Resurgam News Chairmans Insight Mayors Reception Welfare Reform Members of The Resurgam Trust Board, core staff and volunteers recently accepted an invitation to the Island Civic Centre for a reception with the Mayor. The invitation was an acknowledgement by the Mayor for the ground-breaking work done by the Resurgam Trust in the communities we serve. Unfortunately, due to a family bereavement the Mayor Andrew Ewing was unable to attend but was dutifully represented by Alderman Paul Porter and other council colleagues. After a short tour of the council chamber and light refreshments members of our board, core staff and volunteers had the opportunity to discuss the potential benefits to the community that RPA brings. The creation of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council brings opportunities for Resurgam and our holistic community regeneration model and will help shape the new council’s community plan. We would like to thank Mayor Andrew Ewing for his kind invitation and congratulate him on his term in office as the last Mayor of Lisburn. The impending cuts across all government departments is casting a dark shadow across the entire community. Important community projects and services are now at serious risk while those organisations who have been lucky enough to be resourced are being asked to do a lot more with a lot less. At present we currently have 14 members of staff on notice with their employment due to cease at the end of March. The majority of this staff is involved in community safety and youth outreach work. Couple this with the impending cuts to the PSNI and the removal of neighbourhood police teams, community representatives are rightly worried. The removal of the CRED strategy (Community Relations Equality and Diversity) by the youth service is a short sighted attempt to save money with long term negative effects. Resurgam Trust Chairman Philip Dean who himself manages a community safety project said; “Lisburn is a very settled and safe city with an extremely low level of anti-social behaviour. This is due to the work being done by the very projects and staff currently on notice. I hope that the powers that be can see sense and give these important community safety projects priority”. www.facebook.com/ TheResurgamTrust 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com Looking after the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and communities In late November The Resurgam Trust was notified that we had been successful in our bid for funding to CLEAR to address health and wellbeing. The proposal looked to support staff, volunteers, individuals and groups to promote health and wellbeing. The programmes were based around the South Eastern Trusts Five Ways to Wellbeing which encourages individuals to connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give all elements which have been shown to promote wellbeing , support recovery from and protect against mental health problems. The programmes have consisted of health checks, alternative therapies, weight loss programmes, cooking, using art to explore health and wellbeing and a gardening project. Staff and volunteers have attended training on Mental Health First Aid, Safe Talk, Self Harm, Motivational Interviewing and Low Level Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. A report looking at what we have done, how many people were involved and what impact this has had will be produced by the end of March 2015. In addition feedback from the sessions have prompted exploring options for providing the following services and /or programmes - alternative therapies, cooking, weight loss and art programmes. For more information please contact Gillian Lewis Healthy Living Manager 07710394983 or email gillian.lewis@resurgamtrust.co.uk. New Horizons Credit Union NEW MEMBERS Registration Evening For those who can’t get to New Horizons office during working hours we invite you to register on: Monday 13th April @ LaganView Enterprise Centre, Old Warren, Lisburn From 5.00pm to 7.00pm Full assistance with application forms and advice on savings/loans available. EVERYONE WELCOME 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com Resurgam Trust Promoting Staff Health As part of Resurgam Trusts Health and Wellbeing in the work place initiative, anonymous questionaires amongst staff were completed and returned to feed into an annual health and well-being action plan. One area highlighted for improvement was the low level of fish consumption among staff. It is recommended to eat 2 portions of fish per week as part of a healthy diet. On further consideration it became apparent that most staff lacked confidence in how to prepare and cook a fish dish. To address this issue and encourage the staff to eat and enjoy fish in their diet, Resurgam Trust organised a cooking demonstration followed by a staff lunch. All staff took part in the preparation and cooking of the dish, and came together to enjoy it for lunch. The feedback from the initiative was positive and most staff now feel confident in cooking and serving a fish dish to their family. Congratulations to our two prize draw winners! LaganView Community Gym is delighted to announce that Steven McCullough and Jim Chance were the two lucky winners of the recent prize draw. First prize for £150 of personal training with Kyle Reain, Team Attitude Fitness went to Steven and second prize for 10 free Crossfit Sessions with Team Attitude Fitness went to Jim Chance. Congratulations to both men! LaganView Community Gym would like to thank all the new members who signed up for monthly membership from January to be in with a chance of winning these fab prizes. Since January 2015 there have been a high number of new members join LaganView Community Gym, both pay-as-you-go and monthly memberships, which is an encouraging and positive sign. The gym recently installed a new cable cross over machine to add to its already expanding range of equipment. Anyone looking an induction for this machine please call in to see Carl or Johnny or phone 07599925372. Just a reminder that LaganView Community Gym offers the cheapest Pay As You Go rates in the City at £2.50 per session and monthly membership from £12.50 for unlimited use! Please call Carl on 07599925372 to register for an induction or for more information. 