News & Views Archives - Page 38 of 42

Category: News & Views Page 38 of 42

Look closely and you’ll see that computer code is written all over our offices, our homes and now in our classrooms too.

The recent Lords’ Digital Skills report says the UK’s digital potential is at a make or break point, with a skills gap to be plugged and a generation gap to be bridged.

As technologist Tom Armitage argues, there’s also a leap of the imagination to be made, to conceive of the wider benefits of reading, writing, and even thinking in code.

In Future Speak, Tom sets out to decode digital literacy for the so-called ‘second machine age’. He considers why and how we should become fluent in the language of computing and, once we’ve mastered it, what we might do with it. With perspectives from education, industry, academia, the media, science and the arts, he explores a world where, increasingly, code is what you make of it.

Baroness Morgan explains why digital skills are high on the House of Lords’ agenda; Ian Livingstone CBE, role-playing game creator, tells us why he campaigned for coding in schools; and Professor John Naughton considers what the rest of us should learn to engage democratically in the digital age.

Tom visits Benton Park in Newcastle, claiming to be the first primary school in the country to boast a Raspberry Pi Orchestra and speaks to Clare Sutcliffe who founded Code Club before computer science made it onto the curriculum.

Outside of the classroom, Tom finds out how the STEMettes are using coding to increase the presence of women in science, technology, engineering and maths – and he discovers why Imogen Heap now prefers to make music with wearable technology.

Producer: Kirsty Mcquire
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.

The Labour Manifesto – what does it mean for volunteering

By Chris Martin

On 15th April 2015

In News & Views

Ed+Miliband+Speech+Scottish+Labour+Party+Conference+XyWH-NPlU5il

With the dust starting to settle and people having time to digest all the promises we look at some of the key areas of the Labour manifesto and what it might mean for Volunteers.

A Labour plan to bring back guaranteed childcare from 8am to 6pm in all primary schools has made it into the party’s manifesto. First mooted in September 2013 the policy had since been sidelined as the party focused on criticising unqualified teachers and opposing the government’s free schools programme. But “wraparound childcare” is back on the agenda. A single sentence in Labour’s education manifesto, released last week, has become an entire paragraph in the party’s main manifesto, launched today in Manchester.

“We will help families by expanding free childcare from 15 to 25 hours per week for working parents of three and four-year-olds, paid for with an increase in the bank levy. We will also introduce a legal guarantee for parents of primary school children to access wraparound childcare from 8am to 6pm through their local primary school. As well as helping parents, this will provide children with before and after-school clubs and activities, helping to raise their aspirations and attainment. This will be underpinned by a new National Primary Childcare Service, a not-for-profit organisation to promote the voluntary and charitable delivery of quality extracurricular activities.”

Most interesting is the final point which refers to this provision being provided by the voluntary and charitable sector, although detail is thin on the ground right now it would appear that Labour are keen to see the existing 3rd sector providers meet this demand but it does not explain how this will be funded. With many schools already offering extensive activities and providing some type of service it is unclear how the National Primary Childcare Service will actually operate.

Asheem Singh, Director of Public Policy at the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, the UK’s largest trade body for charity and social enterprise leaders said:

“Charities and social enterprises will be most excited by the Labour promise to repeal the Lobbying Act. When politicians voted to restrict the amount grassroots campaign groups could spend on campaigns in this election year while voting at the same time to raise the amount that politicians could spend on their own campaigns, a basic principle of decency and democracy was violated. At ACEVO we are pleased that our sector’s persistence and the argument of our manifesto ‘Free Society’ has been accepted. We look forward to this injustice being rectified, ideally in the first hundred days of the new parliament, whoever wins the election.”

The Lobbying Act reduces the amount grassroots campaigners can spend in an election year by 60%. Earlier this year politicians voted themselves a 23% rise in the amount they could spend during the campaign.

Labour’s commitment to early intervention and preventative, community care is welcome and it is only through proper partnership with state and community providers that we can make a difference on a community basis. Labour have committed to pooled budgets that bring health and care together, but more detail is needed to see how this might be delivered on a community-by-community basis and what this might mean for the voluntary sector providers.

