http://www.community-links.org/media Master Feed of content published on the Community Links Website en no-reply@community-links.org Copyright 2010 2010-08-26T11:42:26+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/school-posts/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/school-posts/#When:11:42:26Z Students at Community Links’ school for young people excluded from mainstream education notched up record GCSE results this year, with a 93% A-G pass rate, including a 100% pass rate in English. A total of 14 students took 43 exams, which is both a record for the number of exams entered, and a pass rate 2% higher than last year. Head Teacher Sandy Davies said: “We’re delighted to see our students achieving such good results, particularly given their often difficult circumstances. The success is a testament to their hard work this year – we’re very proud of them and believe they all have the potential to go on and achieve great things.” Education Links is Newham’s newest independent school, providing an alternative education for students not in mainstream schools. It caters for over 100 students aged 12 to 16 each year, and last year saw 97% of its students go on to further education, training, or a job.   News 2010-08-26T11:42:26+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/invitation-to-tender-psychologist-and-economist/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/invitation-to-tender-psychologist-and-economist/#When:10:47:08Z Community Links is inviting tenders from individuals, institutes or academic departments to contribute to our Deep Value project looking at the value of effective relationships between providers and users of public services. The aim of the project is to improve understanding of the economic and psychological benefits of effective one-to-one relationships in public service provision. Our starting point for this work is the real benefit of delivering public services in ways that put the one-to-one human relationship at the heart of service planning and delivery. We believe this contributes to effectiveness and value for money in a variety of ways across all areas of public services. We have a good understanding of what makes a relationship effective. We have increasing understanding of the immediate benefits of this. We have less understanding of the wider benefits and how to quantify their impact. We see parts of government embracing ideas around the value of one-to-one working, but we see a wider and more powerful trend that is taking service delivery ever further from the human relationship that should be at its heart. We believe that by strengthening the evidence base for the value of one-to-one working in ways that can be used to influence the development of future policy. We are establishing a multi-disciplinary Research Group that will examine this issue from the perspectives of economics, psychology and social policy. We are seeking research partners to devise a methodology for quantifying the (1) economic benefits of one-to-one working in two areas of service delivery – specialist level legal advice and services helping long-term unemployed people into work. A methodology will be developed in parallel with this work to measure how effective relationships generate important (2) psychological benefits in terms of increased confidence and self esteem and the practical benefits of this. An essential component of this research will be its practical application both in helping service deliverers to understand the benefits of the human relationships more deeply but also be able to demonstrate this to external audiences. Deadline for completed tenders: Thursday (5pm) 23rd September 2010 Interviews: Monday 4th October 2010 To find out more and submit an application for either piece of work, please download the application pack News 2010-08-11T10:47:08+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/jobs/job/invitation-to-tende/ http://www.community-links.org/jobs/job/invitation-to-tende/#When:10:40:09Z 2010-08-11T10:40:09+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/our-national-work/publications/strengthening-communities/ http://www.community-links.org/our-national-work/publications/strengthening-communities/#When:14:14:08Z Community Links runs a network of 60 different projects. This report focuses on one of our projects, reflecting a small part of the work undertaken by the Community Development team. We have found time and time again that the kind of intense estate-based community action work which has taken place throughout this project, and the strong relationships formed between the project worker and the wider local community, can have a powerful and lasting impact on the lives and the well-being of the people who live here. Request a printed copy 2010-08-06T14:14:08+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/celebrating-success-at-community-links/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/celebrating-success-at-community-links/#When:09:29:39Z Seventeen exceptional achievers received awards at Community Links annual ‘Grow our Own’ Award Presentations held at Community Links main centre last week. The night was a celebration of joint achievement. Winners were congratulated, along with their families and the Community Links projects which they attend. The individuals and trusts making the awards possible, along with guest supporters, were all thanked for their support of the ongoing work at the projects represented. The awards recognised in different ways the exceptional contributions which the winners had made to different Community Links projects and their own particular progress. These included two young people, Nicole Moore and Claudia De Belen, who were part of a panel responsible for administering the Barclays Capital LIFE Bank award scheme whereby children, young people and adults from across Community Links were given the opportunity to apply for grants to support a new initiative or to purchase equipment. This included providing the support to launch Community Links young people’s Shining Star Choir which opened the evening in style. The awards also recognised the three best young ambassadors of Community Links: Emmanuel Odesaui for his work with Links Youth Online; Kylie Brown for her work with several new projects over the years and to Kaycee De Belen Young Mayor of Newham. Kylie said ‘I cannot believe I have received this recognition. I will be putting the award up in the project where I work and it will have pride of place’. Also honoured were the Community Links training volunteers of 2010 who were each presented with their graduation certificates. Successful Award winners were: Stevie Mitchell, Christopher and Shaun Wormsley, Nicole Moore, Claudia De Belen, Riki Hammond, Bernadette Hines, Bret Jones, Eren Tame, Michael Bortey, Emmanuel Odesaui, Kylie Brown, Kaycee De Belen, Celia Laudat, Sarah Kogan, Ciff Antony Segree and Simon Gibson. The photograph above shows award winners Emmanuel Odesaui, Kylie Brown and Kaycee De Belen with awarder Colin Russell, below are all Community Links Grow Our Own Award Winners of 2010 and their project co-ordinators.   