Active in the Community: Conference Programme 10th October

Wednesday 10th October

10.00 am     Vision Seminar 3

Bringing Sport and Physical Activity to Your Community

Speaker: John News (Sport NI)

John News (Participation Manager, Sport Northern Ireland) will discuss the various positive outcomes of engaging local communities in Sport and Physical Activity programmes. John will present the SNI Active Communities programme - and give practical advice on how you and your community can get involved and enjoy the benefits of being physically active.

John News is Sport Northern Ireland’s Participation Manager  - a role he has held since 2003. John’s remit sees him interface on a regular basis with the community, public and private sectors across issues such as health, education, sport, social development, training, tourism.  In recent years he has led the development and delivery of a number of SNI strategic interventions including Activ8 (including Activ8Eatwell and Activ8Wildcats Clubs), the Awards for Sport small grants programme and Active Communities.  John is also responsible for SNI's work to support and improve access to and participation in 'outdoor recreation'.  He was one of the key authors of 'Sport Matters', the Northern Ireland Executive's agreed strategy for the development of sport and physical recreation in the period 2009-2019.

Ten O’Clock Presentations

10.00 - Making the Most of Gift Aid
Speaker: Penny Miles – Envelope Systems

Modern Gift Aid is a fast changing scene. New legislation and new technology are combining to present charities with an ever greater range of opportunities to boost funds using Gift Aid and save time doing it too. Penny Miles from Envelope Systems walks you through the latest changes in the rules, what’s coming next and explains how to make the most of it all.

10.00 - Partnering With Age NI in Your Community

Ron Warwick and Roisin Kerr – Age NI

Representatives of Age NI, the charity for older people in Northern Ireland, will present a range of services and products available to those working with people in later life in the community. Topics covered include: First Connect Service, Advice Service, ‘Spread the Warmth’ campaign for winter, Personal Alarms and insurance products.

10.00 - Moving Your IT System to The Cloud: All you need to know to boost effectiveness whilst cutting costs        Geoffrey Ready - AVEC Solutions

The move to the 'cloud' is not a passing fad, but a fundamental and permanent shift in computing. This session will explain what it is all about and explore its implications for third sector organisations of all sizes, with an emphasis on the tangible benefits and opportunities afforded them.

Come along and learn how you can save thousands of pounds on your annual IT budget and improve your organisation's efficiency by moving your network services and data online to take advantage of the power and flexibility of internet-based services and applications.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session when you will have the opportunity to get practical answers to any specific questions you may have about cloud computing for your organisation.

Twelve O’Clock Presentations:

12.00 - Setting Up A Computer Suite With Internet Safety

Ken Callaghan - Ignite IT

Ken will discuss the practicalities of setting up a computer suite - with particular reference to the fabulous upgrade deals on Windows 7 - available from Microsoft to charities and community groups only! With internet safety in mind, Ken will also look at developing a Computer Usage Policy for your group that helps keep you on the right side of the law!

12.00 - Healthy Brains: BrainFit Resources For The Over 55’s

Richard McChesney – Fingerprint Learning               

Social isolation, depression and dementia are three enemies of a rewarding and happy retirement, but they are all too common among the over 55s in our society. At Fingerprint Learning we have three very positive messages for this age group:

• That mental decline as we age is not inevitable
• That our brains can be stimulated at any age/stage of life
• That by continually learning new things our brains can be stimulated and kept fit and healthy.

We communicate this through our BrainFit Workshops and BrainFit Action Plans and demonstrate in a very interactive way how we can all take practical steps to keep our brains ‘fit for life’.

Our ‘Healthy Brain..Happy Retirement’ seminar will provide the background to the BrainFit Programme and will be a vital seminar to attend if you work with anyone in the 55+ age group.

12.00 - Managing Your Organisation - Measuring Social Impact

Peter MacCafferty - Cúnamh ICT

Cúnamh ICT is a social enterprise that delivers bespoke and off‐the shelf database solutions. We work with 3rd sector organisations, including major funders and charities across Britain and Ireland in the development of data systems for the central storage, collation and reporting of data, be that beneficiary, financial, output or outcome related. We have a broad understanding of evaluating impact from various perspectives and so recognise the challenges groups have in managing their organisations and evidence their social impact.

This seminar is aimed at third sector practitioners to:

• Improve understanding of social impact measurement and outcomes
• Provide an insight on how to develop meaningful social measurement strategies
• See a demonstration of Social Impact Tracker – a simple and affordable way to collect and analyse your information

2.00 pm    Vision Seminar 4

Timebanking – Harnessing Talent From Within Your Community

Speaker: Billy Eagleson (Volunteer Now)

Billy Eagleson will introduce us to ‘Timebanking’ - and explain how the concept can be adapted to support and empower communities and organisations in Northern Ireland – by capturing the talents of members of the local community

Billy manages Volunteer Now’s ‘Unlocking Potential’ and ‘Timebanking’ Projects.  Both projects are funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and work to empower and encourage older people and others to play active roles in their communities through volunteering and community involvement.

Two O’clock Presentations

2.00 - Get Away! How To Organise A Great Holiday For Your Group

Ellis Barnsley – Cleenish Centre

In this ‘How to ... ‘ seminar, Ellis Barnsley (Manager of The Cleenish Residential Centre in Enniskillen) gives a step-by-step guide to organising a fabulous break/holiday for your group. Ellis will discuss the many benefits of taking people – children, adults and families – away from their familiar/everyday setting ... and giving them a new experience in a different environment.

2.00 - Health & Safety – Protecting You

Mark Gracey - Next Level Impact

This talk will make you aware of the current social and legal requirements in Health and Safety as they relate to your organisation.   As a service interacting with the community, it is imperative that you meet the best Health and Safety standards possible.  From practical structure improvements to ensuring paper-work is relevant and up-to-date, this talk will explain the many ways in which you can improve your safety standard to a level above legal reproach; that way ensuring the longevity, safety and quality of your organisation, your personnel, and your community.

2.00 – Focus On Fraud

John O’Rourke FCA FCCA FCMA, Consulting Partner, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore.

This seminar will focus on the area of fraud with specific reference to the charity sector.

Fraud is an area of increasing concern to all organisations.  A member of the UK Fraud Advisory Panel, John has many years of experience assisting clients to investigate financial loss and financial crime and identify the extent of the loss suffered.

He will look at common control weaknesses and how these can be remedied and will provide examples by referring to recent well published Northern Ireland cases.

He will also examine the implications for charities of the recently introduced Bribery Act. 

3.30    The Last Word ...

The Next 5 Years For The Third Sector – Leaders’ Perspectives

Session sponsored by CO3 – Chief Officers 3rd Sector

An invited panel will present their thoughts on the key issues which will impact on the third sector over the next five years, including the practice of community development.