Labour’s proposals to localise public services and get funding to organisations that deliver social value through regional banks are welcome news to the sector but will require more detail. Localism has three dimensions – economic, constitutional and public service based evidence suggests that detailed policy is needed on all three if excellent services with a plurality of providers can be delivered.

What is really becoming clear is that both parties see a growing role for the voluntary sector in the next parliament which is sure to see a continuation of budget cuts and austerity whichever party wins. Both main parties have recognised the importance of an active voluntary sector to protect some of those public services. Volunteers and volunteer organisations must wake up to the new politics of the 21st century where they play an ever more important role.

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TeamKinetic and the Sport and Recreation Alliance announce corporate partnership

By Chris Martin

On 13th April 2015

In News & Views, Press Releases, Sport

It is a great pleasure to announce that TeamKinetic and the Sport and Recreation Alliance are working together as corporate partners. TeamKinetic are committed to building the world’s finest sports and leisure volunteer platform and see working with the team at the Sport and Rec Alliance as key to achieving that objective.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance is the umbrella organisation for the governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation in the UK and represents 320 members – organisations like The FA, the Rugby Football Union, UK Athletics, the Ramblers, British Rowing and the Exercise, Movement and Dance Partnership.

Their role as a trade association is to speak up on behalf of its members, representing their views and providing them with services which make their lives easier. Volunteers often play such an important role in this process and we hope that TeamKinetic will support this work.

What does the Sport and Recreation Alliance do?

Its members are the governing bodies of sport and recreation. Their job is to run their sport or activity, promote participation and set the rules and conditions under which it takes place.

The SRA’s job is to make that job as easy as possible, representing their views to people who make decisions; promoting the interests of sport and recreation so that as many people as possible know about their work; they campaign on issues affecting our members.

TeamKinetic shares many of the values and beliefs about the importance of Sport within our society and we hope that this partnership will see a lasting legacy for Volunteers and clubs across the UK for years to come.

As part of the partnership between TeamKinetic and the Sport and Recreation Alliance, see also: Blog post – Here’s to the importance of volunteers.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

Volunteer Quiz: What type of Volunteer are you?

By Chris Martin

On 6th March 2015

In News & Views

Have you ever wanted to volunteer, but weren’t sure how to start? Do you wonder where you would thrive and the kind of work you would enjoy? Finding the volunteer position that fits you, your passions and your personality type can be tricky. That’s where this volunteer quiz comes in!

Discover your inner volunteer with the Volunteer Quiz (VQ), developed by Volunteer Canada and Manulife Financial.

Having volunteered for over 4 years, I came across the VQ – the only test for assessing volunteer types online. Unfamiliar with different VQ personalities, I was curious to learn what kind of volunteer I might be!

The VQ identifies six types of volunteers: Cameo, Groupie, Juggler, Rookie, Roving Consultant and Type A. It also helps you find volunteer opportunities based on your type and location.

There are questions about your dream job, your personal wish list for the world and hypothetical scenarios that require a deeper introspection. The VQ asks you to consider your personal and social qualities, how you deal with others and how you handle conflict, among other questions.

My result: Type A volunteer. I’m “a multi-tasking leader who says yes often and means it.” I’m productive, an influencer and a mentor. Interestingly, it’s a description I have heard from previous colleagues and supervisors.

My favourite part was the advice on things to consider (in light of knowing your type) before volunteering with an organization. As a Type A volunteer, the VQ suggested that I avoid volunteer opportunities that “assist,” and focus on openings with the words “lead” and “develop.” The quiz also identified my passion: International Development. Having volunteered in over five countries, it was spot on!

Finally, it was time to receive my “Volunteer Matches,” customized to my volunteer type and location. I got a list of over 40 different opportunities nearby PLUS 70 other virtual opportunities available from anywhere.

And hey, don’t worry – if you feel that you’ve been incorrectly assessed, you can always hit the Start Over button!

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

Volunteering Internships

By Chris Martin

On 6th March 2015

In News & Views, Policy and Operations

As always we look to bring you the best practice from across the Voluntary sector. This article from the NCVO gives some fantastic guidance on Volunteering Internships for Volunteer managers.

