SOCIAL JUSTICE FAIR – Saturday 16th SEPTEMBER

Posted on by OCVA

 

 

 

 

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE FAIR

Summertown United Reformed Church, Banbury Rd

Saturday 16th SEPTEMBER

10.00 am – 3.30 pm

Stalls: Asylum Welcome, Getting Heard, Prison Fellowship, The Porch, N. Oxford Under 5’s, Emmaus, Gatehouse, NOAAH,

Oxford City of Sanctuary, Aspire,

and many more!

Talks~ Cake stall~Music~Film

Children’s Activities

fairplayoxford@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Reciprocate Encounters Event

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The next Reciprocate Encounters event is confirmed for September:

http://www.clarkhowes.com/events/reciprocate-encounters-the-fundamentals-of-employing-people

The Reciprocate Encounters programme continues with an HR and talent management workshop – The Fundamentals of Employing People, with speakers Sally White and Sarah Stevens from SYLO Associates.

SYLO Associates deliver a range of innovative Human Resources solutions from resourcing to coaching through to employee procedures, HR audits and training. Both Sarah and Sally bring with them over 20 years’ experience across both private and public sectors and a spectrum of industries.

Oxfordshire Youth – Volunteer Celebration Tea Party

Posted on by OCVA

Oxfordshire Youth warmly invites you to our Volunteer Celebration Tea Party at Hill End Centre on the 12th August between 2pm and 4.30pm. We are jointly hosting this tea party with the National Citizenship Service (NCS) participants to thank adult volunteers for their volunteer contribution towards helping young people to fulfil their potential.

At our Tea Party there will be a VIP opening address and testimonials given by NCS Students. NCS participants will also facilitate tea party games as well as serve guests with a delicious cream tea. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded people who share your passion for youth work in Oxfordshire.

So please reserve your FREE ticket and join us on the 12th August as we are all really looking forward to seeing you there.

Where
Hill End Centre
Eynsham Road
Farmoor
Oxford, OX2 9NJ

When
Saturday, 12th August
14:00 to 16:30

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxfordshire-youth-volunteer-celebration-tea-party-tickets-35452376011

www.oxfordshireyouth.org/events/

Keeping Mentally Well and Getting Through Difficult Times

Posted on by OCVA

Feeling overwhelmed and a bit down?

Or do you have a family member, child or friend who is struggling with mental health (perhaps caused by a physicalillness)?
There is so much we can do to look after ourselves and lots of groups out there to help.

Come along to our special event on Saturday 8 July, 10am to 1pm and find out more.

We’ll have talks and information on what help your GP can provide, plus advice and tips on:
• helping children/teenagers deal with stressful times,
• showing how you can monitor your moods and find out triggers,
• how apps can help you understand what works and doesn’t work for you,
• explaining the benefits of being outdoors on physical and mental health,
• what local groups there are to support you and your family
• introducing the Oxfordshire Recovery College.

If you want to know more about self help and practical advice for you and  your children, this event is for you!

The event will be held at Manor Surgery, Osler Road, Headington, and is open to all. 

MH schedule   MH flyer 2

Cherwell Theatre’s Play in a Week Workshop, July 31-Aug 4

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Banbury’s Cherwell Theatre Company are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for Oxfordshire’s young theatre–makers this August. The company will present ‘The Boy Preference’ a contemporary play by Elinor Cook at The Mill Arts Centre on Friday August 4 at 7.30pm as part of their ‘Play in a Week’ Project.
 
“Thanks to generous support CTC is delighted to offer this fantastic opportunity of a week long theatre experience to young people of 12 years and upwards for just £50.00” said Artistic Director Tristan Pate. 
 
 2016’s summer production of ‘Remote’ by Stef Smith,  saw  young performers, aspiring designers and technicians rehearse and perform the play with a professional theatre director. The Theatre Company expect this year will be even more successful.
 
