Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service

The Participation Unit based at Save the Children UK is pleased to announce that they are inviting submissions of tenders for contracts under the Reach the Heights Programme. Reach the Heights is a Welsh Government initiative aimed at reducing the number of young people in Wales aged 11 – 19 years who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or who are at risk of being so in the future. The projects are funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).

They aim to contract the delivery of a range of programmes of participatory workshops and projects for young people aged 11 -18 years old in Wales who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or young people who are at risk of becoming NEET in the future aimed at supporting them to have a voice in decisions affecting their lives and making a change in their community. The contracts will be awarded through a process of open procurement. Organisations and individuals interested in delivering the work are invited to submit bids for the funding.

The notification has gone on to the sell2wales website. The appropriate paperwork is available to download from the Participation Workers Wales website.

Remember the funding is for organisations that work with young people not in education, employment and training (NEET) and at risk of becoming NEET aged 11 -18 years old living in the 15 counties within the Convergence areas of Wales.

Reach the Heights is a Welsh Government initiative aimed at reducing the number of young people in Wales aged 11 – 19 years who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of being so. The project has been developed to take advantage of the funding opportunities available from the European Social Fund (ESF) programme in Wales.

We are pleased to announce the third and final phase of procurement under the Reach the Heights Programme.

We aim to contract the services of a range of organisations and partnerships to implement the two strands of activities. The contracts will be awarded through a process of open procurement. Organisations and individuals interested in delivering the work are invited to submit bids for the funding.

For more information please visit Arts Council for Wales website. 

A Wales Specific Kick Butts Day activity for young people across Wales on the 4th of April. Participating in the activities allows young people to learn about the ill health caused by tobacco use along with the wider subjects of the tobacco industry in peer groups and within local communities.

Kick Butts Day is a partnership between Tenovus and Ffaith (ASH Wales Youth Programme.) The aim of Ffaith is to reduce the acceptability and use of tobacco products by young people across Wales. Young people have startlingly high smoking rates in Wales with most smokers starting as teenagers, with children in Wales as young as 7 starting to smoke. Amongst Welsh 15 year olds, 14% of girls and 9% of boys report regular smoking. Of the 40 nations in the WHO Health Behaviour of School Age Children Survey only Greenland and the Russian Federation perform more poorly than Wales with respect to the number of 13 year old girls who smoke at least once a week. Children whose parents or siblings smoke are more likely to become smokers themselves. 5,650 people die in Wales each year as a result of smoking. Nearly all of them started smoking as children. Most smokers – 7 out of 10 – say they wish they could quit smoking. Between 66-90% of adult smokers, begin smoking before and are addicted, in adolescence. This is particularly concerning because early uptake of smoking is associated with heavier smoking patterns, a lesser likelihood of quitting, and a higher probability of becoming ill from a smoking related disease.

for further information please see ASH Wales website.

‘Volunteering: What’s in it for me?’ is a new DVD that has been produced to promote volunteering to young people within Neath Port Talbot. The DVD showcases the voluntary work of fifteen young people from a range of charities from across Neath Port Talbot who volunteered to appear on the DVD including young volunteers from SNAC who assist children and young people with learning disabilities to take part in a range of activities and a young volunteer from the Alzheimer’s Society, who socialises with the patients in Tonna Hospital and works tirelessly in the café there. Adam Amor now the Managing Director of Buffoon Film and Media felt that his volunteering experience with both the Youth Council and Funky Dragon gave him the opportunity to gain many new skills, increased his confidence and assisted him in being able to set up his own media business. The DVD developed by Neath Port Talbot CVS, with support from the Neath Port Talbot 14-19 Network, was produced by Tornado Films and will be used in a variety of locations such as schools, youth clubs and Neath Port Talbot College as a tool to promote the importance of volunteering. All of the young people who took part gave examples of the many new skills they had developed from volunteering and the enjoyment they had from gaining these skills. They wanted to use their rewarding experiences to motivate other young people to volunteer or to help in their community. In the current economic climate the DVD highlights the massive impact volunteering can have on a young person’s career development or future career prospects. Nigel Cram, Youth Volunteer Development Officer, Neath Port Talbot CVS said ‘For many young people Volunteering experience is more important than ever to add to their CV’s and life experiences and this DVD shows examples of young people in the Neath Port Talbot area who have done just that’

For more information about the DVD please contact Neath Port Talbot CVS on 01639 631387.