As more organisations have realised the value of offering young people the opportunity to gain experience, whilst benefiting from their willingness to work hard and learn, it is becoming even more important that organisations do not take advantage of this willingness. The NCVO offer some common sense advice that ensures the Volunteer is valued and that they gain as much from the experience as the organisation does.

If you have examples of how your organisation has benefited from a Volunteer internship or lessons you may have learnt from using Volunteers as interns please feel free to share at info@smarterindesign.com.

See the full article and many more like it at

http://knowhownonprofit.org/people/volunteers-and-your-organisation/volunteering-internships#guidance

NCVO have worked with a range of organisations to review the current situation and produce guidance on volunteer internships to help charities ensure they fully understand any legal obligations they may have and to ensure expectations about the role between both parties are clear.

Internships have been the focus of much debate recently, with some arguing that they are either a form of job substitution or a way of exploiting cheap labour, and others that they are vital to both charities and those who want to work for them.

Much of the confusion comes from the fact that the term ‘intern’ has no basis in UK law. There is no legal definition of an ‘internship’. So people undertaking a role described as an ‘internship will still in legal terms be defined as either a worker or a volunteer.

Some charities describe some volunteer roles as internships as they have found it valuable to offer volunteering opportunities with a stronger skill-development focus and because describing a position as an ‘internship’ has been found to attract more volunteers.

The guidance also identifies key principles to follow to help ensure volunteer internships are managed in line with good practice, give a good quality experience and ensure volunteer interns are treated fairly and within the law.

Key principles

Be clear what the role is and its purpose before recruiting
Ensure that a volunteer internship is a genuine volunteering opportunity
Make sure volunteering opportunities are genuinely inclusive and accessible
Support volunteer interns in accordance with good practice standards in volunteer management
Ensure that volunteer intern positions do not undermine fair recruitment procedures
Provide opportunities for evaluation and regular feedback
Recognise the contribution of volunteer interns

More information on each principle and how to implement them is discussed in the guidance.

http://knowhownonprofit.org/people/volunteers-and-your-organisation/ncvoguidancevolunteerinternshipsvoluntarysector.pdf

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

TeamKinetic Version 6 – More Email Customisation

By Rolf Herbert

On 5th March 2015

In News & Views, TeamKinetic Features, Technical Updates

This is one in a series of posts where I will be discussing the new features and changes built into version 6 of our volunteer management software TeamKinetic.

It’s always important the Volunteers get the right information at the right time. Whilst version 5 enabled administrators to customise some emails, such as the new registration emails, TeamKinetic Version 6 extends this ability to more email types and improves the structure of the emails allowing key information to always be merged into the emails whilst still allowing the administrators to customise the main portion of the email.

We achieve this by splitting the email into fixed prefix and suffix areas with a customisable content section.

For instance, the session signup email that is sent to a volunteer when they initially join an opportunity will contain helpful information regarding the opportunity they have signed up for in the prefix and the session list they are currently signed up for in the suffix, which obviously changes every time the email is sent.

The main content section is then editable by the admin via a WYSIWYG* text editor and can contain any combination of font sizes and colours they wish.

*what you see is what you get – This means how you lay out the text on the screen is how it will look to the end user.

We believe you will find this is a big improvement over the previous system where if you choose to customise the email you would lose the specific tags that were replaced when the email was actually created.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

TeamKinetic Version 6 – Age Restricted Registration

By Rolf Herbert

On 4th March 2015

In News & Views, TeamKinetic Features, Technical Updates

This is one in a series of posts where I will be discussing the new features and changes we have built in to version 6 of our volunteer management software TeamKinetic.

Although we have always provided the ability to block access to opportunities based on age, there was never any restriction on registering; a new volunteer could be any age.

We wanted to maintain easy access to the opportunities for younger volunteers but also give the administrators some control over what happens to younger volunteers and how they are registered.

