NICVA News May 2008

NICVA

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NICVA News May081.pdf

This month's round up

This month brings developments on the Review of Public Administration and news of the functions the 11 new local councils will fulfil. These include responsibility for community development, housing and economic development - including arts, sports and leisure - all of which will have an impact on the voluntary and community sector.

Health

Consultation is under way on proposals for health in Northern Ireland. It's important for us to have a say, because although the changes are mainly concerned with structures, there are important underlying issues such as health inequalities which also need to be addressed by the consultation process.

Volunteering

Young volunteers get recognition this month with news of the Spirit of the Community Awards and the Millennium Volunteers programme, which rewarded over 300 young people for their efforts.

Training

On the training front, NICVA's big event is Members' Day on 29 April 2008, which will look at running an effective organisation, and there's a raft of Training Calendar events taking place throughout May from fundraising strategy to stress management.

NICVA's campaign to get voluntary and community organisations to get the most out of the Assembly moves to North Down this month with another 'Getting to know the Assembly' session at North Down Community Network.

Information and communications

Finally, information and communication are firmly on NICVA's agenda with the creation of a new information and communications unit to develop this function within the organisation and in the wider sector. The three-strong team compromises a unit manager, information officer and web editor.