Our popular Tea Dance is on the last Friday of each month from 1 -3 pm
£1 per person – Come along and dance to our live music!
Day: March 27, 2015
Regeneration Drop-In at Community Shop today
Want to find out more about your community’s regeneration? Then the Community Shop’s the place to be over lunchtime today …
The Regenration drop-in provides another opportunity for the community to meet the team who are carrying out regeneration within their neighbourhood.
Representatives from the Council, NHS Lothian and Urban Union will be there to answer any questions about the new homes, NHS led partnership centre and also to talk about job and training opportunities as part of the wider community benefits.
Why not pop in and find out what’s happening in your neighbourhood?
Building New Futures drop in 270315
Schools and parents must work together, says survey
Parents and schools need to work to together to help children achieve their best. This is just one of the findings to come from a survey of parents conducted on behalf of the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee.
The on line survey, undertaken by the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe), sought the views of parents and guardians of school age children. It asked questions about communication with schools, involvement with the Parent Teacher Council and sought ideas on how schools and parents might work together. In the survey 71% strongly agreed that it is important schools and parents work together.
The survey provides a small snapshot of parental involvement in school. The majority (56%) of parents completing the survey were from Edinburgh with 22% of those responding having children in independent schools.
The survey was commissioned to feed into the Committee’s year long work on attainment. Next week (31 March) the Committee will explore how parents and schools can work together to help children realise their potential at school.
Committee Convener Stewart Maxwell MSP said: “Parents and guardians play a crucial role in their children’s education and we wanted to hear from them about the part they play in their child’s education.
“Whilst this is clearly an Edinburgh-centric sample, it paints an important picture about the need for schools and parents to work closer together in order that children can achieve their very best at school. This is something we can all agree is desirable.
“The survey also reveals that those with children in independent schools find it easier to get information about how their child is progressing than those in state schools. Our Committee will explore whether there are lessons to be learned about keeping parents informed.”
89% of parents whose children went to independent primary school’s agreed or strongly agreed information helped them support their child’s learning. This compares to 61%of those with children at state primary school.
Other results from the survey include:
- 78% of respondents are confident the school will help them with their child’s learning.
- Around a third of respondents with children in state school’s are actively involved in the parent council compared with only 6% of independent school parents.
- Communication was a key theme with parents seeking good communication about how their children were progressing.
Nominate your inspiring volunteers
Inspiring Volunteering Achievement Awards 2015
Edinburgh’s Volunteering Ambassador the Lord Provost Donald Wilson will honour some of the dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and commitment to the people of Edinburgh at a special awards ceremony to take place on Tuesday 16 June at The City Chambers.
Now nine years old, Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteering Achievement Awards reflect the exceptional range of organisations and individuals working in the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.
Nominations are now invited for this year’s awards, and can be submitted online here:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IVA2015
Organisations are welcome to nominate up to three individual volunteers and one team of volunteers.
Some lucky nominees will be invited to accept their award at the City Chambers, others will receive a certificate in the post. ALL nominated volunteers will receive a certificate either in person or in the post.
Eligibility criteria for 2015:
· The Awards are only open to people volunteering in the City of Edinburgh
· There are no age restrictions.
· Volunteers must have volunteered for at least six months with your organisation before being eligible to be nominated.
· If they have previously received an “Inspiring Volunteering Certificate” at the City Chambers they should not be nominated again.
· Only fully completed nominations will be considered for individuals or teams, and we will quote from these statements when presenting the awards.
Shortlisted nominations will be considered by the Lord Provost for the ‘Lord Provost of Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year Award 2015’.
Special recognition categories to highlight some of the diverse areas of volunteering across the City of Edinburgh include:
· A Young Volunteer (aged between 11 and 25 years old)
· Long Standing Contribution to Volunteering Award (an individual who has volunteered for 10 years or more, and has made an outstanding contribution)
· Charity Shop Volunteer
· Fundraising Volunteer
· Trustee Volunteer
· Health & Social Care Volunteer (volunteers engaged in health and social care, including support work, befriending or projects which reduce social isolation and help assist independent living)
· Sports Volunteer (volunteers actively involved in supporting sports in their communities).
· Environment & Conservation Volunteer (volunteers engaged in environmental activities including education, conservation or gardening).
· Arts, Culture & Heritage Volunteer
· Housing / Tenant participation champion *** Introduced in 2014 ***
The Awards Ceremony usually takes place during Volunteers Week – which runs every year from the 1– 7 June, however in 2015 it will be take place on the later date of Tuesday 16 June. Nominations will close on 1 April 2015 at 8pm.