In TeamKinetic Version 6, administrators can set the age at which registrations must be verified. If a volunteer registers who is equal to or younger than this age then they will be taken to the age verification screen. Here they are asked to provide the email address of their parent or guardian.

The parent or guardian will receive an email asking them to follow a link to confirm that they give permission for the young person to join the site and access all suitable opportunities.

Until the volunteer has been verified they will not be able to join any opportunities, though they will still be able to search and browse the current opportunities and hopefully be enthused enough to ensure their parent or guardian verifies them as soon as possible!

If you have questions or issues around age verification please feel free to get in touch.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

TeamKinetic Version 6 – Applying for Opportunties

By Rolf Herbert

On 2nd March 2015

In News & Views, TeamKinetic Features, Technical Updates

This is one in a series of posts where I will be discussing the new features and changes we have built into TeamKinetic Version 6 – a volunteer management system that will make your life easier.

As the size of the events TeamKinetic is being used for have increased, so have the complexities involved in making sure there are enough volunteers for all roles and that they are suitably qualified.

We have introduced a number of new features to aid administrators and providers in choosing their volunteers, such as:

a new experience field for each opportunity
the recording of a volunteer’s movements in and out of sessions on an opportunity.

we have also introduced an entirely new sort of opportunity.

Previously it was always assumed that when a volunteer joined a session they were accepted on that session unless they were told otherwise. For large events, this led to an over-subscription to certain sessions as volunteers could not indicate which sessions they were able to do but were joining the sessions they wanted to do. Now administrators have the ability to set an opportunity to be an application opportunity.

When a volunteer looks at an opportunity that is set to in “application” mode they are informed that they should indicate all the sessions they are able to do. Once the administrator has organised volunteers into each session they can mark that opportunity as confirmed.

At this point, all the volunteers are informed which sessions they have been allocated to. If a volunteer is unable to attend a session the administrator has the history of that session available and can quickly select a volunteer that indicated they could do that session but was not allocated to that session in the first draft.

This is a major new feature that will aid immensely in improving communication between the administrators and the volunteers and reducing the time it takes to even out the available volunteers across an entire event or opportunity.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

Volunteer Opportunity of a Lifetime….a trip to Mars! One way!

By Chris Martin

On 18th February 2015

In News & Views

The launch date is still a decade away but preparations are underway for the first human expedition to Mars. Here we explain about the mission, Mars spacecrafts and selecting volunteers to establish a colony on the planet.

From more than 200,000 people who hoped to leave Earth and die on Mars, only 660 remain in the running. They now face a more stringent astronaut selection process. Those who make the final cut earn a seat on the Mars One mission, the first human expedition to Mars – a one-way trip to the red planet.

How will the astronauts be selected?

The next round involves more filmed interviews and group challenges to see how well people work together. The final selection round will follow the candidates as they cope with living in harsh, remote mocked-up Mars habitats. At the end of the process, Mars One wants six groups of four astronauts to train for the mission.

How will Mars One pay for the mission?

The Dutch not-for-profit organisation is raising money any way it can. That means broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, crowd-funding, donations from philanthropists, and licensing intellectual property rights from inventions made along the way. The first mission, costing $6bn (£4bn), aims to send a spacecraft carrying two men and two women to the planet.

What do they need to do?

It’s all quite complicated. The first humans are not scheduled to blast off for Mars until 2024. But plenty of missions are planned beforehand to do vital groundwork. In 2018, a lander would be sent to the planet as a trial run for technologies that the real mission will need. That will be accompanied by a communications satellite to beam messages back and forth.

In 2020, an “intelligent” rover is sent to Mars, along with a trailer. The rover’s job is to scope out a good landing site, far enough north for the soil to contain a good amount of water, but equatorial enough to get plenty of sunlight. Two years after that, in 2022, six cargo missions head off for Mars. They include another rover, two living units and two life support units. These land near the first rover, which tows them into position and sets up solar panels to power the units. The life support unit is meant to produce a breathable atmosphere in the habitat, 3,000 litres of water, and 120kg of oxygen kept in storage.

How will the astronauts get to Mars?

