kva annual review 2013 to 2014
DESCRIPTION
Impact highlights from a year in the life of Kingston Voluntary Action. Includes videos and audio.TRANSCRIPT
Kingston Voluntary Action
Annual Review 2013 to 2014
Children & Young People Project
Harriet and Holly joined us for
Children’s Commissioner’s
Takeover Day in 2013 . The
day gives children and young
people the chance to work with
adults for the day and be involved
in decision-making.
Harriet and Holly spent the day at
KVA learning about safeguarding
responsibilities in the borough
and voicing their views on cyber-
bullying and how to keep young
people safe on the internet.
Our project has provided regular
seminars, workshops and Children and Young People’s Network meetings to
facilitate positive cross sector working on issues such as child poverty, provide
safeguarding training and improve access
to mental health services for children and young people.
What next:
We’ll work with the Safe Network to
ensure organisations can access quality Safeguarding training. An event on fuel
poverty is planned for children and young
people’s organisations to look at practical strategies to help families.
Get in touch
020 8255 3335
www.kva.org.uk
www.audioboom.fm/KingstonCYPNetwork
In 2014 we celebrated the impact of family organisations during Small Charity Week, capturing their stories with our new podcast social
media:
www.audioboom.com/KingstonCYPNetwork
Health & Social Care
We continue to represent the
voluntary sector within local health care partnerships, providing
workshops on a number of key issues, including the Better Care
Fund. We have worked closely with
local authority colleagues to develop a local Joint Strategic Needs
Assessment and ensured ‘community voice’ is included in its delivery.
Our second annual health conference brought together 90 people from
across the Kingston Strategic
Partnership to focus on fuel poverty.
What next:
A key focus is to continue to work with statutory colleagues to agree
ways to deliver the Better Care Fund, including seven-day and seven-night
working, self-care management and
carers’ support.
Get in touch
[email protected] 020 8255 3335 www.kva.org.uk
There were so many organisations
that came today and it reinforces that there is a wealth of knowledge
in the borough...I was also impressed by just the general
enthusiasm and want for
change that was in the room.
2014 Annual Health Conference interviews and presentations online
at http://bit.ly/1t7Wj6c
"I know that what you most want is to see services improve as a result of
your input. I'm pleased to say that your positive feedback about the idea of alternatives to ambulances has contributed to rapid progress”. Rachel Bartlett, Director of Integrating Care, Kingston CCG
Giles Read 109 Community Development Network attendees
Capacity Building
“Simon’s advice and guidance has
been incredibly helpful and he has
been able to explain to us in very
simple terms, some complicated
governance structures...also in the
necessary steps needed to develop
a coherent strategy and business
plan that will enable the
organisation to become even more
sustainable”.
Marcus Cabeca
Head of Axe Capoeira UK
We have continued to offer specialist
one-to-one advice and training on setting up an organisation, quality,
policies and procedures, good governance, outcomes frameworks
and finding funding.
What next:
With our City Bridge Trust funding coming to an end in 2014 we’ll be
seeking further funds to deliver this vital support.
93
face-to-face advice sessions
143 Email & phone advice sessions
557 + = hours of advice delivered 2014
KVA has supported 41 local
organisations to have one year’s free registration on
popular fundraising website Localgiving.com. Since 2012
they have raised:
£60,065
Love Kingston Our flagship fundraising campaign has
had an incredible year, with increasing numbers of businesses and individuals
completing personal challenges and running successful events such as Rich
Man, Poor Man and Laugh Kingston
Comedy Festival.
What next:
A vast array of exciting events will take place on Love Kingston Day 2015
and we’ll be securing the maximum match funding possible for the
Kingston Legacy Fund by March 2015.
Get in touch
[email protected] 020 8255 3335 www.love-kingston.org.uk
Colemans-ctts want to celebrate
becoming a founding donor of Love Kingston with an initial donation of
£1,000. With an established office in Kingston for over 25 years we
want to show our support for
justice and people’s rights in this borough and as such Love Kingston
has provided that opportunity.
Missed Love Kingston Day 2014?
Watch our video and see who is supporting our campaign:
http://bit.ly/1uqTJyO
£226,944 donated and pledged since 2012
Superhighways
Get in touch
[email protected] (technical)
020 8255 8040
www.superhighways.org.uk
“The talk by City Bridge Trust was
very inspiring and helped to think
'out of the box' when reporting to
funders. All the master classes
were great, I especially enjoyed
the Tiny Stories one, which
provided lots of media tools I have
not heard of before”.
“The workshops were very useful
and the speakers were all very
knowledgeable, engaging and
passionate about their topic”.
See top tweets, listen to
interviews and more at:
http://bit.ly/1yQwddm
helpdesk
enquiries
Our ICT social enterprise has had an
exciting, busy and challenging year that has included taking on larger
consultancy projects and a new project, Impact Aloud, to help small
charities and community
organisations across South London monitor, evaluate and communicate
their impact using digital technology.
What next:
Our aim is to generate increased income through consultancy and
membership. We’ll also be trialling
tools to find innovative solutions to measuring and communicating
impact and developing new training.
This is how you
rated our training
last year
350+ 10 volunteers have helped us with helpdesk, onsite visits and Community Connected projects.