We also encourage volunteer involving organisations to organise their own recognition events during Volunteers’ Week, whether that be their own mini awards ceremony, coffee morning, lunch or social activity that recognises and celebrates the contribution of their volunteers. It’s a great opportunity to do something to say thank you, and show your volunteers that they are valued and appreciated.
Lord Provost Donald Wilson, said: “There are thousands of dedicated and inspiring volunteers in Edinburgh selflessly giving up their own time to help and support others. These awards are simply one way of recognising some of their tremendous work, and their contribution to the wellbeing of our city’s residents cannot be overstated.”
Kris Von Wald, Convenor of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh, said: “The Lord Provost has agreed to present these awards because he recognises how important volunteers are to Edinburgh and its residents. The Awards seek to acknowledge the hard work, commitment, energy and positive difference that volunteers make”.
Read all about it: local Forum lifts literary prize!
We-CTV Award for North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum
North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum (NEYPF) has won second prize in a national competiton organised by the Scottish Youth Parliament. Josh, Laura and Brandin’s entry was the only submission from Edinburgh to win an award at this week’s presentation ceremony (writes Dave Pickering).
Launched last June, the We-CTV Competition asked young people to address issues of interpersonal violence in communities. Groups were asked to produce a piece of creative work on themes like knife crime, abuse and online bullying in one of three categories: Art (drawing, painting, textiles), Literary (creative or discursive writing) or Multimedia (video or audio).
NEYPF decided to take part in the competition and agreed to write a piece on bullying.
It’s been a long process. Entrants were first asked to submit an expression of interest by the end of August 2014. The creative concept deadline was 31 October and a National Creative We-CTV Production Day took place on 11 November, giving entrants an opportunity to meet with creative experts and share ideas. The final submission deadline for ‘creative solution’ entries was 16 January and this was followed by an online vote.
The group has had an anxious wait since voting closed on 8 February, but the NEYPF were rewarded for their hard work when they were announced as runner-up in the Literary category at Wednesday evening’s awards which were held in Glasgow’s Film Theatre.
Josh Ward (13), Laura Hulbert (14) and Brandin Sharpe (13) – all of whom took part in a training session with NEN last Autumn – attended the gala event with NEYPF youth worker Danielle Ward and were delighted to win second prize in their category. As well as the Award, each team member received a certificate and vouchers from Pizza Express and Vue Cinemas.
Their certificates read: ‘Their contribution helped raise awareness of interpersonal violence against young people‘.
Prizes aside, the highlight of the event for the Forum members was meeting Sanjeev Kohli, Still Game’s Naveed, who was MC for the evening! His quote: ‘I am just a monkey in a suit’ was the group’s favourite.
The final words, quite rightly, go to the NEYPF members. “It was an emotional rollercoaster!” said Brandin, while Josh added: “It was fun and I met Navid and we came second!”
Short and sweet but says it all! Well done, NEYPF!
Scottish government moves to tackle violence against women
Scottish Government to consult on domestic abuse and sexual offences
Proposals to help victims of Domestic Abuse and Sexual offences have been announced in a consultation by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Speaking at the Scottish Women’s Aid conference in Edinburgh yesterday, the First Minister confirmed that the consultation would seek views on how legislation can be used to better support victims of Domestic Abuse and Sexual offences.
In her address, the First Minister outlined that the consultation would look at five key areas, among them would be whether a specific offence of Domestic Abuse is required and if legislation to tackle the problem of so-called “revenge porn” – the posting, usually by ex-partners, of private, intimate images without consent is needed to provide further protection.
The First Minister told the delegates that the Scottish Government was committed to tackling all forms of violence against women and to the realization of women’s equality in our society. She said: ““Violence against women is both a symptom and a cause of wider gender inequality across our society. And so ending violence against women has to be part of a broader strategy – we also need to achieve true gender equality in society as a whole.
“And of course, that’s exactly what this Government is trying to do. Appointing a gender balanced cabinet; campaigning for gender equality in the boardroom; expanding childcare; and addressing gender stereotypes. We’re working to create an economy and a society where discrimination has no place. There is still a great deal to do, but this government is determined to take a lead.
Urging the delegates to take part in the consultation the First Minister said: “We are launching a far reaching consultation today on whether the current law on domestic abuse and sexual offences should be clarified and strengthened. I strongly encourage you to respond; the deadline is the 19th of June.
