Friday 5 November 2010

Localism

Blog 10/10                                    
Really interesting week.

I went to the excellent National Council for Voluntary Youth Services AGM in London on Wednesday. Very struck by their close involvement of young people in their operations as an infrastructure body…..

Very  interesting talk at this AGM on “The Big Society and Young People” by Tim Laughton Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families. His themes were that the Coalition is dead serious about the localism, and the community helping itself agenda. He wants to re- value the altruism of volunteering (and knows there’s a cost to it). Big emphasis on social impact bonds, and the Big Society Bank, which  will have a local dimension to it. But the sector needs to consolidate and merge – too many small organizations, needs to be cost –effective. Wants to concentrate on the 99% of young people who are great, not the 1% of young people whose behaviour and circumstances grab the wrong headlines. In particular he wants to: “Challenge the monopoly of local authority youth services”.

A similarly interesting talk by the Chief Executive of New Philanthropy Capital on Preparing for Cuts  and Innovation. His theme was about how outcomes can be measured,  and how he is developing a tool for measuring well- being of young people.

My own paper on Social Impact Bonds is now out (see website) and being circulated widely through Surrey; it crucially depends on a response from the corporate and Public sector. I realize that links to corporates are crucial in future and I am meeting with Business in the Community colleagues next week

Mergers, partnerships, and collaboration are words on everyone’s lips; nationally Clubs for Young People are having merger talks with Catch 22; I have a paper on consolidation in the sector going to my Trustees shortly. 

The NCVYS Progress training is beginning to gain momentum; heavily subsidized training for the voluntary youth sector becoming available shortly.

We have our AGM next week (Tuesday 9 November) when Members will be asked to approve our becoming a company limited by guarantee, and we have speakers on social enterprises and volunteering.

We have to keep innovating and developing partnerships.

Personal disclosure: Want a really good restaurant in London ? View new website at: http://www.magdalenrestaurant.co.uk/   (Family connection)


Trivial pursuit:
a)      Last week: After clocks have gone back - Greenwich Mean Time is so named because (Wikipedia) it is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.
b)     This week: As the rugby international season starts this week-end, how many countries perform the Haka at the start of an international match?

Enjoy the rugby!

Mike

No comments:

Post a Comment