News 2010-07-16T09:29:39+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/about-us/event/cycle-london-to-paris1/ http://www.community-links.org/about-us/event/cycle-london-to-paris1/#When:14:51:25Z Adventurous volunteers can cycle from London to Paris on this famous European cycling route. Biking over 100km a day, this event is great for teams, and is also open to individuals. Deposit required is £99, with a minimum sponsorship target of £1400. Sign up open now. Contact Emma Taylor for more information.   2010-07-14T14:51:25+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/about-us/event/the-british-10k/ http://www.community-links.org/about-us/event/the-british-10k/#When:14:44:29Z Deposit for a Community Links place is £30, with a fundraising target of £200. Sign up: May. Contact Emma Taylor for more information.   2010-07-11T14:44:29+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/geraldine-blake-wins-award-for-outstanding-business-community-collaboration/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/geraldine-blake-wins-award-for-outstanding-business-community-collaboration/#When:09:38:33Z Community Links Chief Executive, Geraldine Blake, has been awarded the BITC London Marks & Spencer Sieff Award ‘for an individual, based in the community, who has best collaborated with business to benefit society,’ one of only two individual categories in Business in the Community’s (BITC’s) 2010 Awards for Excellence. Geraldine has been recognised for her work in engaging communities in improving public services and regenerating neighbourhoods. She has undertaken a variety of sector appointments including stints at Save the Children, Trust for Urban E cology, and the National Council for One Parent Families. From 1993-2003 she set up and ran a community consultancy, Gap Research, specialising in training and supporting residents to carry out their own research and development projects. During this time she chaired the award winning Get Set for Citizenship SRB programme, which supported local people to develop ‘citizen’s strategies’ to tackle long standing local problems. At Community Links, Geraldine successfully led the development of the Chain Reaction Project which connects community activists and local projects with businesses, alongside government, to collaborate in addressing the issues which affect us all. The Marks & Spencer Sieff award is the benchmark standard for successful community-business collaborations, recognising individuals whose contributions to society - by bringing businesses and communities together - have left a lasting, replicable legacy in the region. Paul Buchanan, London Regional Director, Business in the Community said: “I would like to applaud Geraldine for the work which has led to her being recognised as their region’s champion for forging links between businesses and the local community. To be the recipient of the Marks & Spencer Sieff Award shows an outstanding commitment to and understanding of the importance of such relationships. Particularly at this time of recession and social unease, it is vital that businesses and communities continue to work with one another to find solutions to their particular challenges. By forging lasting, replicable relationships, all parties can emerge from the recession stronger and more competitive.” Geraldine Blake said: “I am delighted to accept this award. All of the most successful projects that achieve great results and transform lives are collaborations - none of us on our own can create social change, not governments, not businesses, not charities. We succeed when we work together” Geraldine was presented with the Award at a celebration held at The Royal College of Music on Monday 5th July News 2010-07-06T09:38:33+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/frances-clarke-freewoman-of-the-borough/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/frances-clarke-freewoman-of-the-borough/#When:12:17:10Z On the 27th May one of Community Links staff, Frances Clarke was awarded the Freedom of the London Borough of Newham in ceremony at West Ham Town Hall. The award was in recognition of over 30 years of work dedicated to our local community. Frances started out driving a double-decker bus providing activities for young people across the borough. In the early 90’s, Frances was part of a team involved in securing £1.5 million to renovate the former Canning Town Hall building, where Community Links remain today. Among other activities Frances is organiser of the local 'We Are What We Do' project which inspires people to use everyday actions to change the world. The Honorary Freedom of the Borough is the ‘highest distinction a local authority can bestow on an individual’, that is the good news. The bad news is that this is an honorary position which does not possess the ‘practical benefits once enjoyed’. So she can’t herd her sheep and geese up the high street after all. Four other people were celebrated with Freedom of the Borough. Jack Petchey, who through the JackPetchey Foundation had generously supported some of Community Links work with young people. Michael Grier recently retired community relations lead at Tate & Lyle has been a long time supporter of Community Links and many other local voluntary sector organisations. Marie Gabrielle, The Chair of Newham Primary Care Trust and Commander Nick Bracken of Newham Police were also recognised for their local work. They were each given a medal and a beautiful leather bound scroll with hand painted lettering. During the ceremony they signed an enormous ornate book which included the details of the previous famous Freepeople such as: former Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald; Victorian philanthropist John Passmore Edwards and Alderman Daisy Parsons, the first female Mayor of West Ham. Frances said she had a great evening and felt very humbled and proud by all the lovely things people said. She took the opportunity in her thank you speech to make a point about the opportunities for girls and women still being very restricted. She told the story of a 10 year old girl in a junior school who said to her:”Isn’t it a pity that a woman isn’t allowed to be Prime Minister?” Download a copy of the commemorative publication from the London Borough of Newham. News 2010-06-30T12:17:10+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/the-work-programme-and-the-informal-economy/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/the-work-programme-and-the-informal-economy/#When:16:45:41Z Community Links has just submitted two short briefing papers to the Department for Work and Pensions, looking at the Work Programme and the informal economy. In the Work Programme paper, we share our experience of running the most successful New Deal project in London and the South East, and recommend how the new Work Programme should be structured so that it best serves jobseekers who have been unemployed for a long time. The second paper makes the case for including a sound analysis of the informal economy in any review of the welfare system, since our experience is that considerably more people are working cash-in-hand than is currently assumed. News 2010-06-21T16:45:41+00:00