The Graduate Resource service enables local authorities, businesses and voluntary organisations in Eastern England to promote and practice sustainable development using recent graduates on paid placements. So far we have recruited, trained and supported nearly 500 graduates. As a result many of them now have good careers in sustainable development. The Graduate Resource Team includes 3 Coordinators, a Manager, as well as several skilled Voluntary Trainers and Mentors. This year they will support 80 graduates on short-term projects, providing training, support, accreditation and career advice. Projects have covered waste, energy, transport, biodiversity, as well as tourism, economic development, community development and regeneration. This project is funded by the specific organisations who host paid placements.
The Sustainable College Project (SCA), funded by the Learning and Skills
Council (LSC), is a pilot project to review and promote education for
sustainable development activity in the 28 regional further education colleges
of the East Midlands. It will also explore ways of developing and supporting
college staff in relation to the LSC policy on sustainable development.
The project will enable about 9 selected further education (FE) colleges to have
the assistance of an EU graduate working in the college for a term. The
Sustainable College Assistants will help key staff and the college community to
make their campus, curriculum and community links more sustainable, in line with
the LSC policy on sustainable development. A baseline survey of sustainable
development in the region’s further education colleges will review their current
practices, needs and interests.
The
CommunityChecks project promotes sustainable consumption using trained
volunteers. It is one of 35 national pilot projects, funded by DEFRA to explore
better ways of promoting sustainable consumption. It enables young people to
learn about, check out and promote resource efficiency and localism in publicly
accessible buildings and community spaces. They are trained to check out,
re-check and promote the efficient and eco-friendly management of waste, energy,
water as well as local sustainable transport and purchasing. The CommunityCheck
Team includes a Manager and two Support Officers, as well as Volunteer Checkers,
and several skilled Champions who support the managers of the premises. We are
also working with many partners including local authorities and voluntary
organisations. Funding is currently provided by DEFRA and local authorities.
This year we will support the managers, staff and volunteers of over 30 Checked organisations to become more sustainable in consumption and more able to boost the local economy. Buildings have included Connexions offices, hotels, pubs, churches, chapels, community centres, small shops, day centres, day nurseries, libraries, country parks and voluntary organisations.
The LocalCheck approach explores and promotes everything that is local. The parcel office at Oakham railway station, derelict for about 20 years, has now been transformed into the LocalCheck Centre.
LocalCheck is an approach developed by Studentforce helping people to
recognise and value their local heritage so they can sustain the distinctive
resources of the locality to pass on to future generations. It explores all
those things we can choose to do which support the locality– local heritage,
local produce, local traders, local transport, local celebrations – as well as
those things which reach us from around the world. The Centre will enable us to
promote the local heritage and ways of living more sustainably to rail
passengers, visitors and local people.
LocalCheck Presentation
The YouthCheck project will enable young people to make the best use of their
local publicly accessible buildings and open spaces, making them more usable by
young people, more sustainable and more locally valued. It will build on the
CommunityCheck approach to develop YouthChecks, making the buildings and open
spaces more youth-friendly, and accessible. This is funded by The Big Lottery
Fund for specific disadvantaged areas of Northamptonshire and Leicester, working
alongside the CommunityCheck project.
The
Millennium Volunteers project is part of a national scheme, funded by the DfES
and Connexions, to enable 16 to 24 year olds to volunteer for the benefit of
their local community and get an Award for 200 volunteering hours.
StudentForce’s approach in Leicestershire and Rutland is to offer support and
training for community projects that practice and promote more sustainability,
as well as to offer accreditation through a City and Guilds Profile of
Achievement. The Millennium Volunteers Team includes two Support Officers and a
Manager, as well as several skilled Voluntary Trainers and Mentors. We are also
working with many partners. This year they will support and train up to 80 young
people from youth groups, Young Farmers Clubs, schools, colleges and
universities. Projects have covered local campaigns for better youth services,
charity fundraising, skate parks, care of the elderly, stream clearing,
allotment gardening, mini-enterprises and eco-design.
EVS is an opportunity for young people aged 18-30 to spend 6 to 12 months as
a volunteer in another European country. The programme is fully funded by the
European Commission, through the British Council. EVS projects can be involved
in many different community-based areas such as sustainable development, youth
work, environmental education and cultural awareness. StudentForce is the only
East Midlands sending organization for the European Voluntary Service.
EVS gives young people the chance to travel and live abroad from six to twelve months in order to learn about different cultures and lifestyles. StudentForce specialises in promoting more sustainable lifestyles and travel as part of EVS, as well as placements with hosting organisations that practice and promote sustainable development. EVS is unique because it is open to all young people and no special skills or qualifications are required. EVS is recognised as a high quality standard, notably because it ensures that every single volunteer receives adequate linquistic and project-related training as well as personal support throughout the project. In addition, participation in EVS is completely free of charge unlike many overseas volunteering and gap year schemes.
Further details about EVS are on:
www.britishcouncil.org/connectyouth-programmes-european-voluntary-service.htm
See EVS volunteering opportunities on: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/program/sos/hei/hei_en.cfm
This project aims to help undergraduate and postgraduate students to find and carry out applied projects for study. This will provide academic assessment and work experience with key professionals and employers as well as research and promotion of sustainable communities, regeneration and heritage. It should help students develop and complete theses, dissertations or practical studies that can make them more employable, but also help professionals and employers with their strategic interests and research priorities in terms of sustainable communities, regeneration and heritage. We will develop and update a website listing potential student projects, enable online application of projects by hosting professionals and employers, as well as applications by undergraduate and postgraduate students. We will work with appropriate staff of universities, professional bodies, government agencies, Sector Skills Councils and Higher Education Academy Subject Centres to recruit hosting professionals and students, provide advice on developing the projects and encouraging reflective learning, and celebrate the student’s achievements. Initially the focus will be on three themes - the regeneration of urban and rural areas, the development of sustainable communities, and the conservation or enhancement of built and natural heritage features.
