Bright Ideas is currently recruiting volunteers for a volunteering course that starts next month.  The course is being run as part of the WEA’s DAIN (Digital Activist Inclusion Network) project.

Volunteers should be comfortable with using IT but do not need to be experts. On the course they will learn about how they can work with other local people to support them to use IT (e.g. setting up an email account, using facebook, searching for something on the internet etc)

 Benefits to volunteers:

 Volunteers will:

• Learn in a supportive environment 
• Gain great skills and experience for their CV.
• Work in pairs when volunteering
• Get support from a Coordinator.

Past volunteers have really enjoyed the course and the volunteering activities and many of them have wanted to continue volunteering beyond the agreed time. The course is free and all expenses are paid.

Start time 10.00am finishing 2.30pm including lunch break.

Please bring a packed lunch if you wish.

Sessions run:

Session 1: Tuesday 15^th November

Session 2: Tuesday 22nd November

Session 3: Tuesday 29^th November

Session 4: Tuesday 6^th December

Session 5: Tuesday 13^th December

Volunteers must be available for most or all of the sessions.

 Where

The course will be run at the Media Centre in the Broadway Cinema, Nottingham City Centre

 Expenses

All travel expenses for the course will be reimbursed.

 Eligibility

This course is for people who are

• Comfortable with using a computer
• Aged 19 or over and eligible to work in the UK
• Working for less than 8 hours a week

 More information:

For more information or to reserve a place:

Please contact Karen: karen@brightideasnottingham.co.uk  or 0115 837 9474

Funders and partners

DAIN is being delivered by the WEA in partnership with:

NIACE, CEFET, Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund

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

Now on Flickr, photos from the Be Inspired event, celebrating our volunteers.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th March), Bright Ideas is joining with ACAF and 97.5 Kemet FM to celebrate our fantastic volunteers.

It is going to be an action-packed day, with volunteers showing us what they have been up to and displaying talents.  We will also be joined by the Helen and her team who are researching the history of the Hyson Green Flats, Ciaran Norris from Parliamentary Outreach and Steff Webber, the Community Programme Co-Ordinator from Nottingham City Council.

This is an invitation only event, however it is going to be broadcast live on 97.5 Kemet FM, so tune in and be part of the day!  The event starts at 10:30, with 97.5 Kemet FM broadcasting from the event until 1:00.

From Nottingham Evening Post, Feb 25, 2011

A CHARITY that helps people set up voluntary projects has been praised in an independent report.

Base Camp specialises in helping people from Nottingham’s South Asian community and provides support in several languages, including Urdu and Punjabi. It was evaluated by Bright Ideas, a Nottingham organisation that seeks to improve quality and access to services. The report says that culture plays a big part in how services such as health education and support for victims of domestic violence are delivered in South Asian communities.

It concludes that the tailored support given to volunteers by Base Camp is important and praises its hands-on approach, which includes working with groups on a one-to-one basis, often outside of working hours to fit in with volunteers’ other commitments. Base Camp – part of Radford-based charity the Partnership Council – has helped to set up more than 46 community groups since it was established in 2007.