Young people will once again have the opportunity to develop their acting, movement and voice skills, as well as gaining experience in the technical disciplines of  theatre, such as stage management, design, costume, props, lighting and sound in this intensive course, which takes place from 10am-6pm Monday July 31 – Friday August 4 at Banbury United FC.
 
“We also have a number of bursary places available and accept applications from anyone interested in taking part. No experience is necessary, just imagination and enthusiasm!”
 
‘The Boy Preference’, directed by Nicki Stevenson, was first performed as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival in 2015. It is set in an affluent suburb, where the birth of a boy is welcomed with shouts of joy, but when a girl is born, the neighbours say nothing.
 
“The play begins with a boy, Joey, looking out of his bedroom window, only to see some strange glowing figures. Are they the “missing girls”? What makes boys different from girls? How do young people experience the adult world? These are just some of the questions explored in the play”  said Ms Stevenson “  It’s an exciting  piece of theatre for our young participants.”
 
Cherwell Theatre Company runs weekly sessions with young people in Banbury, and Ms Stevenson and Mr Pate are keen to welcome new members, even it is only for a week in the Summer, although they are welcome to stay with Company for the rest of the year.
Image removed by sender.
  
If you are aged 12+ and are interested in taking part, please email cherwelltheatre@live.co.uk or visit the company’s website for further information at www.cherwelltheatrecompany.co.uk

Only a week to go until M.A.D week!

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M.A.D. website

twitter: @madweekoxon
facebook: M.A.D Week (@madweekoxon)
instagram: @madweekoxon

OCVA are working in collaboration with Volunteer Link-up as part of an innovative partnership with Bartholomew School in Eynsham. The pilot project, which goes by the name of M.A.D. (Make a Difference) Week, involves 60 of the schools’ Year 12 students. The students will be spending the week beginning 10th July with a local charity, community group or social enterprise on placements which have been designed to be empowering. 10 organisations in West Oxfordshire are part of the pilot which aims to build lasting connections between students and members of their local community and a commitment from students to organisations that will extend beyond the week itself.

Students listen attentively as the 10 organisations pitch for their support in MAD Week

The students have played an active role in selecting the organisation they would like to volunteer for in July. All students attended an information event at school in which they heard from all 10 organisations as part of a mass speed dating activity. The students listened to a 5-minute pitch from each organisation and subsequently recorded their preferences. The students have now met with their chosen charity in an initial planning session in school. This was an opportunity for groups and students to get to know one another, identify strengths and areas for development and generate ideas for the week.

During MAD Week the students will be given responsibility for undertaking research, running events and engaging service users; enabling them to develop the core competencies and soft skills demanded in an increasingly competitive job market; whilst their energy and fresh perspective will help charities to reach a younger audience and encourage them to reflect on their current ways of working. We believe this to be the first week of its kind in Oxfordshire and are excited about the potential to develop this model in future years – working with other Oxfordshire schools and charities to make an even bigger difference in the county.

OCVA will be working with a team of 6 students for the week whose role is to capture the activity as it unfolds. The students will be developing their own website and Facebook page, appearing on BBC Radio Oxford, writing press releases and producing a short film to showcase the highlights from the week. Links to material produced by the student reporters will be made available from this page in the build up to and during MAD Week.  If you are a school or community group with questions about the organisation of MAD Week and plans for its development in Oxfordshire in the future, please contact Emily Shaw (Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) on 01865 251946 / emily.shaw@ocva.org.uk

M.A.D website

twitter: @madweekoxon
facebook: M.A.D Week (@madweekoxon)
instagram: @madweekoxon

Invitation to Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s Voluntary Sector Forum 13 July 2017

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Healthwatch Oxfordshire would like to invite you to our next voluntary sector forum in Abingdon on 13th July 2017.This morning forum will focus on health inequalities and we would particularly welcome voluntary sector groups working to redress health inequalities. The aim of the meeting will be to host a discussion on the role of the voluntary sector in tackling health inequalities. This is an opportunity for voluntary sector colleagues to highlight the role of the sector in addressing health inequalities in Oxfordshire.

