Thumbs up to Achievement CELEBRATING SUCCESS from Big Lottery Bids to Employment Support - It’S Been a Successful Start to the Year! - Learn More Inside
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Issue 19 | Spring 2014 PLUS DANE GROUP RESIDENTS’ maGAZINE thumbs up to achievement CELEBRATING SUCCESS From Big Lottery bids to employment support - it’s been a successful start to the year! - learn more inside YOUNG ACHIEVERS LIVING LOCAL WORKING LOCAL Find us on... /plusdanegroup Rebecca’s story Plus Dane’s youth forum has always worked to help its members learn new skills and increase their self-confidence. Its support and commitment has played a role in helping one former member pursue a unique career path. Rebecca Moughtin is now 22 and recently that reflected her passion for sport and would graduated from university. Along the way she later come in handy when her academic interests realised she wanted to get serious about helping turned to wellbeing. others and qualified as a counsellor. “I always wanted to help people - and it just After a troubled time at school Rebecca has clicked one day that I wanted to be a counsellor,” made up for lost time and now has ambitions to she says. “Person-centred counselling is study for a Masters degree and set up her own all about people having the power within social enterprise. Her dream is to improve the themselves to solve their problems and that’s wellbeing and mental health of patients something I got from Lesley who ran the by devising a programme that youth forum at the time. It has been a combines talking therapy massive struggle to get this far, but I’m and sport. made up I’ve done it.” “When I was younger I fell in Always passionate about sport, with the wrong crowd and I Rebecca plays netball with a local look back and think team and has even qualified as a I don’t know where I would coach. She devised a health and have ended up if that had wellbeing programme for other carried on,” she says. members of the youth forum centred “I loved learning but when around holistic therapies and learning I was 14 I suffered a traumatic about the support available for people incident and I couldn’t go back to who are struggling - with an emphasis on the mainstream school and that affected me all importance of talking instead of bottling through my education.” up problems. Inspired by her mum’s volunteer work and “Young people should be educated on mental looking to do something worthwhile with her health and wellbeing as it is so important,” spare time, she joined the youth forum and Rebecca says. “If someone had said to me when went on to be awarded ‘young person of the I was at school it was okay to feel the things I year’ at the 2011 Plus Dane Young People’s was feeling and to carry on, I was going to be Champion Awards. alright, it could have been so different for me. “Being involved in the youth forum has done “So now I have the idea of devising a project so much for me - I’ve been given countless around mental health, counselling and fitness. opportunities and they have always been there to For me I know how good I feel when I’ve gone push me along and help me. I’ve always felt very for a run or played a game of netball. Sport and lucky and grateful,” she says. counselling each alone are good and I’d like to explore how beneficial they can be together. This Rebecca didn’t consider university straight after project will be the start of that.” school but did an NVQ in fitness and exercise 2 Plus Dane UNiTY and welcome to our Spring edition of UNiTY. Although we’re only a few months in we’ve hello had a really busy start to the year. This includes a successful £10m bid to the provide a wide range of employment support Big Lottery Fund to create a new service to through projects such as our work clubs support people with multiple and complex which run across Merseyside and Cheshire. needs in Liverpool. Work clubs are free weekly drop in sessions providing advice and help with CV writing, The partnership project, led by Plus Dane, finding out about job vacancies, getting online is one of 12 projects nationally to receive the and much more. You can find out more on p13. funding and will help to transform the way these services are delivered. We hope you enjoy reading this issue and find it useful. We really value your feedback and In February we also held a hugely successful would love to hear what you think of UNiTY, so jobs, homes and enterprise fair in Liverpool please do take the time to complete our short called Living Local, Working Local, which reader survey on p18. brought together 60 employers, training providers and support agencies to advertise over 1,000 job vacancies and apprenticeship opportunities. This event was one of the many ways in which Plus Dane is working to deliver our promise Ken Perry Des Finlay Chief Executive to support the creation of local work. We also Chair Plus Dane Group Tenants Together Forum BUILDING FUTURES Awards up to Make a change in your community £2,500 Do you have a business idea that There are two types of cash award available: will benefit your area? Do it If you do, you could get up to £2,500 as a cash T yr it (Up to £2,500) You award to help you make it happen. All you need is a (up to £500) You have a great already have a project great idea, be aged 16-21 and have the enthusiasm up and running and a and dedication to see it through. idea that you need to try out to cash award will help you Examples of funded ideas include: see if it works develop it further • A community project to bring old and young people together Find out more about the full criteria and how to You have a great • A youth-led music production tackling knife crime apply by contacting Sarah Mythen on idea that you • Motivational workshops to boost self-esteem 0151 330 3505 for an application pack or visit need to try out to • Sports programme to increase physical activity www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com see if it works TRY IT DO IT THINK IT SEE IT MAKE IT SOLVE IT Up to £500 Up to £2,500 Plus Dane UNiTY 3 Watch our film telling the story of the event at www.youtube.com /plusdanegroup 3,000 job and home seekers attend Living Local, Working Local Over 3,000 Liverpool residents visited Liverpool Town Hall on 27th February for a jobs homes and “I handed one CV enterprise fair offering the chance to apply for live out to Alternative vacancies from top employers in the city and find Futures and they out about homes available to rent or buy. phoned to offer The Living Local, Working Local event, hosted by Plus me a job because Dane Group, offered over 1,000 job and apprenticeship they were opportunities from employers including Royal Bank of impressed with Scotland, Aldi, Merseytravel and The Flanagan Group, my skills” as well as the opportunity to view vacant Plus Dane Sarah McKenna, Anfield homes in the Liverpool city region that are available for rent and sale. Ben Kavanagh and Faye Williams, HomesHub Plus Dane Living Local Working Local Team 4 Plus Dane UNiTY Eve Lynch Business Advisor for Plus Dane Eve Lynch, John Finnigan, Making Business Work, commented: “Living Local, Working Local was a big Julie Gaudie, Plus Dane Group success and it was great to be able to help so many people access employment opportunities and find out about Plus Dane homes available. There were loads of success stories - one couple from London came to the fair as they wanted to move back to Liverpool after being away from the city for over 15 years and were delighted to be offered a Plus Dane home and apply for a job with the armed forces.” Ann O’Byrne, Liverpool City Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I was delighted to see Living Local, Working Local so well supported Ann O’Byrne, Liverpool City Council Cabinet Member for and well attended. To be able to bring such a wide Housing, Lord Mayor Gary Millar, Linda Minnis, Chair, range of employers and support agencies together Plus Dane Group alongside other opportunities such as the chance to find a new home, is a great achievement.” Jeni Brannan from Millwood Training, one of the employers supporting the event, added: “Living “I found out how Local, Working Local was a big success. We to get essential met two girls who were not the right age for our work experience traineeships but who we saw real potential in. We to enhance took their CVs to another employer who interviewed my training and hired them the next day, they have already to become started their new jobs! We also made some fabulous a certified business links.” plumber” Will, Norris Green The Living Local, Working Local event was delivered Everyone who through Plus Dane’s Making Business Work submitted a Programme, a European Regional Development feedback form on Fund initiative offering business support to social the event was also enterprises in Merseyside. entered into a prize draw to win £100 in high street vouchers If you missed the opportunity to attend the fair and are and congratulations actively looking for employment, training or volunteering goes out to Joan opportunities please contact Helen Ball on 0151 330 Chapman from 3519 or email [email protected] Toxteth who was the who will be able to discuss with you the various support Karen Buttery, Plus Dane Group, lucky winner! with Law Graduate Rebecca Cole programmes we have on offer at Plus Dane.