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com Lisburn Sure Start was delighted to have a visit from our local MP Jeffrey Donaldson Jeffrey visited our office in Old Warren Primary School, meeting with representatives of our management committee, Sure Start administration team, Old Warren Primary School and Barnardos. Jeffrey also called in to our Stay and Play programme in Hillhall, meeting with children, parents and staff. Stay and Play was very busy this morning, as we also had a special visit from Dawn Thompson, Assistant Director of Children’s Services. Before leaving Hillhall, Jeffrey met with a women’s group in Hillhall, together with Francie Ferris and Gillian Lewis (Resurgam Trust). Following his visit to Hillhall, Jeffrey met with Sure Start children and staff in our LaganView crèche, before visiting our young mothers group in LaganView. Jeffrey had planned to visit our Terrific Two’s programme. However it was a busy morning and unfortunately the programme had finished before leaving LaganView. Thank you Jeffrey, for all your support with Lisburn Sure Start and taking time this morning to take a tour of some of our programmes. Thank you also to all the children, parents and staff for welcoming our visitor today. Also thank you to Adrian Bird (Resurgam Trust), Sean Thompson (Old Warren Primary School), Roberta Marshall (Barnardos), Sharon Bayliss (Barnardos), Dawn Thompson (Bryson Charitable Group), Francie Ferris (Hillhall) and Andrea Wiltshaw (Resurgam Trust) for taking time out of your busy schedules to take part on the day. 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com Resurgam Youth Initiative Inclusion Project In 2014, Resurgam Youth Initiative secured funding from the inclusion unit of the SEELB to deliver a programme of activities and workshops to young people from both the BME and indigenous community under the Lisburn South umbrella. Prior to applying for funding, it was noted that young people from the BME community had limited opportunity to interact with young people from the indigenous community, except within a formal school environment. However, even within this, contacts were limited due to language barriers and struggles to feel accepted amongst peers who hail from Northern Ireland. Similarly, young people from the indigenous community in Lisburn were lacking the opportunity to explore more about various cultures and to test their beliefs, in that they tended to avoid socialising with foreign nationals due to stigmatisation, socialisation processes and an underpinning belief that these young people were rivals for future employment prospects. In August 2014, the Inclusion Programme was set up to take advantage of the learning opportunities that young people could gain from participation in an inclusive youth setting. The programme aimed to overcome this tendency to avoid peers of different national heritage, remove the processes by which young people within Lisburn south area (both BME and indigenous) were maintaining discrimination and prejudice attitudes and also educate the young people so an inclusive community could be established to promote respect and appreciation of diversity in a post modern Northern Irish society. The inclusion project encompassed the delivery of a series of activities and workshops to enhance the personal and social development of the young people at which the programme was geared at. Across a 30 week period, participants covered topics relating to identity (personal and cultural), values and attitudes, prejudice and stereotyping, cultural awareness, equality and diversity, tolerance, inclusion and integration and health and fitness. Across the 30 week period it was anticipated that those who participated would benefit from enhanced collaborative working partnerships with others, successful group working capabilities, effective decision making skills, enhanced self-esteem, selfworth, understanding of our own values and attitudes, but also appreciating those of others, improved self perception and reflection skills, an enhanced knowledge base of our own culture and that of others. Improved reasoning skills, more reflective, coherent thought patterns, enhanced perspective talking skills, improved confidence to articulate and express oneself, respect for diversity, adaptability, refined motor skills and competence in dealing/ responding to new challenges. 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com Communities in Lisburn are on the rise thanks to award-winning Resurgam Trust An award-winning social enterprise, which is transforming the fortunes in one of Lisburn’s most deprived areas, has been adopted as a model of best practice by the Department of Social Development. The Resurgam Community Development Trust is based in Lisburn’s Old Warren Estate which has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years experiencing a rapid rise in jobs, social housing and educational prospects. “Resurgam is Latin for ‘I shall rise again’ and the community trust is ensuring Lisburn is on the rise by creating new sustainable businesses, providing employment and improving the health and welfare of the population. A Department of Social Development report found that the organisation, which employs more than 100 people, is putting £1.7m into the Lisburn economy annually. In 2005 the community had the vision to take out a loan to build nine houses on land in the area before property prices dropped in 2007. It sold off six of the nine houses and used the fund to invest in its other new businesses. They have recently been granted planning permission to build five new one-bedroom apartments and a