in the slumwho were addicted to glue etc. I don’t want toencourage others to have addictions by helpingthem buy the stuff. And, I have more confidencein talking to people generally.”

Funding for the trip came from a range of sources,but one of the key aspects was that the youngpeople were involved in the fundraising themselves,and as a result took more ownership of the journey.The skills developed through the fundraisingactivities were also a positive benefit, includingteam work, speaking in front of others, letter writing,and making contact with businesses.

The 360 Trust is interested in working with otherUK-based agencies to provide this sort ofopportunity to other disadvantaged young people.Trips can be to a number of different developingcountries due to the wide range of internationallinks that the 360 Trust has, and the types ofvoluntary work undertaken can be equally diverseand designed to best suit the skill mix of theparticipants.

* Names have been changed to protect identity

If your organisation would like toexplore this possibility further, pleasecontact Helen Harrison,helen@the360trust.org.ukFor more information visit our website:www.the360trust.org.ukFind us on Facebook: The 360 TrustFollow us on Twitter: @Helen360Trust

17

WORKFORCEDEVELOPMENTWorking in youth sports - supportingfuture Olympic hopefuls and youngpeople’s active enjoyment in sport

Well, current figures show thatthe largest number of staff andvolunteers that work with youngpeople in this country is in thefield of youth sports... And withthe London Olympics upon us,and the drive to promote healthylifestyles and fight obesity, thisarea of work is set to grow evenmore popular.

In the report A Picture Worth Millions: State of theyoung people’s workforce, published in 2009 bythe Children’s Workforce Development Council,it stated that 363,000 paid staff work with youngpeople aged 13-19 and up to 25 for those withlearning difficulties or disability, and an incredible3.4 million volunteer!

Roles available

The type of roles available to those working inyouth sports include: coaches, sport leaders,sport development workers, lifeguards, officialsand leisure attendants. The work will varyaccording to the organisation and the particularjob, but it is likely to involve a lot of face-to-facework with young people, coaching or leadingsporting activities, as well as associatedadministrative duties. As well as planning anddelivering structured sessions, you are likely tobe supporting volunteers and young sport leadersin delivering activities for young people.

At times youth sport workers are required tomotivate and inspire young people from diversebackgrounds to be active, as well as supportingthem to overcome any barriers to participation.The Olympics will certainly help youth sportworkers to inspire young people to enjoy sportand raise their aspirations to become futureOlympic hopefuls.

What’s great about being ayouth sports worker?

Graham Norman, a Youth DevelopmentOfficer (Sport) for seven years atWarwickshire Clubs for Young people explains what is so great about his job:“Having a positive impact on young people andcreating opportunities for them to change, as theyare the future....I enjoy residentials and being ableto pass on skills.”

Gaining experience and skillsthrough volunteering

Another youth sports worker who enjoys her roleis Sarah Evans, who works as a CommunitySports Development Officer for SportingFutures, a charity based in Derbyshire whichengages hard to reach/vulnerable children andyoung people through sport. Although Sarah isqualified to a very high level (she has completeda degree in Sports Development and Coaching),she also values the skills and experience shegained through volunteering.

Sarah initially worked for her current employeras a volunteer then as a paid casual coach andduring this time completed a Level 2 CommunitySports Leaders Award and various coachingqualifications. One of Sarah’s most exciting volunteeringexperiences came in the summer of 2010 whenshe was selected to undertake a three monthplacement in South Africa as a sports coach(this opportunity was advertised by her universityand offered by the Football Foundation of SouthAfrica). Through structured sports sessionsdelivered in schools and in the community, Sarahand her colleagues delivered the powerfulmessage of the importance of Aids protection.

Sarah is of course volunteering at the London2012 Olympic Games and will be working withinthe mixed zone at the Aquatics Centre for boththe Olympics and Paralympics. Sarah says withregards to the benefits of volunteering“Volunteering is the best thing I ever did. I donot think I would be where I am today if I had nottaken up every opportunity which was presentedto me.”

Youth Sector Pathways webtool – careers information andqualifications guide for thoseworking with young people

Sarah’s skills development journey is featuredwithin a case study, which together with the YouthSports Worker Careers Information Sheet will beavailable for download from an exciting new webtool called Youth Sector Pathways. The websiteis currently being developed by NCVYS. Its aimis to guide employers and the workforce throughtheir training and development options, simplifyingqualification choices for those working with youngpeople. There are 15 youth sector pathways tochoose from, which feature careers information,progression routes and the qualifications availablefrom Level 1 to Level 4. For example thepathways include youth justice, youthvolunteering, youth work and of course sportand recreation.

