On January 31^st 2012 Advocacy In Action presents an event called Ours For The Taking, which is a FREE workshop for community and voluntary sector groups. This event is at the Nottinghamshire Deaf Society, 22 Forest Road West Nottingham NG7 4EQ. This workshop will be exploring questions such as:

• What do we need to know about the personalisation agenda?
• Who qualifies for personal budgets?
• What services can be provided to individuals?
• How can we gear up to become providers of services?

Guest speakers will include

• Julie Cassidy Gosling, Director, Advocacy in Action.
• Reshma Patel, Service User Consultant, Knowledge is power.

Please be aware all places and lunch must be pre-booked.

Please email Bright Ideas Nottingham at events@brightideasnottingham.co.uk with your name, position (if applicable) and group /organisation. Please indicate any dietary or access requirements.  If you need any more information please call Bright Ideas office on 0115 837 9474.

Click here to download the fyler.

Volunteers are needed to join the Digital Activist Inclusion Network (DAIN) – an exciting volunteer project that works across the East Midlands. 

DAIN aims to promote digital inclusion by encouraging people to use technology with the help of volunteers (digital activists). 

Digital inclusion is a vital part of social equality, as people who are already at a social or financial disadvantage are likely to be offline and missing out on the benefits digital technologies can provide such as support with job hunting, information on key issues such as health and finance, cheaper deals on everyday products and the chance to socialise with others, something that’s particularly important for people who can’t get out and about easily such as older people, carers, parents with young children and those living with a physical or learning disability. 

Around 23% of UK adults don’t use the internet whilst 27% of households don’t have access to it at home. 

DAIN is looking for enthusiastic, friendly people with experience of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) who can commit to volunteering a few hours each week. Volunteers should be aged 19 or over and be unemployed (or working for less than 8 hours a week). 

In return, volunteers will get the opportunity to learn new skills and gain useful work experience whilst helping out in local communities. 

DAIN is running a free course to train volunteers as digital activists starting on Friday 9th September at The Studio, Broadway Media Centre, 14-18 Broad Street, Hockley, Nottingham, NG1 3AL from 9.30am to 3.30pm. 

Further sessions will run at the same venue on Monday 12th September from 10.30am to 2.30pm; Monday 19th September from 10.30am to 2.30pm; Friday 30th September from 10.30am to 2.30pm; and on Monday 3rd October from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Anyone interested should call Karen from Bright Ideas on 0115 837 9474 or email karen@brightideasnottingham.co.uk 

Bright Ideas Nottingham is working in partnership with DAIN to support the recruitment of volunteers. 

To find out more about the course visit http://www.dainproject.org/volunteer-course

The DAIN project is run by the Workers Educational Association (WEA) East Midlands and is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). It’s supported by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and Co-ordinating European Funding for the East Midlands Third Sector (CEFET).

Click here to download the flyer

On the 30^th June 2011 Bright Ideas Nottingham presented British Heart Foundation Hearts and Minds Conference at the Nottingham Contemporary. The event had a fun packed programme which included presentations from local people including Women Driving for a Change, Champions of Change and Change Makers. Guest speakers included Ali Orhan from the British Heart Foundation, Rose Thompson who is the chair of the African Caribbean Health Network, Dr David Gray and a performance from Mon0lisa Productions. This event was a great success and thanks to everyone who attended the event or listen to it on 97.5 kemet fm.

Toby Neal was the photographer for the event. Click here to visit his online gallery to view the pictures from the event. The password to get into the gallery is heartsandminds.

Today is the launch of Nottingham’s Next Bottom model!

A toilet roll doll competition with prizes galore.

Bright Ideas Nottingham and BME Cancer Communities are excited to announce the launch of their competition to find Nottingham’s Next Bottom Model. We will soon be running an innovative and fun campaign to promote awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of returning the National Bowel Cancer Screening Kits. This open competition is supported by national bowel cancer charity, Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign.

