Tag: participation

Male, pale and stale? Reinvigorating Community Councils

ELREC (Edinburgh & Lothian Regional Equality Council) and Granton & District Community Council have organised an event to encourage more BME residents to get involved in neighbourhood activities through Community Councils …

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You are invited to an event:

Celebrating Diversity in Community Councils

Thursday, 11 August, 6 – 8.30pm

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North

The key aim of the event is to increase the representation of BME communities in community councils and  hosted jointly by ELREC- Diversity in Public Life project and the Granton & District Community Council.

Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) has been working on Diversity in Public Life project since last year, aiming to increase the participation of the BME community in public life and in the democratic process. The project works with the diverse communities and it is funded by the Scottish Government. Under this project, a special scheme, Public Life Champion (PLC) has been launched to provide advice, training and mentoring to BME individuals who live/work across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Community council triennial elections will take place in Sept-Oct 2016. In the wake of oncoming election, the event will provide useful information (i.e.: nomination/registration process) and practical advice for those who are interested to stand as a community councillor. This event will also help establish a link between community councillors and the prospective BME candidates.

If you are interested to represent the views of your local community to the local authority and other public bodies, then joining the community council would be an ideal vehicle as well as an entry point to get into public life.

See details about: what is community council ? 

The event is open to BME residents lived across Edinburgh & Lothians and community council members. Tea/Coffee and refreshments will be provided. Booking is required to give us an estimate for the catering service. Please let us know if you have any special requirements. Please circulate among your contacts/networks who might be interested on this.

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To book your place online, please click here. 

For more information, please contact us by email:publiclife@elrec.org.uk or Tel: 0131 556 0441

Planning and Design: It’s YOUR community

Communities to have their say in the design of their area

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Communities across Scotland will have the chance to map out the future of their towns with design experts. The Scottish Government is launching two funds to allow people to have a direct role in making their towns and villages better places to live.

Funding of £300,000 is available across two grant schemes – the Design Charrettes programme and the Activating Ideas Fund.

Charrettes bring together the public, stakeholders and designers over a number of days to draw up viable proposals, while the Activating Ideas fund will support participation and empowerment initiatives in disadvantaged areas.

Minister for Local Government Kevin Stewart said: “The quality of our places has an important influence on our lives. This Government is committed to empowering communities and involving them in the planning process.

“We have already seen really good examples of this in the few years since the charrettes programme has been running. In Maybole the Community Association and Community Council sourced additional funding to modernise and improve access to the Town Hall gardens. And in Girvan there is a successful plan for a new swimming facility which is due to open in 2017 following the closure of the local pool.

“Local communities have a wealth of knowledge about their local area. Bringing communities together with design expertise will enable ideas and proposals to be developed to deliver positive change. This initiative provides a way of enabling people across Scotland to have their say on the long- term future of their community.”

Continue reading Planning and Design: It’s YOUR community

Women’s Fund welcomes grant applications

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The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) has re-opened for grant applications with a deadline of 28 September.  The WFS are keen to identify community groups located in North Edinburgh that empower women and girls to reach their full potential.  The Women’s Fund for Scotland are on a mission to make a difference not just individuals, but their family and needs of the community. Continue reading Women’s Fund welcomes grant applications

Charter gives voice to adults with additional support needs

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Over sixty adults with additional support needs have come together to tell support services what measures they would like to see taken to improve the support they receive through a Charter for Involvement. The group is now calling on organisations to commit to putting their recommendations into practice and has produced a special animated film to promote the Charter. 

Known as the National Involvement Network (NIN), the group have been working for over two years to produce the Charter for Involvement, which to date has been signed by 32 support organisations.

Most of the adults involved have received support services their whole life and believe together they could have a stronger voice on how their services are delivered. Supported by independent charity ARC Scotland, The Charter not only gives these adults a voice but also a way for  support services to involve the people they support more in the work of the organisation.

The newly launched animated film accompanying the Charter describes how the 12 Charter statements help to improve the lives of people who get support. It sets out how people want to be more involved in the services they receive. The film was launched today at the Thistle Foundation earlier this week to an audience of NIN members and support organisations.

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Chair of the National Involvement Network, Lynette Lynton said: “We all use support services in various ways and wanted to have more of a say in our services and be more involved in the way they are run.  Who better to advise support services on how well they are doing than the people that use them day-to-day?

“The launch of the Charter film is a huge occasion for everyone involved.  For those of you who have never seen it, it features an animated tiger to show how the Charter has helped make us feel strong and bold.

“The tiger also features on the cover of the Charter for Involvement and many people have now come to associate the tiger with our work.

“As chair of the National Involvement Network, I hope that the film will inspire people who receive care and support services to become more involved.

“The National Involvement Network and the Charter for Involvement have been made possible through the hard work and dedication of ARC Scotland.  They have supported the NIN through this process and it is their policy of bringing organisations and people together to find solutions that has made this possible.

“I would like to think that our work with the Charter has improved services and the experiences of service users nationally and I would urge other organisations who would like to know more about the Charter or to receive a copy to get in touch with Association for Real Change Scotland for more information.”

 

West Pilton West Granton Community Council meets on Tuesday

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Please find attached the agenda for our next meeting, Tuesday 2nd August at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.
We are inviting Councillor Vicki Redpath as our Community Council’s Returning Officer to speak to us (Edinburgh’s community council elections take place this September).
Speakers will also be in attendance from the Housing Planning Department to present and outline the housing proposals for West Pilton Grove and Crewe Road Gardens.
Hope to see you there,
Barbara Robertson

Fair play: £300,000 fund for sporting equality

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A Sporting Equality Fund is to be set up with the aim of increasing women’s engagement in sport, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday.

The £300,000 fund will be used to find ways to close the gender gap that emerges in the early teenage years when 71% of boys compared to 51% of girls say they are active participants in sport. Continue reading Fair play: £300,000 fund for sporting equality

‘Wee lassie fae Leith’ to chair Scottish Youth Parliament!

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Northern & Leith MSYP Terri Smith has been elected to chair the Scottish Youth Parliament when Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament convened in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis for their 60th National Sitting. Continue reading ‘Wee lassie fae Leith’ to chair Scottish Youth Parliament!