This fund is the result of Danny the Deca-IronMan’s Herculean fundraising efforts in his completion of ten Iron-Man challenges in ten days last year, marking the ten year anniversary of the passing of Danny’s daddy, Colm Quigley.
Are you in a charity or organisation, or involved in a project working to promote mental health and well-being in communities?
Is your organisation providing 1-1 or group support to people in our community to improve their mental health and well being?
You may be eligible to apply for the Danny Quigley Fund Grant.
2 X £5,000 grants available
3 X £2,000 grands available
Email aisling@bbhealthforum.org for an application form. Friday 8th April 2022
Open programme grants are usually between £10,000 to £20,000 and awarded annually.
Our Grants Committee meets four times a year to decide upon grant applications. The next application deadline is: 30th April 2022.
We support work that promotes human dignity and defends the human rights of marginalised and excluded people.
We currently fund organisations working in three priority areas.
Applications are made through an online form and you can download a PDF to view the questions in advance of submitting your application.
Projects enabling young people to have the best start in life- to reach for the stars.
Projects which have a direct impact and respond to a need in an immediate manner.
Projects hosted in geographical areas of deprivation and socioeconomic disadvantage.
Projects which respond to (one of the/multiple) funding priorities of the7stars foundation (Abuse; Addiction; Homelessness; Child Carers).
Projects which address a lack of provision (due to a lack of funding from alternative sources).
Projects which provide immediate support not just in the short-term but with long-term benefits too.
Regarding projects for Child Carers, preference will be given to projects offering long-term impact and/or sustainable support (such as mentoring or outreach programmes) over recreational trips.
Application deadline: 30th April 2022
Full details available here
Shine Bright Funding:
The Shine Bright fund partners with regional charities and our partner Coram Chambers to administrate grants directly to the most vulnerable young people in the UK aged 16 years and under.
Grants are to provide relief, respite, and happiness at a time of anxiety and worry. Our grants are awarded to the regional charity partners to purchase educational and art materials; toys; books; and emotional support items for young people aged 16 and under who have been challenged by abuse; addiction; homelessness; or those who are child carers.
Please note, we are only able to fund charitable organisations with a turnover below £1.5m.
Application deadline: 30th April 2022
Full details available here
As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, Live Here Love Here is administering an Award to a group or partnership to create a bespoke community pollinator garden as a legacy of the occasion. The Award is being wholly provided by the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and managed by the Live Here Love Here programme.
The Platinum Jubilee Pollinator Garden Award will provide one grant of £100,000 for the creation of an outdoor community space to benefit people and pollinators. The grant will cover 95% of costs with evidence of the 5% match funding to be evidenced at the application stage.
The garden must have elements that provide food and shelter for pollinators, but the project does not have to be exclusively for this reason. The garden should be inclusive and accessible and it should provide a healthy pit stop for pollinators and humans alike.
The Award is open to community groups and not for profit organisations managing greenspaces in urban and rural areas. Partnerships and collaborative applications are encouraged.
Applications for the Platinum Jubilee Pollinator Garden Award must be submitted by 12pm 22nd April 2022
5‘Looking beyond Brexit: mapping challenges and opportunities for Northern Ireland’
Online conference examining the impact of Brexit on human rights, lived experiences and the lived economy in Northern Ireland.
Join us for an in-depth exploration of the effect of Brexit and the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on Tuesday 5 April 2022, 10am-1pm over Zoom.
This conference is jointly organised by the Human Rights Consortium, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, the PILS Project, the Practice and Participation of Rights, the NI Civic Working Group on the Protocol and the Ad-Hoc Group for North-South and East-West Cooperation.
The conference will bring together a vibrant mixture of academic, civic society and grassroots voices to take stock of the main impacts of Brexit and the Protocol to date and the main challenges foreseen as a consequence, as well as potential opportunities. The conference will include three panels focusing on human rights, lived experiences of Brexit and the lived economy in NI. Free and open to everyone, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions, hear from leading experts in the field and participate in the discussion! The panels will also be recorded and available to view/listen after the event.