More information: The Youth Sector Pathwaysis expected to be available during the summerof 2012 and you will be able to find the link tothe web tool from the NCVYS web sitewww.ncvys.org.uk. If you have any queriesplease contact Gethyn Williams, Director ofWorkforce Development: emailgethyn@ncvys.org.uk.

Article written by Nichola Brown, NCVYS’sWorkforce Development Officer

To read Sarah’s case study in its entirety pleasevisit http://www.ncvys.org.uk/UserFiles/Training/youth_sports_worker_FINAL.pdf.

Nichola Brown, Workforce Development Officer

Go on, take a guess – what’s the level of sports activity in the VCS?

Graham Norman, Youth Development Officer, Warwickshire Clubs for Young people

18

MEET THE CHIEFEXECUTIVE

Media Trust work with mediaorganisations and charities toenhance their communicationsand enable communities to findtheir voice and make it heard

What kind of work does Media Trust do withyoung people and with the voluntary sector? We have a strong belief in the power of media tochange lives. We harness the power of the mediaindustry to change those lives and to supportcharities, communities and young people to have avoice and be heard - from training courses run acrossthe UK, to engaging media professionals to supportcharities with their communications or to mentoryoung people working on media projects. We run thenational television channel Community Channel andhave a range of distribution partnerships with themedia industry, so that charities and young peoplecan get their voice out there.

Do you have examples of how young peoples'voices can be heard in the media through yourwork?We run a number of initiatives that get young voicesheard. For the past two years we have partnered withThe Sun to run a fantastic competition called ColumnIdol, which gives young people from all walks of lifethe chance to really shout about what's important tothem. Young people submit a short paragraph on

what they’d like to write about, and six finalists arechosen and supported by journalists from The Sunto develop their creative ideas; the winner getstheir whole column printed in The Sun newspaper.Through the project the journalists come into contactwith the kinds of young people that in their ordinaryday job they would never meet and they start tounderstand young people in a way that perhapsnormally they don't. We hope that this will encouragea more positive reflection of young people in theireditorial and in their discussions with each other.

Last year we also launched ‘ITV News and ITNBreaking Into News’ to reach out to a huge rangeof young people who might not normally have anopportunity be heard. It gave young people thechance to be mentored by experienced journalistsand to create news packages that would beconsidered for an ITN news platform. It again usedthe principle of bringing together journalists workingon the news agenda with young people who hadissues that they wanted to talk about.

On Community Channel we have a fortnightlymagazine show created by young people calledLondon360, funded by The City Bridge Trust. Ituncovers stories that affect Londoners; storieswhich don't get into the mainstream media.Through our partnerships, Community Channel’sten London360 reporters have a regular column

in 'The Voice' newspaper and a regular slot onBBC Radio London. There are also 100 youngcommunity reporters who get the opportunityto send in their stories, be mentored by mediaprofessionals, and enhance their CV’s.

Are you looking forward to the Olympics atMedia Trust?We're already starting to tell the stories of youngpeople's groups and activities linked to the Olympicsand Paralympics, both around community sports andcommunity cultural and arts activities. There's somefantastic stuff going on around the country.Community Channel is one of those unique platformswhere these projects can be seen and heard andthose stories about what's going on in the communitycan be profiled. We're putting lots of pressure on ourmedia partners to take as many of those stories aspossible and not just focus on the 'big' games!

How to get involved:

Community Channel recruits 100 young peopleacross the year as community reporters for'London360'. To find out more contactL360@communitychannel.org

If you have a short film that you'd think might beright for Community Channel emailacquisitionsgroup@communitychannel.org

To find out more visit www.mediatrust.org

An interview with Caroline Diehl,Chief Executive for the Media Trust

'Adam Bradford [second from left] with the Media Trust team [CEO Catherine Diehl front-right]

Annual Conference and AGM – save the date!NCVYS, UK Youth, and Leap Confronting Conflict are delighted to invite you to save the 28 November in yourdiary for a joint conference.

Given the shifting landscape for voluntary sector infrastructure and the tough economic climate, there hasn’t beena more important time to focus on how organisations should be working together – building bridges – in order tocontinue the invaluable work the sector provides millions of young people throughout the country.

In pursuing greater partnership and good stewardship of resources, NCVYS, UK Youth, and Leap ConfrontingConflict are teaming up to deliver a joint conference on this theme. The day will also include time for bothorganisations to hold their AGMs.

Overarching Partnership Events The Department for Education’s Overarching Strategic Partnership are currently planning the below events tosupport the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector serving children, young people and families. Moreinformation will be publicised closer to the time, however please do put these dates in your diary.

The events will bring together VCSE organisations to learn from each other, exploring planning and service design,as well as developing responses which will be fed back to Government.

These events are aimed at frontline VCSE organisations focused on, or interested in working with children, youngpeople and families, as well as VCSE infrastructure bodies.

