Welcome to the very first edition of our new online e-newsletter. Sunderland Voluntary Sector Youth Forum ( SVSYF) was established in July 2001 to act as a strong and powerful advocate for voluntary youth work in the city of Sunderland. We provide a coherent and consistent voice for our voluntary sector youth providers in promoting, supporting and developing good practice within the sector.
We support the voluntary youth work agencies across the city to provide facilities and opportunities that will advance the education, social welfare and recreational interests of young people across the city with the objective of improving young people’s lives.
If you want more information about the work of the forum please contact our office on 0191 5655144.
...Steve Barna
FREE membership benefits - The new website will allow forum members a range of free features such as
website pages, don't have a website of your own then we can offer you web space on our site
listing in our online directory and a link to your own site if you have one
online chat room exclusively for members, see,text and chat to your workers and volunteers online for free
online discussion forums, post messages and watch the responses come in
free promotion of your own organisation's work, events and activities
free space in our online newsletter (just like this one)
If you would like more information on these benefits please email info@svsyf.org or call 0191 5655144.
Consultations
SVSYF held an event at The Pit Stop Youth Centre in Washington recently. Organisations came together to discuss poverty, its causes and how they feel about poverty in the UK and within Sunderland.
A range of innovative and traditional techniques were used to raise and discuss issues on the day including a session involving interactive electronic voting. A new tool which allows for immediate and anonymous consultation (view more on this here
The full report will be online soon
Since June 2008 we have been increasing the awareness of the risks of Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases.
So far we 95 youth workers have undertaken the training and screens within the voluntary sector have increased by nearly 400% (based on the first 5 months of this year – compared to the whole of 07/08 figures).
Lambton Street Youth Centre has a vacancy for a Senior Youth Worker for 26 hours per week, Salary is NJC point 29 £23,749 pro rata, 2 years funded with the support of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England Wales.
Candidate must have professional qualification in Youth Work.
For further information, application form and job specification please phone 0191 5675227
Kevin Howard, Lambton Street Youth Centre
25 Falkland Road, Sunderland
SR4 6XA, Tel/Fax: 0191 567 5227
email: youth.lambtonstreet@btinternet.com
Development Worker (to support mental health and learning disability carers)
Young Carers Development Worker (to offer support and plan activities)
£17,510 for a 35 hrs a week
Experience of community development work within a voluntary or community sector setting is desirable.
Closing date 10/11/08 (9.00am)
For further information and application pack please call 0191 567 3232
Hendon Young People’s Project is looking for 1 female and 1 male Detached Youth Worker to start a.s.a.p.
Female 2 x 3hr sessions a week plus holiday provision (Thursday and Friday evening)
Male 3 x 3hr sessions a week plus holiday provision (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evening)
To work with a street based youth work team covering the East Area of the City. Need to be NVQ level 2 in youth work Qualified or equivalent. Pay Rate to be arranged at interview. Deadline for enquiries Friday 24th October 2008
For an informal chat please contact Melanie Turnbull on 0191 5537717 or email hyppmelanie@hotmail.co.uk
Youth Based Newsletters
Our website contain a broad range of newsletters produced by our members and others across the city and the region. if your youth project produces its own printed newsletter we would be happy to feature it on our site. Please email a copy of your newsletter to info@svsyf.org
Click on an image below to view the full range on our site.
Sunderland has been selected by the Government to be a pathfinder in the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme which will transform services for disabled children and young people and their families. How will this be done?
giving more families the type of short breaks they want
giving families better information about the support they can get
being open and upfront about which children and young people can use each service
really listening to what disabled children and young people and their families want and acting on this.
To make this happen, a lot of new funding has been provided over the next 3 years. In 2008-09 we have nearly £300,000 and in 2009-10 and 2010-11 we will have almost £1 million per year. As a pathfinder, Sunderland will be expected to lead the way in developing the services and ways of working that families want and that work best. www.sncwd.org.uk
What's going on in our Schools
Over the summer holidays, work has been progressing well at all of our construction sites, with the four new schools and academies remaining on track for a September 2009 completion.
Please see below for the latest site progress involving BSF schools.
For each school, click on the school name below for a link to an artist's impression.
Academy 360 - The project is progressing to programme. Foundations and ground floor slabs are nearing completion, the steel frame is complete to four out of the seven zones and roof and wall claddings are in progress. Upper floor slabs are being cast and work on windows and curtain walling is due to start before the end of September.
Drainage works running through the existing school curtilage were completed over the summer holidays and all areas made good ready for the commencement of the new school term. Works on the new all weather pitch are continuing for January 2009 availability.
Castle View Enterprise Academy Work is progressing according to programme. The substructures, including the ground floor slab, are complete. Work to the structural frame, floors and partitions is ongoing. Roofing work also continues to progress well.
Red House Academy Work is presently on programme with the structural steelwork, first floor decking and half of the roofing now completed. Preparations to concrete both ground floor and first floor slabs are taking place this week. The "envelope" (walls, roof and windows) is scheduled for completion prior to Christmas.
Washington School - The structural steel frame and first floor concrete slabs are complete whilst the ground floor slabs are nearing completion. The main roof structure is progressing well. Good progress is being made on the external block walls, whilst installation of the internal walls has commenced on site. Installation of windows and roof lights has commenced. Work on the main incoming services route is complete.
Biddick School Sports College
Contracts were signed recently for this major school remodel for 1050 pupils. Work already completed includes a range of surveys, tree felling, establishment of temporary classrooms and site hoardings. The new floor area of approximately 6,300 square metres includes general teaching rooms and specialist laboratories, materials, arts and drama teaching rooms. External work includes car parking and associated landscaping and social play areas. Temporary access is being established during September, with separate access to the construction site. Construction of the foundations and drainage will commence during October.
Oxclose students enjoy GCSE success - Students at England's four mainstream BSF secondary schools which have been operational for at least a year received their examination results last month.
In Sunderland, Oxclose Community School celebrated as 62% of its students were awarded five or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and maths, compared with 41% in 2007.
Oxclose's new headteacher Tony Cunningham, pictured, acknowledged the role of the new learning environment in helping to raise student aspiration and attainment: "We are delighted with our record-breaking GCSE results this year. Pupils and staff are to be commended for their outstanding commitment and achievements. Our refurbished facilities have allowed new opportunities to deliver high-quality teaching and learning in a first-class learning environment which certainly made a contribution to Oxclose Community School achieving its best ever GCSE results."
Just for the fun of it - Pipecleaner Dancing Man
Music: Use button A – E to choose different tunes. Use button X to shut off the music.
Instructions: Click on a round button to start some tunes.? Then use the keyboard, or mouse-over the keyboard on the screen to dance.? Use the round “x” button to stop the music.? Note: the keys are case-sensitive so make sure caps lock is off.
Welcome to the very first edition of our new online e-newsletter.
Castle View Enterprise Academy Work is progressing according to programme. The substructures, including the ground floor slab, are complete. Work to the structural frame, floors and partitions is ongoing. Roofing work also continues to progress well. 
Oxclose students enjoy GCSE success - Students at England's four mainstream BSF secondary schools which have been operational for at least a year received their examination results last month.