We are part of CSV, a national volunteering and training charity. Our team encourages and supports young people of school age and up to volunteer in their communities.

We run a number of projects that you might like to know about and get involved with, in particular our brand new young people's network ed:it... so read on!

ed:it logo imageNew! The CSV Education Young People's Network - ed:it
Do you have strong views on volunteering and experience you'd like to share with us? If so, we'd love you to join our new network and work with us to help shape (edit!) the work that we do now and in the future.

The 'e' of course also stands for Education, and the 'it' refers to the fact that there'll be lots of IT (information technology) involved!

If you're interested in getting involved, get in touch by Friday June 20th!
Jenny Higgins at our HQ is waiting to hear from you! Her email is education@csv.org.uk or you can call her on 0207 643 1435. The work we do is all about young people so it's really important to us that you have a say in what we do and how we do it.

There are lots of ways you can get involved...
• Coming to our team meetings and letting us know what you think about the work we're doing
• Helping design the art work on the resources we develop
• Getting involved in letting people know what CSV Education is doing by speaking to newspapers and appearing on radio stations
• Advising us when we make funding bids for new projects
• Taking part in training courses, and possibly facilitating courses that we run
• Even writing and designing this newsletter!

Ed:it will also have a website, so you'll be able to keep in touch with what we're doing, make suggestions and discuss ideas through the message boards. But remember, you need to get in touch by June 20th to get involved!
We can't wait to hear from you.

CSV Education's great big noise at Ministry of Sound, 26 June!
We are very excited to announce this year's Deutsche Bank schools event which will take place on Thursday 26th June 2008 at the world famous Ministry of Sound in London.

The event focuses on the theme of reducing child poverty in the UK through volunteering, and much of the event will be run by students, and there'll be so much amazing stuff get your hands on - including graffiti, DJ-ing and recycling fashion, as well as students showcasing their volunteering work, information stands, free resources, live performances and a fashion show.











The event is absolutely free for students of all ages, so if you would like to get actively involved or simply attend the event, please contact Maria Inglis on 020 8285 1140 or email her at maria@blueskyonline.co.uk.

Similar events are taking place in Kent and Portsmouth during week beginning 23rd June.

Step-Up... to the challenge
If you are a post-16 student in a London school then Step-Up...to the challenge may be the project for you.

Supported by Deutsche Bank and the youth volunteering charity v, Step-Up allows young people to identify and tackle problems that exist in their communities, by volunteering to make a difference.

This can be their school community or their local community outside of school. This is a great opportunity for young people to show that they really care about what goes on, as well as develop a number of skills in project planning and implementation.

If you know post-16 students that would be interested in joining the Step-Up project, please email Amy on alee@csv.org.uk to see if your school is eligible.

Pay a visit to Parliament
Members of the Step-Up project will have the rare opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament on 2nd October 2008 from 2.45pm until 5pm.

This free visit will consist of a workshop, a question and answer session with a Member of Parliament, and a full tour of the Palace of Westminster.

For your opportunity to join this group please email Amy Lee on alee@csv.org.uk.

Get an Active Citizenship toolkit
We have a number of free active citizenship toolkits available for schools and other organisations providing citizenship education. Funded by the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC), the resource has been created by young people to encourage other young people to play their part in improving their communities.

The toolkit consists of a box full of teaching ideas and resources (games / pictures / cards etc.) which will guide teaching about sustainable communities and introduce and support the planning, delivery and evaluation of an active citizenship project.

The main aim of the toolkit is to get students to think about their communities and to inspire them to take part in a project that makes a difference to their community. To reserve your free toolkit, please email education@csv.org.uk.

Become a Mentor in London or Cardiff
Are you aged 18 or over?
Would you like to support another young person for an hour a week?
Could you use your experience to provide a listening ear and to help someone plan for the future?
Could you be a source of advice and inspiration?

Islington, London
We are currently looking for volunteers to join a number of our mentoring projects that take place in Islington and throughout Greater London. You will be given full training in mentoring, as well as support during the project.

The project will give you a chance to
• Build your confidence and improve your communication skills
• Make a really positive contribution to the life of another young person
• Share your experience and skills and meet new people
• Gain some great work experience to put on your CV.

For more info please call Dave Hopper on 0207 643 1317 or email dhopper@csv.org.uk.

Cardiff
CSV's Action Cardiff Education programme is a mentoring project aimed at primary school children (age 7 to 11). Volunteer mentors are recruited to provide support for disadvantaged children in areas of deprivation in the city of Cardiff.

Volunteers come from all walks of life and several of them are students. No special qualifications are required - just commitment, some life experience and an interest in supporting children.

Contact Suzanne Lockwood on 029 2041 5717 or email sllockwood@csv.org.uk.

RespectUs!
Young people who have special needs have a lot to offer their communities and the RespectUs project shows how older students at special schools can make a difference.

Five schools in the Manchester area are already involved and young people have come up with lots of different ideas.

Some are creating book-bags and reading with young children in local libraries, whilst others are working with residents at a local old people's home to redesign and rebuild their garden. One school has decided to focus on recycling, and there is even a plan for volunteers to run a hairdressing salon!

We expect to start new projects in Birmingham and Tamworth this September.

If you have ideas, or would like to know more about the project, please contact Melanie Elkan on 07930 366077 or email melaniejelkan@hotmail.com.

"Fitting In" in South Tyneside
Young women in South Shields face isolation from the wider community and many of them experience conflict between their families of origin and their desire to 'fit in' with life in the local community. Some of them experience a range of emotional difficulties including coping with conflict, low self-esteem and a lack of access to local opportunities.

With support, the local young women volunteers in the group have
• Produced a cookbook of traditional dishes
• Arranged visits to local venues (without parents)
• Discussed personal issues and their feelings about their culture and traditions
• Participated in art workshops.

To find out more, contact Sharon Bell on 07747 153876 or
email sbell@csv.org.uk.

Thank you for reading!
This was produced by CSV Education. To unsubscribe from this eNewsletter, please click here.

www.csvcommunitypartners.org.uk
CSV Education would like to extend our thanks to all our funders and sponsors for their valued support.

CSV works alongside people to transform lives and communities. CSV is a registered charity no. 291222 and a company limited by guarantee registered in under no. 1435877.