HEADS UPThe front cover for thisissue was designed byAlex Boustead Alex is a 27-year-old Graphic Design graduate,based in London. Since completing herstudies, Alex has worked within advertising,website and packaging design, where sheenjoys using visual communication to expressthe ideals and aspirations of individualbusinesses. This is the fourth time that Alexhas designed for Exchange.

About the design Alex said:

“The cover theme draws from the hopes anddreams of young people in light of the 2012Olympics. People from different communities,both at home and abroad, hold ontoexpectations about how the London gameswill impact their lives. Some have higherexpectations than others, and celebrate theopportunities the event will bring.”

Alex is currently working as a freelancedesigner and her portfolio can be found athttp://www.alexboustead.com. You cancontact her via email:E: alex.boustead@gmail.com

Exchange now onlineNCVYS publishes an online version ofExchange magazine, aimed at readers inthe voluntary and community youth sector.

Readers can view previous issues for free byvisiting the link below. NCVYS will still continueto print and distribute issues of Exchange,which members receive free as part of theirmembership to our network.

See www.issuu.com/ncvys

Exchange distributionExchange is read across the voluntary andcommunity youth sector. We can send bulkcopies to offices requiring 10 copies or more.If you or a colleague is receiving Exchange andwould like us to stop sending copies, pleaseemail Rob Candy, Exchange Editor atE: press@ncvys.org.uk

Feedback and contributionsIf you have any publications, events, training orprojects that you would like to be featured inExchange or would like to send in letters,comments or ideas for future articles, pleasecontact Rob Candy, Exchange Editor on:E: press@ncvys.org.uk

Do you have news for our readers?Exchange is distributed across the voluntary and community youth sector, going to Chief Executives,Parliamentarians and Civil Servants. We’re always interested in news, articles and case studies in best practicefrom our members. If you have a story to tell, please contact the editor: E: press@ncvys.org.uk

Event

Peer learning events on equality and diversity

Every Business Matters Training

Localism for Development Workers

Every Business Matters Training

Community Asset Management

Community Asset Management

When

16 October & 13 November 2012

6 September 2012

26 July 2012

18 September 2012

25 and 26 September 2012

8 and 9 November 2012

Where

Liverpool

Bristol

10:00 – 15:00

Leeds

St Georges Centre

Norfolk - Cromer

10:00 – 16:00

Norfolk

10:00 – 16:00

Liverpool

Who

The Race Foundation

NAVCA

NAVCA

NAVCA

Community Matters

Community Matters

APPG on Young People and theOlympics The next meeting of the All Party ParliamentaryGroup on Youth Affairs will take place in Westminster inNovember. It will explore the Olympics and the sportinglegacy for young people and their communities. TheAPPG is a meeting with MPs and young people inParliament, which takes place three times a year.

Please note, however, that there are only 4 spaces forENVOY members and at least 1 space for a NEMPolicy Group member, so please only register if youhave a strong interest in the particular topic. Priority willbe given to those who have not had the opportunity toattend an APPG meeting before. NEM policy groupmembers, please email envoy@ncvys.org.uk toexpress an interest in attending.

Keep up to date with NCVYS’sinformation and policy servicesNCVYS publishes a range of policy and informationservices through a number of channels. You can followus on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ncvys,watch videos from our events like the annualconference at http://www.youtube.com/ncvysand listen to audio interviews athttp://www.audioboo.fm/ncvys

We continue to provide our weekly StrategicIntelligence Service bulletin every Friday afternoon andour NECTAR update at the start of each month. Inaddition, our policy team regularly updates our fundingblog with news of grants and service cuts. Take a lookat http://www.ncvyspolicy.wordpress.com to findout more.

Last but not least, all our news, policy and informationdocuments go up on the website at www.ncvys.org.uk.Check back regularly to see updates about our work.

3rd FloorLancaster House33 Islington High StreetLondon N1 9LH

T: 020 7278 1041F: 020 7833 2491E: press@ncvys.org.ukW:www.ncvys.org.uk

Registered charity no. 1093386Registered company no. 4385383

Cover illustration by:Alex Bousteadalex.boustead@gmail.com

Exchange is a regular magazine,bringing together a uniquecollection of news, policy analysisand practical advice for voluntaryand community organisations andnetworks working with youngpeople. Exchange contains articlesby expert contributors from thesector and beyond. The magazineis distributed throughout the youthsector, reaching around 5000readers in print and offline.

Designed/produced by arc. www.arc-cs.com

EditorialIf you would like to promote your work inExchange, please email news and pressreleases to:press@ncvys.org.ukor contact Rob Candy, Editor on:020 7843 6471

Advertising and distributionIf you would like to advertise in Exchange,or find out more about subscriptions pleaseemail your requests to:press@ncvys.org.uk