shop unit on Bridge Street in the centre of Lisburn. “These buildings have lain derelict for years and we will bring some new life into the centre of the city now,” Jason Abraham, Social Enterprise Manager of the Resurgam Trust, said Resurgam’s phenomenal success was recognised when it won Enterprise Northern Ireland’s Social Economy Business of the Year Award. It has been so successful in improving the lives of hundreds of people in Lisburn that the Department of Social Development plans Resurgam Chairman Philip Dean (second from right) collecting the award at the recent Enterprise Northern Ireland Awards to roll the model out to other communities in Northern Ireland. Such is the DSD’s belief in Resurgam’s innovative work practices, it recently invested £438,000 in a pilot social economy growth project within the Trust to launch three new social enterprises with the potential of creating ten new jobs. DSD Minister Mervyn Storey attended Resurgam’s Annual General Meeting, telling them that the social enterprise model they have developed is one that can replicated in other areas. He told directors: “Such developments do not happen by accident but require strategic thinking, a visionary approach and committed leadership. The Trust is blessed to have all of these qualities in abundance and I know that you will continue to take this important work forward for the benefits of the people that you serve.” Resurgam is dedicated to improving life for local people and developing facilities and jobs in the area. While the fortunes for the area are Photography provided by ABM Photo Art 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com beginning to improve there is still much work to be done, the group says. Research found (The Best for Every Child) across the city people suffer from poor health and low educational attainment which includes that primary school children in some communities miss on average one day of school a week. Resurgam runs a variety of programmes for young people in the area, helping them to plan their careers, addressing the problem of low educational attainment and encouraging them to engage in cross community work. Adrian Bird, Trust Director of the Resurgam Trust, said: “We feel our holistic approach is unique. We work with everyone in this community – from the tiniest baby to senior citizens and everyone in between. We see the importance of community development, regeneration and employment and the difference that it is making to communities like Old Warren. “We can see that grants are drying up and we need to make ourselves self-sustaining. We aren’t there yet though all the businesses break even or better and also provide employment and training to local people. The big picture is that no one in this sector can rely on grants and it’s our vision to work ourselves out of this grant culture.” We are delighted to announce the Prize Winners from our annual Christmas Draw. We would like to thank everyone who purchased a ticket and also the businesses who provided the various prizes 1st - £1200 Holiday Voucher - Gareth Walker 2nd - £200 Home Heating Oil / Gas Credit Note - Elaine Lowey 3rd - £200 Argos Voucher - Joanne Mitchell 4th - Overnight stay for 2 @ Benedicts Jonathan McMullan 5th - Weekend Break for 2 @ Strand Hotel Ballyliffin - Denis Paisley 6th - £100 M&S Vouchers - S. Young 7th - £100 Tesco Vouchers - M. Maguiness 8th - £100 Drinks Hamper from Trumbles Off Sales - Derek McKnight 9th - £50 Turkey / Meat Pack from Mulhollands Butchers - Janine White 10th - £50 Turkey / Meat Pack from Mulhollands Butchers - S. Mulligan 11th - 3 Months Gym Membership of LaganView Community Gym - David Belshaw RESURGAM TRUST Our Technical Business Link Worker Vince Curry receiving his Certificate in Liberal Studies from Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Belfast Mrs Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle. The 14 month course was facilitated by Queens University Belfast. ANNUAL FUN -RUN Wednesday 26th August 2015 Further details from LaganView Community Gym 07599 925372 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com New Community Services coming to LaganView LaganView is delighted to announce that as of Friday 10th April 2015 Lisburn Citizens Advice Bureau will have a permanent base each week from 9.30-12.30 and 1.30-3.30pm in Office Suite 2 of the building. As we move into this new era of social welfare reform, which in itself brings uncertainty to many people across the City, we are delighted that Citizens Advice will be providing outreach services in LaganView. This advice service would be face to face, both drop in and by appointment. Please keep your eyes peeled on our social media page for more information nearer the time. LAGANVIEW COMMUNITY GYM EASTER HOLIDAYS Closed from 4th April 2015 Re-open Wednesday 8th April NI Holistic Outreach ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES Another exciting development is that NI Holistic Outreach, in partnership with the Resurgam Trust, will now be offering a range of holistic treatment options within LaganView Enterprise Centre such as • STRESS THERAPY MASSAGE • HOLISTIC FACIALS • REIKI & SEICHIM • SWEDISH MASSAGE • INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE • REFLEXOLOGY • ACUPRESSURE MASSAGE Cost for a 30 minute treatment will only be at a special community rate of £10 staring on 25th March and running on 1st, 15th & 29th April. This is open to both male and female adults alike with sessions starting from 12.45pm. 1.20pm, 1.55pm and 2.30pm. To book in for an appointment please call Anne McCarthy (after 3pm) by phone 07837163942, call Aine on 07703056225 or email anne.mccarthy@ntlworld.com . For more information go to www.niholisticapproach.co.uk or contact Gillian Lewis 07710394983. The Resurgam Trust is funded by the Department for Social Development 8th Edition MARCH 2015 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
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