There will be more details of the agenda for the session soon, but we plan to start at 10am (with coffee and registration from 9.30am) and finish by 12.30pm. The venue for the event is Preston Road Community Centre, Midget Close, Preston Rd, Abingdon OX14 5NR.

If you are interested in attending this free event, please reply to me at Kanika.lang@healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk   or phone 01865 520520 and I will add you to our list of attendees.

Phosphoros Theatre’s Dear Home Office: Still Pending

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Hello colleagues from the charity sector in Oxford, 
 
I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing to tell you about an exciting theatre project, developed in partnership with Afghan Association Paiwand in London, that has performances in Oxford and Reading very soon.  
 
With discussions surrounding the refugee crisis as pertinent as ever, Phosphoros Theatre’s Dear Home Office: Still Pending offers an alternative story to the current conversation. Uniquely performed by ten former unaccompanied minors aged 18-21, all telling their true stories, the performance powerfully presents the very real experiences young refugees encounter when they attempt to build new lives in the UK.
 
Phosphoros Theatre was born in 2015 and has worked in close partnership with refugee community organisation Afghan Association Paiwand, where I manage the Family Services department. The project started from the living room of Paiwand’s Supported Accommodation for unaccompanied minors, with a group of young men from Afghanistan, Somalia, Albania and Eritrea who had never been to the theatre before – let alone set foot onstage. Fast forward 18 months and this unique company have performed 17 times in London and Edinburgh, had multiple media appearances and a nomination for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award. We are particularly proud of our show bringing new audiences to the theatre, namely groups of refugee youth and adult members of refugee communities. We make our ticket prices accessible to refugee groups and are happy to discuss this further if you’re interested in bringing a group. 
 
We’d love if you could support our show in Oxford on 30th June at the Pegasus Theatre, or Reading on 13th July at South Street Arts and spread the word amongst beneficiaries, colleagues and partners.
 
 
DEAR HOME OFFICE: STILL PENDING
 
Kareem’s settled in London, but the sudden arrival of his destitute brother forces him to re-navigate the system. Now 18 and independent, but with no refugee status, Elgi tries to stay optimistic despite his college prospects stalling. Failed asylum seeker Akram embarks on a stressful appeal until a chance connection might just be the thing that saves him. Stardom beckons for Filmon who is courted by TV producers – but is his face ‘refugee’ enough? 
 
Dear Home Office: Still Pending features the company’s signature style of comedy, raw talent and celebration as it explores coming-of-age in the most challenging and extreme circumstances.
 
**** ‘Heartwarming, educational and humorous, this is a bold piece of theatremaking’ THE STAGE
 
‘Rough and ragged but authentic and heartfelt’ GUARDIAN STAGE TOP PICK
 
 ‘Tells us more in a short hour … than we could learn from standard news bulletins in months’. THE SCOTSMAN
 
 ‘Bloody brilliant. The authenticity and proximity of them to the story you’re hearing is absolutely remarkable.’ MARK THOMAS  
 
**** ‘One of the best examples of art for a cause’ THREE WEEKS
 
Show Information
 
Friday 30th June, 8-9pm, Pegasus Theatre (Oxford) £13/9
Thursday 13th July, 6-7pm and 8-pm, South Street Arts
(Reading) £14/11/9
 
Running time 60mins / Age guidance 12+
 
About Phosphoros Theatre
 
The cast includes 10 young men from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Albania and Somalia
 
Phosphoros Theatre is unique in its methodology and holistic applied theatre ethos. With its roots in the young men’s supported housing project in NW London, its co-Directors are Kate Duffy (senior manager at a refugee charity); Dawn Harrison (award-winning TV drama writer), and Rosanna Jahangard (teacher training co-ordinator and theatre researcher).
 
The company and cast are available for interviews and appearances to discuss the process behind their topical and relevant play. Some of the young men are facing ongoing asylum claims and so identities may need to be protected. 
 
Developed with support from Arts Council England and Afghan Association Paiwand
 
Find us on Twitter – WeArePhosphoros
Like us on Facebook – Phosphoros Theatre