It’s all free!

With all the free social networking, blogging and web site design software that is around now, it is vital that tenant groups and panels are in a strong and visible position with web-based information. To help groups achieve this, Make it Happen (MIH) is running a 3 day residential training course called ‘Tenants on the Web’ (TOW) at the National Communities Resource Centre at Trafford Hall from 26th-28th March 2012. The course costs only £15 for social housing tenants in England.

Using this free software, MIH will guide you through the process of developing and designing your own web presence, and you will leave Trafford Hall with a ‘live’ working web presence that you have designed yourself. You will learn skills that you can pass on to others in your group or community, to bring them up to speed in the new web-based world. MIH have been running this course for the past 5 years with some really exciting results! Groups have set up web presence/s using free platforms such as; WordPress, Blogger, Facebook and Twitter. 

£500 grant opportunity

Delegates from groups who complete the course can apply for a grant of up to £500. The grant must be used to give your group the chance to disseminate the learning to a wider local audience, or to begin to develop projects related to the course you attended.

Gain a proper qualification!

The TOW course is accredited by the Open College Network, so you get a proper qualification if you complete the course. It’s a great opportunity!

For more information contact:

Dane at Make it Happen. Or, to book a place, contact Claire Lawton at Trafford Hall on 01244 300246 or email her at: MC.Lawton ‘at’ traffordhall.com (insert @ instead of ‘at’).

We are now in the final stages of developing a new e-learning course for the Tenants Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) called ‘Involving Everyone’. The course launches on 14th Feb 2011. Part of the course involves looking at the new Equality Act and how this effects Voluntary and Community Sector organisations. Check out the links below for information about the Act and the video from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

There’s a wide range of information on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website including videos. pdf downloads and an Equality Act Starter Kit. You can download the starter kit in sections and use it to see what your organisation might need to consider for the future in relation to the Act. There are also some excellent publications produced by the Government Equalities Office that you can download for free. Click on the ones under the heading ‘Voluntary and Community Organisations’. ACAS also have some excellent publications and information.

Make it Happen is pleased to be working in partnership with Volunteering England and JLJ Associates to develop multi-media e-learning resources and activities for the The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The new e-learning course is designed for new staff and people who manage volunteers at Guide Dogs, and will be launched in mid Sept 2010.

Over the past year there have been a number of changes to the governing of housing services which include the introduction of the Tenant Services Authority, Homes and Communities Agency and the National Tenants Voice. In this years conference programme, TPAS have identified the following four key areas highlighting opportunities of involvement for both tenants and landlords EXCELLENCE, SCRUTINY, RESIDENTS AT THE HEART OF CHANGE and MY HOME, MY COMMUNITY. There is a fantastic programme of debates, workshops and visits which will hopefully invigorate and educate delegates leaving them empowered with knowledge and skills to get involved.

TPAS (Tenants Participation Advisory Service) have been successful with their 3 year Empowerment Fund application and in partnership with Make it Happen are now developing innovative and exciting e-learning training courses and a ‘Virtual Learning Environment’ (VLE). Make it Happen and TPAS are working together to develop a range of topical and relevant training courses for the first year pilot which will take place from Jan 2010. If you are a Tenant’s group and are interested in registering your interest for the courses taking place in Jan 2010 please contact TPAS at:

T: 0161 868 3520
E: training@tpas.org.uk

Marie was great to work with as were the whole of Christian Aid staff and volunteers and they thoroughly deserved their IiV award. Once all the self-assessments had taken place, the development plans developed, evidenced produced, some new policies and procedures reviewed, revised and rewritten, CA were ready for their final assessment in February 2009 – the face-to-face interviews with IiV assessors across the UK for their volunteers, staff and trustees. The interviews took place over a three-week period in Feb 2009 (and went into March) during the worst snow storms to hit the UK for decades. So, after months of planning we devised something called ‘snow watch’ – checking the weather forecast every day to see how many volunteers might be able to make it for interviews in Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. All went pretty well as planned considering the amount of white stuff around. Christian Aid demonstrated excellent practice and importantly, always viewed achieving the IiV standard as a way of improving their already good practice for the present and the future – well done! From the volunteer’s testimonials, Christian Aid is great organisation in which to be a volunteer. The presentation of the IiV plaque took place at Christian Aid’s London HQ in June 2009 and  involved some nibbles and a fair few bottles of Fair Trade sparkling wine (very nice).

In the picture opposite:

Stephen Drew Christian Aid volunteer

Sinead Whelan Head of Marketing and Operations (IiV Lead)

Marie Raffay Christian Aid Volunteering Manager

Dane Gould IiV Lead Assessor (England)

Make It Happen (MIH) designs and delivers interactive, multi-media e-learning experiences for Third Sector, voluntary and community organisations at national, regional and local level. Headed up by Dane Gould and Christine Wilks, MIH’s aim is to help empower communities and enhance community development.

Using the open-source Moodle software package, we design and build bespoke Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), internet-based courses and interactive e-learning content. We also offer consultancy for a range of clients, large and small, and have been instrumental in developing national e-learning strategies for Third Sector organisations. We work in collaboration with a pool of MIH associates (trainers, consultants, designers), Moodle partners and open source web developers.

Our mission is to help you make it happen!