“Domestic abuse in law can be challenging therefore we need to ensure that our legislation commands wide support, anticipates possible pitfalls, and allows us to prosecute the people who perpetrate these crimes.
“If there is a consensus on what we need to do, we will legislate in this Parliament. But if we need to do further work with stakeholders to ensure we get this absolutely right, we will do so.
“Either way, we will make clear that on-going coercive and controlling behaviour is unacceptable; and that those who commit such crimes will face justice. We know that changing the law isn’t enough on its own – but it can play an important part in the wider social and cultural changes we want to bring about.”
Lily Greenan, Scottish Womens Aid, Chief Executive, said: “It is twenty years since the Beijing Platform for Action laid out the work that should be undertaken globally to improve and protect women’s human rights. The Platform for Action identified violence against women as one of the critical areas of concern. We are delighted that the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women is able to join us in reviewing the progress we have made in Scotland since 1995 to tackle violence against women.
“Equal participation of women and men in decision making was also one of the goals of the Beijing declaration. It’s a particular pleasure therefore to welcome First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the conference.
“Ms Sturgeon’s appointment demonstrates that some progress has been made on gender equality in the last twenty years. The conference will hear from frontline Women’s Aid workers how far this progress is reflected in the experiences of the women and children they support.”
Just capital! Free wi-fi in Edinburgh this Easter
Connected Capital: Enjoy free wi-fi this Easter
Edinburgh residents and visitors are to benefit from free wi-fi in 70 public buildings across the city as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Connected Capital Programme.
Attractions such as the majority of Edinburgh Leisure centres and the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo and Dynamic Earth, will be live in time for Easter and the rest will come on line in the coming weeks and months.
Those travelling on Edinburgh’s trams and Lothian Buses are already benefitting from free wi-fi as the project is rolled out across the city.
Edinburgh is one of 22 cities across the UK benefiting from the Government’s SuperConnected Cities £150m Programme, which is being delivered through Broadband Delivery UK.
Councillor Frank Ross, Economy Convener, said: “This is great news as the new service will mean that everyone will be able to get free access to the latest information on their favourite apps and websites while out and about and when going to the gym, taking in some art or when taking their children to one of Edinburgh’s many museums. It is also great timing as some of the attractions gearing up for Easter crowds already have public wi-fi installed.
“This project is central to the Council’s plans for growing the city economy, and encouraging residents and visitors to stay longer and increase their spend.”
Edinburgh Leisure, ICT Manager Stuart Fairbairn, said: “Edinburgh Leisure is delighted to offer free wi-fi in 13 of its venues thanks to this funding from the UK Government via our partners at The City of Edinburgh Council. It will allow us to provide our busy customers with a great opportunity to stay connected while working out or relaxing in these venues, giving them yet another reason to stay healthy and active with Edinburgh Leisure.”
Hugh Wallace, Head of Digital Media, National Museum of Scotland, said: “We’re already seeing a healthy level of uptake, and people connecting to the service are then linking to museum-based material on our website (what’s on information, downloadable apps, e-newsletter sign-up). When we fully promote the service we will encourage the sharing of content, engagement with the museum’s collections, and offer further downloadable options – something we hope will provide a real step change for our visitors.”
Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I’m delighted Edinburgh took up the challenge to become one of the UK’s Superconnected Cities as part of the Government programme. It’s vital that our cities have the digital infrastructure like superfast broadband and wifi in place to deal with the demands of the digital age. Our investment in Edinburgh has delivered a welcome boost to the local economy, and is all part of our long term economic plan.”
Buildings that currently have free wi-fi include:
- Edinburgh Zoo
- National Museum of Scotland
- Dynamic Earth
- All Edinburgh Leisure centres with the exception of Warrender Swim Centre and the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA)
Buildings which will go live at some point in the next few months:
- Queen’s Hall
- Nelson Monument
- People’s Story Museum
- The Lyceum
- Festival Theatre
- King’s Theatre
- City Art Centre
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe
- Scottish Poetry Library
- Out of Blue Drill Hall
- Museum of Edinburgh
- Museum of Childhood
- The Writers’ Museum
- Museum Collections Centre
- Lauriston Castle
- Old City Observatory and the Dome
- Trinity Apse
- The Church Hill Theatre
- Usher Hall
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- Traverse Theatre
- Warrender Swim Centre and the EICA (EICA)
Free wi-fi is also being installed in a number of the Council’s community centres, care homes and young people’s accommodation.