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Events and Training
National or Regional events
Spurgeons Network is always on the look out for good quality, low cost learning and networking opportunities for our members. Please let us know of any that that you think we should be promoting.
The Big Lunch
Sunday 2 June, 2013
A community near you!
The Big Lunch was started by the Eden Project in 2009 with the aim to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours once a year in a simple act of community, friendship and fun. 82 per cent of participants felt closer to their neighbours as a result.
Check out the Big Lunch website for easy tips, handy resources and practical advice to support all sorts of Big Lunches, from a few neighbours coming together to share sandwiches in a garden, a traditional street party or big community bash. It's an idea which can happen on any day at any time of year.
Youth, Culture and Mission Lectures 2013 present Community
Monday 17 June, Church House, Westminster, London
Tuesday 18 June, Leeds Christian Institute
Previously YCML have tackled gender and confronted image and this year they turn their attention on community and specifically… churches.
It's a day to chance to pursue a deeper, theological and grounded understanding of youth, culture and mission, accessible to those who have already begun to explore the academic bedrocks of youth ministry, as well as those who haven’t had the time to study and who are eager to take their thinking deeper.
Strengthening Families
Tues 18th June 2 - 4.30pm
Westminster Central Hall, London, SW1H 9NH
The Cinnamon Network invites CEOs of charities and social enterprises and Chairs of church networks to explore and engage with the issue of families. Louise Casey, Director General of the government's Troubled Families programme is the keynote speaker.
More information and to book (limited places)
Safeguarding and Faith - worldwide perspectives, challenges and solutions
Tues/Weds 25/26 June 2013
Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ
organised by CCPAS and Premier Christian Media
£85 per day or both days £160
This conference will explore issues including the Church’s response to safeguarding generally; the experience of survivors of child abuse in the Church; putting children at the heart of mission work; the nature and challenges of safeguarding when working with children overseas. It brings together a wide range of experts and practitioners to try to overcome the common challenges:
- Statutory agencies often suffer from a deficit in their ‘faith literacy’ - their capacity to understand the values and beliefs of faith-based communities.
- Some churches and faith-based organisations, both in the UK and
abroad, frequently disregard local legal safeguarding frameworks, effectively a deficit in their ‘legislative literacy’.
Day One focuses mainly on UK perspectives, Day Two extends to a global perspective and how that also impacts on our work in the UK.
Trusteeship in a Small Charity
Monday 1st July 2013, London
Clothworkers' Hall, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7AH
Organised by NPC and the Clothworkers' Company
4pm - 6pm followed by networking
£30 per person
A seminar exploring the role of trustees of small charities and the strategic and operational challenges they face. A great line up of panellists for Q&A and discussion.
Ready, Steady...Commissioned!
Friday 5 July, Bristol
Place2Be / BOND Better Outcomes, New Delivery
Free to voluntary and community organisations working in schools
A practical one-day conference to prepare voluntary & community sector organisations that support the emotional wellbeing of children in schools to become "commissioning ready". There's a range of workshops and masterclasses to help you understand the school commissioning landscape, reflect on areas for development and increase your confidence and ability to put in successful bids.
Making it REAL
This free training for early years workers will help you support literacy work with families. REAL is an evidence based approach that reaches out to parents and families, building confidence and knowledge to support the early home learning environment, which has been shown to have a powerful impact on children’s outcomes and on family literacy practice.
London Thus 11 July 2013
Birmingham Sat 12 October 2013
Leeds Thurs 28 November 2013
Manchester Thurs 6 March 2014
More info and to book (currently only open for the London event).
There are more regional and local events on our Member's Events page.
Join Spurgeons Network
Membership is FREE and benefits include our e-newsletter, networking with other members, discounts on training, as well as access to all areas of the site.
Mental Health
If you're working with children and young people who are in care or who are offending (or at risk of either), there's an excellent free day's training from Young Minds, running at various locations in England until mid June. More
Children England training
Training specifically aimed at voluntary, community and faith organisations working with children and young people. Some events are free to everyone. Otherwise tickets range from £35 up to £125 with a limited number of free places if you would struggle to pay but show you can benefit.
Express your Health! FREE
What are the implications and opportunities of the Health Reforms for the voluntary and community sector working with children, young people and families? Come and find out!
21 May, Birmingham
Up Close and Personal
Exploring the impact that personalisation of services and funding can have on VCS organisations (howver small) working with children and families. Understand the principles, language, and how personalisation could change the ways you think about, deliver and fund your work.
10 June, Boldon, Tyne & Wear
Click on the relevant date on this calendar for more information including how to book.
Details and booking information for these Children England events are either on their training page or their events page. Spurgeons Network is a member of Children England, so if you are willing to feed back to us after the training in order to share the learning across the Network, we can book you in at the members' rate to attend on our behalf. Just get in touch if that's of interest.
Workforce Development Funding Guide
Looking for funding to help train staff, volunteers or young people? This is still the most accessible and comprehensive guide out there, though you need to check any specifics with the funders' websites, as policies will have changed since it was published. More
Getting Hammered : Young People and Alcohol
This one day specialist course from drugstraining.com is running at various locations in England in June/July and then Nov/Dec – here's the dates and here's the course information. £99 for voluntary sector organisations and charities including resources and follow-on support.
Find local training
Ask to be added to the email list or training bulletin of your local voluntary sector umbrella body. So that's either your:
Council for Voluntary Services (CVS)
Voluntary Action (VA)
or Council for Voluntary Youth Services (CVYS)
You can find their contact details by typing the name of your local authority followed by cvs or cvys into your search engine.
Some CVS have staff with a specialist remit for children and young people or faith communities – worth finding out!
If there's something you particularly want or need...
Please get in touch! We may be able to help by offering the training through Spurgeons or by sourcing it elsewhere for you.