6New campaign to help older people Reconnect after COVID pandemic
A new campaign aimed at breaking down the barriers between the generations and promoting inclusivity has been launched in Derry and Strabane.
The Reconnecting Again campaign is part of the wider Age Friendly initiative being rolled out by Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) working in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), which aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness in the over 50's age group.
The Reconnecting Again campaign will raise awareness, using a range of tools including social media, to highlight opportunities to connect and re-engage, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions ease further and it becomes possible to socialise safely.
Almost one third of the people aged 65+ years within the DCSDC area are living alone. That's a significant group of people and we all know someone who is living by themselves. Chronic loneliness, when people always or often feel this way, can have impact on your overall health and wellbeing and it affects 1 in 20 people in Northern Ireland.
The Reconnecting Again campaign reaches out to all sectors, encouraging local organisations in the community and voluntary sector and also local businesses to help promote the message by getting involved and showing their support. Building on the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing, this campaign outlines ways that everyone can help support each other through five simple ways to maintain and improve mental wellbeing, including to - take notice, connect, give, be active and keep learning.
This approach will help empower people to reconnect, even as individuals and may be a stepping stone to other group activities which will being positive benefits to help address social isolation and loneliness.
The programme seeks to enable a wider diversity of individuals to play their part within boardrooms across Northern Ireland.
We’d like to invite you to join us online on Friday 1 April from 10.30am to 11.30am for an interactive information session about the Boardroom Apprentice programme.
Eileen Mullan, Founder of Boardroom Apprentice and some of the participants from last year’s programme will join us to talk about their experience and why they would encourage you to apply this year.
Boardroom Apprentice is a 12-month unique learning, development and placement programme which enables those without board experience, who would like to serve on a public or third sector board, to learn and gain experience in a safe and supported way before they take that step.
The programme seeks to enable a wider diversity of individuals to play their part within boardrooms across Northern Ireland. We in the Equality Commission are working with Boardroom Apprentice to encourage more disabled people to apply for the programme this year.
We would be delighted if you could join us to learn more about the initiative and ask any questions you may have. Please register for the online event using this link: insert Eventbrite link
Applications for this year’s Boardroom Apprentice open on 3 May and further information is available from the website: https://boardroomapprentice.com/
If you require assistance to book your place or wish to register a question ahead of the event please contact Kelly McGinley by email kmcginley@equalityni.org or phone 028 9089 0862.
8Consultation Coffee: Derry City & Strabane community plan update
Want to see your views reflected in the update to the Derry City & Strabane Strategic Growth Plan but don't have the time to put together a consultation response yourself? Help Developing Healthy Communities to shape our response.
Join us and the Council's community planning team online at 10.30am on Friday 8 April to have your say in a casual setting.
9Infrastructure 2050 - Draft Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland: Briefings
SIB is currently in the process of developing a new Investment Strategy (ISNI) on behalf of the NI Executive. This Investment Strategy will set out the main challenges and opportunities for infrastructure investment over the next 30 years; inform and guide future capital allocations and prioritisation; and it will make recommendations to develop our approach to monitoring performance and delivery.
Based on feedback received from a range of stakeholder groups, we have developed the draft ISNI 2050 which is now out for consultation until April 20th 2022. The draft Investment Strategy, an Easy Read Version, the EQIA and Rural Needs Impact Assessment (RNIA) can all be downloaded here or alternately we can provide hard copies via post.
We want to hear from you on the content of the draft Investment Strategy, the EQIA and RNIA. If you would like to meet with us, we are offering briefings on the 31st March and 1st April.
The briefings last approx. 30 minutes and are available every hour from 9am – 4pm each day.