Mars One will contract a rocket manufacturer to build them a rocket. That could be Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, or another company. In 2024, they will blast the crew’s landing module and their main living quarters for the voyage into Earth’s orbit and dock them together. The crew then launch into Earth orbit themselves, climb into the waiting Mars spacecraft, and head off for their destination.

How do they land?

The Mars lander module detaches from the spacecraft and descends to the surface. Once down, the crew in their Mars suits are picked up by one of the rovers and taken to the habitat. It will take them a good while to acclimatise to the gravity on Mars. Their first tasks are to deploy more solar panels and start their efforts to grow food on Mars.

When do they get fresh company?

Being part of the first human expedition to Mars might be exciting, but soon you’ll want to welcome others. The second Mars One crew is planned for take off in 2026, for arrival the following year. Their own habitats and life-support units are meant to land within weeks of the first crew arriving. To protect the astronauts from the harsh radiation on Mars, the rovers will pile Martian soil on top of the habitats.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

The public sector needs to realise the voluntary sector does not mean free

By Chris Martin

On 11th February 2015

In News & Views, Policy and Operations

The original article can be found at

http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/feb/08/public-sector-realise-voluntary-sector-not-mean-free?CMP=share_btn_tw

Volunteers are helping to support hospitals during this time of increased demand. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

Last month the NHS crisis made headlines and it wasn’t a last-minute surprise to some of us in the charity sector. In December I received an email from the local clinical commissioning group, asking for urgent assistance to find volunteers to support the local hospital.

Among other things, they were looking for help to relieve pressure on the hospital being caused by increased demand for services and problems with the delayed discharging of patients. Volunteers were needed not just for “home from hospital” services and transport, but also for directly supporting nursing staff on the hospital’s wards.

Everyone knows that it’s a tough time for the voluntary and community sector. To be honest, it’s a pretty tough time for most people. By running a third-sector infrastructure support organisation, I see the issues every day and many smaller agencies are struggling to keep their show on the road. Although a great deal of important work is delivered across the public sector by volunteers, there are also many paid, highly-skilled specialists in the sector who provide the highest quality services, often in very specialised organisations. Even when volunteers are used to provide support there is still a cost for the organisations they work with.

Volunteers must be properly supported with supervision, management and training, not to mention other overheads such as insurance and safeguarding checks. All the things that go to make up a professional quality service that our communities deserve.

There continues to be a lack of understanding among those in government and service commissioning around the real cost of things when the voluntary sector comes to the rescue when things are difficult. It feels like some see it as a bit of a cut-price Black Friday approach to propping things up.

Four years of reduced funding have had a huge impact on everyone, but our sector has been hit particularly hard. Matters have been made worse by commissioners designing public service contracts in such a way which often prevent smaller, specialist organisations from being able to tender at all. There is now a very real danger that these same organisations that bring so much social value to the wider community may disappear altogether. Depressingly, it is often these same commissioners that are now requesting additional support from our sector to help stem the current NHS crisis.

Of course, the voluntary sector is always there to support the community – that’s the reason why we are so passionate about it and why we are working in it in the first place. But, it is long overdue for the sector to be taken more seriously. Rather than being seen as a merely supplementary amateur resource, there needs to be a recognition of the expert professionalism that exists, the level of activity that is delivered and a realistic understanding of how much it can cost to do what we do.

Category: News & Views Page 38 of 42

Tom Armitage discusses the importance of computer coding literacy to shape our future society

The Labour Manifesto – what does it mean for volunteering

TeamKinetic and the Sport and Recreation Alliance announce corporate partnership

What does the Sport and Recreation Alliance do?

Volunteer Quiz: What type of Volunteer are you?

Volunteering Internships

Key principles

TeamKinetic Version 6 – More Email Customisation

TeamKinetic Version 6 – Age Restricted Registration

TeamKinetic Version 6 – Applying for Opportunties

Volunteer Opportunity of a Lifetime….a trip to Mars! One way!

How will the astronauts be selected?

How will Mars One pay for the mission?

What do they need to do?

How will the astronauts get to Mars?

How do they land?

When do they get fresh company?

The public sector needs to realise the voluntary sector does not mean free

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