News
One of the 3 strategic goals of Better Connect is to Inspire Change. This involves promoting social inclusion as an essential part of creating vibrant, productive and prosperous communities.
We aim to inspire change in 3 ways:
- Sharing participants stories – Through our projects, our partners have supported thousands of participants. We know that behind these big numbers, each person has their own individual story of how they have been supported to transform their lives. We are delighted that some of these people have chosen to share their stories with us. And now, we get to share those stories with you.
- Thinkpieces and blogs – Our staff and partners have a huge amount of knowledge on lots of issues regarding inclusion, diversity, wellbeing and employment. Some of this comes from their work and education and much of it comes from lived experience. We create and share blogs and thinkpieces written by our staff and partners to raise awareness and contribute positively to the conversation about these key issues.
- Representation – We are honoured to represent social inclusion issues and the voluntary and community sector in multiagency groups and policy formation. We do this by listening to our partners and participants and using our platforms to amplify their voices and perspectives. We connect policy makers with people on the ground to ensure that policies and funding have the greatest positive impact in communities.
Our Visit to Monday Makers at Rural Arts funded by ESF Community Grants
ESF Community Grants
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“From the beginning of the course to the end we’ve seen some really lovely changes…” On a cold December day, Simon and Hannah visited Thirsk to meet with a fantastic organisation doing fantastic things!! Rural Arts is a charity that delivers inspiring and inclusive creative opportunities that enrich lives and connect communities. They lead a
Supporting Employees Mental Health
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Thriving at Work
A big thanks to Nick at York Mind for their recent webinar focusing on supporting people with their mental health. If you would like to see the slides from the session they can be downloaded by following the link below. We are planning new sessions as part of Thriving at Work in the New Year
Understanding Sensory Overload
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Thriving at Work
A big thanks to Autism Plus for their recent webinar focusing on sensory overload. If you would like to see the slides from the session they can be downloaded by following the link below. We are planning new sessions as part of Thriving at Work in the New Year so please check out the
If You Love What You Do…
Kickstart
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“If you Love What You Do You’ll Never Work a Day In Your Life…” It was great to meet up with James who works as a Kickstart staff member for Sporting Force in Newton Aycliffe. His life plans had to change due to redundancy and he has made an excellent fresh start with
Winter Wellbeing
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Thriving at Work
A big thanks to Nicola Gibbons from York Mind for sharing some valuable tips for winter wellbeing. If you would like to attend one of our next webinars then please visit our booking page. These sessions are free and funded as part of our Thriving at Work project. You can also download the resources
Talk Money Week – November 2021
Action Towards Inclusion
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People in the UK don’t talk about their money enough. Despite the COVID-19 crisis affecting finances, 9 in 10 UK adults – that’s 47 million people – don’t find it any easier to talk about money, or don’t even discuss it at all. We want to celebrate Talk Money Week and focus on
Managing Neurodivergent Staff – Webinar Resources
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Thriving at Work
We were really please to have Suzanne Eusman from Autism Plus share her insights into supporting staff who identify as autistic or nerodivergent. We’ve kept her presentation and you can download it below. There are lots of new Lunchtime Learning webinars and more in depth training planned so please check out the link below.
Katie’s Kickstart Story
Kickstart
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“I’m 25 and I’ve got a job that I love. It’s awesome…” This short video features Katie – a Kickstart staff member working for Pioneer Projects in North Yorkshire. She’s been with the organisation for six months and has now had her employment contract extended. If you are an organisation that would
What is it like to be a Kickstart Employer?
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Kickstart
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Today we will be sharing some feedback from one of our employers on the Kickstart Programme. Selby District AVS are a registered charity that provides advice, support and information to enable Voluntary and Community Sector groups in Selby District to develop and thrive. They have offered 12 opportunities through the Kickstart programme. We asked
Balance in Leadership
Mental Health
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Thriving at Work
Wellbeing Resources
It was great to hear Sam our CEO talking and sharing about the importance of balance in leadership. We are recording all the Thriving at Work webinars but you can book on these free events and find out more about the in depth training being offered as part of our exciting project. You
A Big Thanks to Nick…
Mental Health
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Thriving at Work
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Wellbeing Resources
We want to say a big thank you to Nicola Gibbons from York Mind for kicking off our new series of lunchtime learning webinars – funded as part of Thriving at Work. The session – focusing on the importance of employee mental health – was really well received and we hope that it
New Community Grants Projects
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ESF Community Grants
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We have been managing ESF Community Grants, alongside Humber Learning Consortium, since 2008! It is our longest running programme at Better Connect and has funded projects for hundreds of different organisations across the years. With the funding for Community Grants drawing to a close next year, we would like to take some time to