Training and Events

Blackburn Foyer

Blackburn with Darwen Foyer are looking for volunteers to help out with their Lifeskills training programme. There would be opportunities helping homeless 16-25 year olds develop the following skills: -

• Budgeting
• Computer Skills
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Sports
• Sign Language
• Art

You can volunteer at any time between 8am and 8pm on Monday to Friday, though afternoons would be preferred. 

If you are interested, pop into the Foyer and speak to Jane Pennington Fryer, who will gladly show you around. A full induction is available.

BwD Foyer
1a Princes Street
Blackburn
BB2 1LS

Call for Youth Volunteering Ambassadors

Young people who are passionate about making changes in Blackburn with Darwen are being urged to step forward to become part of a new national network of Youth Action Teams.

Blackburn with Darwen V is recruiting 15 young people to join its local Youth Action Team (YAT) to inspire young people to get involved in volunteering and community action. The YAT will go out onto the streets, into youth and sports clubs and schools to encourage their peers to volunteer in 710 new and exciting community projects in the Borough.

These new Youth Action Teams are part of vinvolved - the nation’s biggest ever youth action programme started on April 2, and backed by £75 million funding from v, the youth volunteering charity.

Blackburn with Darwen V are keen to hear from young people, regardless of their qualifications or experience.

We are looking for energetic, creative and enthusiastic 16-25-year-olds from all backgrounds with an ability to talk to their peers. They don’t need to have had previous volunteering experience – just a commitment to helping others and making a difference in their community.

"This is a great opportunity to play a leading role in your community, be part of a team and improve your CV - so if you’ve got loads of energy and you can motivate others, then get in touch and get vinvolved!"

Local projects funded by the vinvolved programme include:

• Brokering young people into volunteering opportunities
• Championing Youth Led Action
• Support and Development of Local Organisation
• Creating New Volunteering Opportunities

For further information, please contact Yasmin Patel on 01254 583957 .

• v is the youth volunteering charity launched in May 2006 whose mission is to inspire a new generation of young volunteers in England aged 16-25. v is supported by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
• The charity was set up to implement the recommendations of the Russell Commission outlining a new national framework for youth action and engagement, following a nationwide consultation which included 6000 young people.
• vinvolved is a £75 million national youth volunteering programme, which aims to inspire 500,000 young people aged 16-25 to get positively involved in their communities over the next three years. It is funding 107 vinvolved teams of experts, at least 107 Youth Action Teams and 158 projects run by small and large organisations across England.
• The vinvolved teams are youth experts tasked with recruiting the new YATs, signposting young people to volunteering opportunities in their area and linking up with local businesses, voluntary organisations and local authorities to create new volunteering opportunities.
• To find out more about v visit the charity’s website www.wearev.com. To find out about volunteering opportunities in your area visit v’s portal for young people.

Energy Orchard

Energy Orchard are offering a programme for the New Year, aimed at helping communities beat the recession in Blackburn.

The aim is to target co-ordinators, community development officers, volunteers, carers and front line people of organisations and community.

They aim to run a 5 week programme, followed by a 7-week "train the trainers" programme. It is hoped that the programme will start in the second week of January and then roll it out from a few local voluntary organisation who are interested in partnership, depending on the numbers of attendees.

The course is flexible, so will be dependent on numbers, in terms of time to suit and, if well attended, it is hoped that a fundraising target for the year of £1.5m for charities in the Blackburn area can be set.

Interested parties are encouraged to express an interest in one of the 15 free places initially available.

Contact Anthea Fenton for more information. You can also download this poster.

Health Trainers

Health Trainers provide people with advice, motivation and support to help make lifestyle changes that will improve their health.

In Blackburn with Darwen, Health Trainers will be local people with a genuine understanding of local communities, with the wealth of knowledge that comes from living in our communities and understanding the challenges of everyday life. Health Trainers will work voluntarily, providing one to one support, and enabling individuals to assess their lifestyle and discover which factors have an impact.

Health Trainers encourage individuals to set their own goals and to make changes - often small to begin with - that will improve their quality of life. Health Trainers make a difference. They are skilled in motivating individuals, are caring and empathetic and have the knowledge needed ‘to point the individual in the right direction’ to make lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime.

Anyone can be a Health Trainer. Potential Health Trainers will have their own unique skills and experiences that they have gained through life or previous employment. The role is extremely adaptable and can be undertaken alongside other voluntary work or possibly existing employment.

No formal qualifications are needed, as training will be provided through the ‘Health Trainer Training Programme’ that could open up new volunteering opportunities and provide skills and qualifications useful to move into paid employment. Health Trainers need to be caring, understanding, and possessed of a genuine desire to help others.

All applicants will be required to complete a Criminal Records Bureau check.

For further information and/or to express an interest, contact Helen Beardsworth on 01254 694503

Sign Communications North West

Sign Communications North West is a service offering an extensive pool of the listed interpreters that can be booked to work in all aspects of the community:

• BSL Interpreter
• Deafblind Interpreter
• Lipspeaker
• Speech to text reporter
• Translator
• Note-taker

For more information please contact either Carol or Emma on 01254 844552 or via e-mail.