VIEW, Issue two, 2012 News in brief


Call for volunteers over digital switch


AGE NI has called on volunteers in Northern Ireland to help older people switch their TV from analogue to digital. Volunteers are needed to help to fill in Switchover Help Scheme forms, make calls and be there when equipment is being in- stalled. “Volunteers don’t need to have any specialist


or technical knowledge as a training and infor- mation session will be provided to let them know more about the scheme and what they can do to help”, Anne O’Reilly, chief executive of Age NI said. Volunteers aged 50 and over should contact


Age NI on 028 9024 5729 or email info@ageni.org


Interface security barrier is opened


THE opening of a security barrier at an inter- face in north Belfast has been welcomed by the Justice Minister David Ford. It’s the first time the barrier, at Newington


Street and Limestone Road junction, has been opened in in 20 years. It will initially remain open from 7am until 4pm, from Monday to Fri- day. The arrangements will be reviewed after three months.


Grant aid scheme in Derry reopened


DERRY City Council has reopened their grant aid pro- gramme for local community groups. Applications can be submitted for grants of up to


£1000 in a range of programmes which lead to the de- velopment and enhancement of the city.


Correction


In the first issue of VIEW, we mistakingly said Jim Pierce – Older Volunteer of the Year – was aged 75. That should have been 65 years of age.


Page 18


Message: Rick Moyers at the CO3 conference in Derry


Nigel Hunter Avec Photo


A view from the US on beating the recession


By Una Murphy T


and chocolate, but pearls of wisdom from the not- for-profit sector in the USA. Dr John Brothers, Support Centre for Non Profit Managers. New York, and Rick Moyers, Meyer Foun- dation. Washington D.C., were among the keynote speakers to the chief executives of community and voluntary organisations. Majella McCloskey, chief executive of CO3, told the conference that she had met Rick and John on a study visit to the United States. She said research carried out by the organisation led to the question “Are the qualities that have got us to this point good enough to get us out of the recession?” Rick is co- author of ‘Daring To Lead’, a report into non-profit executive leadership in the US. He said that financial stability and leadership stability were intertwined.


Good financial management was needed in the non-profit sector. His message to the conference


he Yanks came to Derry – more than 70 years after the GIs landed – to the CO3 con- ference. They didn’t give out silk stockings


was that “counting beans is really important”. John Brothers said the role of chief executive of a non- profit was “one of the hardest jobs in the world”. The co-author of ‘Building Non-Profit Capacity’ said that organisations had to understand whether the services offered were still needed in the com- munity.


He said the organisations in the non-profit sector could decline in a short space of time – around 18 months – and it was difficult to turn an organisation around in the present economic climate. Organisations that were aware of the challenges


and ready to tackle them were more likely to turn around if they were in decline. Going back to the same product or service that the community did not want anymore would lead to failure, he said. John said that when the recession happened in the USA in 2008 he got calls from executives who thought they would work in the non-profit sector. He said they often found it difficult to make the transition – as they weren’t coming for the right reasons and found the pace of impact difficult. There was a difference in selling a phone and allevi- ating poverty, he added.


Call to protect community staff


THE trade union SIPTU has called on the Assembly to ensure the Programme of Government includes a “threshold of decency” to protect community workers.


Competition winner


Congratulations to Ciara Ryan who has won an overnight stay and bed and breakfast for two people at the Mourne Lodge, Co Down, after successfully being picked for answering the fol- lowing questions:


1, When was the Mourne Wall built? 2, What was the purpose? 3, What is the length of the Mourne Wall?


The correct answers were 1, Between 1904 and 1922. 2, To To enclose the water catchment areas in the Mournes. 3, Twenty two miles.


Many thanks to all those who entered the competitionWall?


Appeal: Martin O’Rourke


The union’s organiser in Northern Ireland, Martin O’Rourke, said that the most vulnerable citizens are protected by community sector workers in- cluding the elderly, children, people with disabilities as well as individuals damaged by decades of con- flict in the Troubles. But their work is often over- looked by decision makers. “The draft Programme for Government promises


to introduce a social clause into public procure- ment contracts. We are campaigning for a review- able “threshold of decency” clause for the terms and conditions of community sector workers to be incorporated into this legislation”, he said. The lack of acknowledgement of the profession- alism of community workers was reflected in their lack of pensions and sick pay schemes, no agreed standards of wages and job insecurity, Mr O’Rourke added.


“In the past two years, 3,000 community workers had lost their jobs with a loss of services; so a col- lective voice was needed so that community work- ers could defend vital services,” he said.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22