Community Connected
Get in touch
020 8255 8040
www.communityconnected.org.uk
Superhighways’ grassroots digital
inclusion project has reached even more communities this year, working
with Alpha Road Residents Association and Paragon Housing to
bring computer courses to residents’
doorsteps.
What next:
We’ll continue to work with local partners to reach more residents in
need of basic online learning. This includes a range of digital learning
events to help people make healthy
choices using online resources.
17 PCs refurbished for resident use
“I don’t really like using
computers very much but I’m sensible enough to realise that
life can’t really go on unless you are using them. You’re always at
the back of the queue and if you
don’t do things online then it takes a long time. I’ve found
this course most helpful and it’s helped my confidence a
great deal”.
Graham Nash
We’ve also provided advice on a
range of mobile devices so people can ‘try before they buy’ tablets
they’d like to use at home.
Get in touch
020 8255 8685
www.gokingstonvolunteering.org.uk
“Go Kingston Volunteering continues
to provide a very personal service,
connecting willing volunteers with
organisations who really benefit from
their help. They understand our
organisation’s needs and keep in
regular contact. They also provide us
with useful links to other
organisations and opportunities to
share good practice, which supports
Staywell in providing a great
environment for volunteering”.
Rachel Furze
Central Services Manager
Staywell
Go Kingston Volunteering
Our volunteer centre continues to
develop and promote volunteering throughout the Royal Borough of
Kingston upon Thames.
It’s been a busy year, including
events such as volunteer speed-
matching and outdoor promotional events alongside our partners
Kingston First and Kingston Hospital.
What next:
Go Kingston Volunteering will continue to develop a ‘Kingston
Volunteering Group’ involving Voluntary Services Overseas,
Kingstonfirst, Kingston Hospital,
Staywell,Kingston Rotary Club and Kingston University.
The partnership is developing a
quality assurance kite mark for
volunteering organisations
throughout the borough to ensure
volunteers get the same high
quality experience across the
partnership and feel valued as
members of 'Team Kingston’.
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive Kingstonfirst
Our volunteers have made a huge
difference to the quality of life enjoyed by service users who have
mild to moderate learning disabilities or are on the Autistic
Spectrum.
What next:
Plans for next year include a
pantomime trip for volunteers and their buddies.
“So we initially met up about 6
months ago and it was myself, his
mum and his current carer. And we
just met for a coffee. I was warned
that he may be a bit shy around
me but within five minutes
we’d hit it off”.
Dave Pearch
Get in touch
020 8255 8685
www.gokingstonvolunteering.org.uk
“If you’re thinking about doing it, do it. You’ll get just as much out of it, I think, as you give”.
Yvonne Tracey
Buddy Scheme
12 buddy pairs 283 h
£12, 800 raised through
bicycle sales
2013 to 2014
Kingston Eco-op Eco-op’s packing workshop remains
highly popular, close to reaching full capacity in the last year. In addition
to offering work experience and skills development in the bicycle
repair workshop and Fairtrade Snack
Box Scheme, Eco-op has developed a staff and volunteer supported peer
-to-peer training scheme. This ranges from IT training, a book club
at Kingston station, craft work and
more.
What next:
With two volunteers now trained as cycle instructors, we’ll offer training
not only to existing clients but also
to local schools and in the community. We’ll also be trialling
music services this year.
£2,000
raised by the Eco-op poppy-making team
“Kingston Eco-op provided a
quick and professional envelope-stuffing service to
help us send out fundraising leaflets to a tight deadline.”
Jenny Roman
Chief Fundraiser SPEAR London (homelessness charity)
£1,273 raised by the Snackbox team
Get in touch
[email protected] 020 8942 5503 www.kingstoneco-op.org.uk
New Futures and next steps In 2014 Kingston Voluntary Action
set up The New Futures 1 Forum in response to the change of
administration at Kingston Council and the Thames Agreement
between Richmond and Kingston
Council.
The two developments call for new
ways of working in the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in
Kingston. New Futures 1 Forum was the first meeting held to explore
how we can best work with the new
administration to support our local community.
What next:
We’ll devise an action plan to
address the key challenges raised at
the meeting:
Within the sector:
Speaking with one voice;
Showing the value and impact of
our work;
Collaborating and competing
effectively. Within the community:
Gaining respect and engagement
with Councillors and Officers;
Helping them to do their job;
Safeguarding the future of
grants.
We’ll be organising New Futures 2 Forum with the VCS Strategic
Partners to monitor progress against our shared objectives. We want to
encourage small VCS groups to get
involved.
Community Connected is an example of effective community development and engagement on the new VCSS website:
http://bit.ly/1E58Z40
Kingston Voluntary & Community Sector Strategy
This year we have worked hard
with our partners on developing a strategy that sets out a vision for
how our vibrant and diverse sector
can work together for:
“a thriving local voluntary and
community sector whose role and
contribution as strategic partners is recognised and valued for its
economic, social and environmental contribution”.
Next steps:
An action plan is now being
developed to turn the vision into a reality. Regular updates will be
available through an e-newsletter and the newly developed website:
www.kingstonvcss.org.uk
Thank you to everyone in
Kingston upon Thames for
their commitment to our
community; with a special
thanks to our staff and
volunteers for always
bringing a smile to local
people in time of need.
We are extremely grateful to all our funders for their support
[email protected] 020 8255 3335 www.kva.org.uk Charity no: 257551