Last week we saw the UK government reject the House of Lord's amendments to the Borders and Nationality Bill. They have rejected changes that would have removed some of the worst aspects of the bill. Unfortunately this means that refugees will be punished for trying to flee persecution in the 'wrong' way. 'Offshore' processing will not have the checks and balances in place to ensure human rights of those fleeing conflict are protected. The rules will also strengthen the hard border for non-Irish and Non-UK citizens living or travelling to the Island of Ireland. Non Irish and Non British citizens travelling across the Island will be expected to apply for electronic pre-clearance.
Sign North West Migrants Forum petition calling for and end to the racist hard border in Ireland and speak up against the plans that will make life even more difficult for families and individuals who do not have the 'right' colour passport:
HSC NI Foster Care is appealing for more foster carers and supported lodgings hosts who can provide homes to young refugees who arrive in Northern Ireland without a parent or carer.
In the past year, more than 60 young refugees were received into care, the highest number on record, and it is anticipated that this will rise further.
The majority of young refugees arriving without family are teenagers aged 14-17 and many would like to be cared for in a family setting. Young refugees come from a range of countries such as Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sudan. In many cases, these young people are fleeing danger and war, they may have been victims of trafficking or exploitation, or their parent or carer has disappeared. Young refugees need a safe and welcoming home environment where they will receive practical and emotional support and where they can integrate into local communities.
Foster carers look after children of all ages, whereas supported lodgings is a type of semi-independent accommodation where a young person aged 16 or over lives in the home of a host family or individual.
Enquiries are welcome from people from any race, religion, language, culture, gender, disability, age or sexual orientation.
12 Red Cross Emergency Response Volunteer roles in Derry/Londonderry
The Red Cross Emergency Response team in Northern Ireland currently have some Emergency Response Volunteer roles open in the Derry/Londonderry area.
We are seeking people wanting to engage in aiding and assisting others. ER Volunteers are called out to assist emergency services when there are events such as floods and fires, providing both those affected and the emergency services with help in the form of somewhere to rest, a warm cup of tea or soup.
Applicants need to be 18+ years of age, be within 30 minutes of the Red Cross office in Derry/Londonderry and have held a full driving license for at least 2 years.
2 - 9 May 2022 | Zlata Idka, Slovak Republic
Using cartography, illustration, storytelling, creative writing and different concepts of subjective mapping as methods of working with youth at risk, specifically queer youth
Organizer: Saplinq o.z (Youth NGO)
This activity is for participants from: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, United Kingdom
Application deadline (24h CET): 9 April 2022 See details
WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK IS HERE! 28th March-3rd April 2022
This is the start of World Autism Awareness Week. There are lots of inspiring campaigns and activities for you and your family, friends or work collegues to get involved in during this week. Visit our website to find out more: https://www.autismni.org/autism-awareness-week
Show your support on Social Media
Show your support for World Autism Awareness Week by downloading our social media picture (below) to share on your own page during 28th March-3rd April. You can download this directly from our website: https://www.autismni.org/autism-awareness-week
Be Kind To Different Minds Poster Campaign
We want you to get involved and express HOW we can all build a kinder and more inclusive society for our autism community in Northern Ireland.
Download our Be Kind To Different Minds poster and share your own unique message. For more information on how to get involved visit: https://www.autismni.org/autism-awareness-week
Does your premises have an Automated External Defibrillator?
please find information attached on this poster with a check list to ensure your defibrillator is ready to use when needed and that you have all the correct supplies.
16Update from the Department for Communities - JobApplyNI.com
The Department for Communities is launching a new jobs website www.JobApplyNI.com on Thursday 31 March 2022.
This website replaces the JobCentreOnline.com and EmployersOnlineNI.com sites.
To prepare for the new website, from 25 March 2022, the EmployersOnlineNI.com and JobCentreOnline.com site will cease to operate for new roles but vacancies already posted will remain available to view.
The new www.JobApplyNI.com site will be available to employers and jobseekers from 31 March 2022.
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