The poster and internet campaign will involve the return of everybody’s favourite retro toilet-time companion, the toilet roll doll and the hunt for the stars of the campaign is on.

We want you to design our cover stars. The competition is open to anyone aged 16+ and we are looking for entries in the following four categories.

1 Diversity: Create a doll that some way represents the diversity of your community

2 Nottingham: Create a doll, using the vibrancy of Nottingham as your inspiration

3 Traditional: If you already have a doll that deserves to be a celebrity – then dig him or her out

4 Design: Put your imagination to the test, create an image of your dream doll.

Closing date of the competition: Friday 28th October 2011

For any more information please contact Rebekah at Bright Ideas: 0115 837 9474 or email rebekah@brightideasnottingham.co.uk. Also follow the competition blog for updates and more information at http://brightideastoiletrolldolls.wordpress.com/

Download the flyer, rules and regulations and press release below

Toilet Roll Dolls Competition Flyer

Rules and Guidelines for Toilet Roll Dolls Competition

Press release for Toilet Roll Dolls Competition

Bright Ideas Nottingham presents Masterclass 1 in Moving Forward in Reverse, Using “Reverse Commissioning” to tackle health inequalities.

The Masters: Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cisse and Rudi Page.

The “Reverse Commissioning” process was devised by Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cisse, who recognised that the health needs of BME communities are to a large extent determined by their use of provider services. The process has been designed for NHS networks to engage patients, carers and service users as joint providers of their own care recovery.

Dr Vivienne Lyfar Cisse and Rudi Page will share insights from their groundbreaking work to help us to agree what we can do in Nottingham to move forward with ‘Reverse Commissioning”.

This is a booking only event and places are limited.

The deadline for interest is July 15^th and places will be allocated on July 18^th.

For more information and to book a place contact us on 0115 837 9474 or email karen@brightideasnottingham.co.uk

For more information download the flyer below

Masterclass flyer: Moving Forward in Reverse, Using “Reverse Commissioning” to tackle health inequalities

Bright Ideas Nottingham presents brI. T.e ideas on Thursday 14th July 2011.

This is a free, fun, interactive learning workshops for community groups. The first workshop is at 10.00am – 12.30pm. This workshop is about how Social Media can help community groups. The workshop will be focusing on Facebook, WordPress and Twitter.

The second workshop is on the 14th July as well at 1.30pm-3.00pm. This workshop will be about recognition for what you already do to help others to use IT and sign up as a Digital Champion for the WEA.

If you are interested in a place at either or both workshops, please contact me at Bright Ideas Nottingham. You can email me at rebekah@brightideasnottingham.co.uk or ring me on 0115 837 9474

Also click here to download the flyer for these workshops

BME Cancer Communities presents Too Quiet! Too Long! Event. This will be supported by Bright Ideas Nottingham and the African Caribbean Health Network. It is part of the ethnic minority cancer awareness week. This event will be on the 12^th July 2011 at 10am till 3pm at the Nottingham voluntary Action Centre. This event is to raise awareness about cancers affecting our communities.  

To find out more about this BME Cancer Communities event and to book a place contact BME Cancer Communities by telephone on 0115 9348482 or email emcaw@bmecancer.com.

Download the flyer below

BME Cancer Communities Nottingham Event Too Quiet! Too Long! Flyer

We are pleased to announce that the British Heart Foundation Hearts and Minds conference is now fully booked so for those who did not manage to secure a place at this conference tune in to 97.5 kemet fm who are broadcasting live from the event on the 30^th June 2011.

Here is the flier for the British Heart Foundation Hearts and Minds Conference on the 30th June 2011at the Nottingham Contemporary. Places are running out fast so if you want a place please book now by emailing Karen at karen@brightideasnottingham.co.uk for a booking form as this is a booking only event.

Hearts and Minds event is happening on the 30th June 2011 at the Nottingham Contemporary from 10am till 3pm. Please be aware this is a booking only event and if you would like to book your place email karen@brightideasnottingham.co.uk. To read the press release for this event download it below.

Hearts and Minds Press Release 2011