Further information if needed:

The following young people who appeared in the DVD can be contacted:

Scott Egan- although works shifts - 07584 220379

Amy Williams- will have more chance of contacting her in the morning - 07583 021596

Adam Amor - 01639 680364 or 07791 341862

If you need anything further from Neath Port Talbot CVS please contact Nigel Cram on 01639 631387 or NigelC@nptcvs.org.uk

The next Youth Providers’ Network Funding and Information Session will take place on Thursday 10th November at 5.30pm at Neath Port Talbot CVS. It will feature presentations on safeguarding children and young people in sport, the Dynamo Project and different ways of fundraising. For further information, or to book your space, contact Neath Port Talbot CVS on 01639 631246 or helenw@nptcvs.org.uk.

The Community Foundation in Wales is now administrating grants on behalf of the

Dulverton Trust which operates within the following main areas of activity:

YouthOpportunities, General Welfare, Conservation and Preservation. Grants of £500 to £5000 will be awarded to small charities and organisations normally with an annual income of under £200,000. The next application deadline for this year is 31 December 2011. For further details please visit: www.cfiw.org.uk  or tel: 029 2053 6590.

A new £75m Welsh Government scheme will create 4,000 new jobs a year in Wales for the next three years, the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, has announced on Tuesday 11th October 2011. Starting in April next year, Jobs Growth Wales will create 4,000 new job opportunities a year across Wales for unemployed young people, aged 16-24, for a 6-month period. further information on the scheme is available on the Welsh Government website

The film “You have the choice” was premiered on the 4th October at Glyncorrwg Youth Club, the film concentrates on the dangers of deliberate lit grass and forestry fires and the consequences that could happen. A group of Young People from The Afan Valley were the stars of the show not only did they act out in the scenes but took full ownership by writing the script and learning camera and sound techniques. A big thank you to our local boxing champion Daniel Chapman for acting in some of the scenes and speaking on the night and also a Big thank you to Spill Media who again delivered another fantastic film in the Afan Valley. The film is now being shown throughout NPT primary and secondary schools by the community safety officers to educate children and Young People about the dangers of deliberate lit grass and forestry fires.

The project was coordinated by Communities First, NPT Youth Service, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Team, and the Forestry Commission.

Internet Rangers – one month to win up to £4,000 for your school

BT Internet Rangers Schools Award

If you think you know a school or a young person that has helped or plans to help people within your community to get online, they could be in with a chance to win some incredible awards. There are cash awards of up to £4,000 available for schools and laptops and iPads available for young people up to the age of 16.

For more information, to apply or nominate please visit the BT website

CMW are in the process of putting out three tenders for a Music Participation Programme. We will contract organisations working with and seeking to engage with young people not in education, training and employment (NEETs) and those at risk of becoming so, to run music engagement activities. This project is part of Reach the Heights, a European Social Fund project.

Reach the Heights aims to strengthen the position of young people in Wales between the ages of 11 and19 in relation to opportunities for learning, advice, support and guidance, including those who are not in education, employment or training, or are at risk of not becoming so. In February 2009, Reach the Heights was awarded up to £27 million from the European Social Fund to support two projects First Footholds and Routes to the Summit.

This project falls under Routes to the Summit, which aims to raise the skills and aspirations of young people aged 11-19 years. The project delivers against Priority 1 Theme 2 of the Convergence European Social Fund by providing enhanced information, advice, guidance and support for young people through a wide range of opportunities for gaining skills useful for learning and employment.

Community Music Wales is a joint sponsor of Reach the Heights.

Full information and all tendering documents can be found on the Sell2Wales website

Information can also be found on the Community Music Wales website