Rob Kurn’s latest newsletter 16 May 2024

A Message from Rob Kurn CEO

Greetings All,

On Wednesday 22^nd May 9.30 – 11.30 we’re holding an event with SCC Public Health to help shape the next iteration of Southampton’s Health and Care Strategy.  This has been advertised, but with the wrong booking link (it went to the Friday Forum booking form).  Sorry!
The correct link is here.
This meeting is being held in-person at Southampton Voluntary Services, but you can also join online through Teams (link will be sent the day before).

Over the next couple of months SVS will be facilitating a series of meetings for local VCSE CEOs and Chairs, culminating in a meeting with Cllr Lorna Fielker, Leader of the Council, and Andrew Travers, SCC CEO.  These meetings have a few complimentary objectives:

• Scoping the current state of the local sector – challenges, opportunities, resilience, relationships.
• Building stronger relationships, finding common ground, collaboration, potential and appetite for future consortia developments.
• Starting a conversation with Local Government about how we work together during difficult financial times, to maximise impact for local communities.

These meetings are being called at the request of local CEOs to build a sense of solidarity in the sector, and the first two will be held in-person at SVS over (bring your own!) lunch.  Any local VCSE organisations are invited, so please do extend the invitation, and further comms will follow. Dates are:
Thursday 13^th June | 12-2pm | CEOs | SVS
Thursday 4^th July | 12-2pm | CEOs & Chairs | SVS
Tuesday 9^th July | 2-3.30pm | CEOs, Chairs, Cllr Fielker & Andrew Travers | Venue TBC
PLEASE BOOK HERE

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, so it was befitting to hold the inaugural meeting of Southampton’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Partnership, jointly led by SCC Public Health, Southampton Metal Health Network, and SVS.  This partnership will give leadership to the implementation of the City’s new Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy, that is due to be signed off by Cabinet imminently.  The members noted and welcomed the engagement and coproduction process that had led to the strategy’s development.  Top marks Public Health team!
Here are a couple of resources promoting good mental health:
Thrive Inside – Solent Mind
What is mental health? The School of Life

After 25 years we are sadly closing City Shopmobility this week.  Having moved into West Quay last year we were hopeful that we could increase the project’s revenue and keep the service going.  Having been partly funded by SCC for many years, this is now no longer the case, and our efforts to find alternative funding have not been fruitful.  We will be saying farewell to two of the project’s staff at the end of this month, and we wish Julie and Kevin the best in their future endeavours, and also say a big thanks for the excellent customer service they have provided over many years.

Best wishes – Rob

Friday Forum 7 June 2024 10am

Please join us at our next Friday Forum which will have a coproduction theme. Let us know if you would like a slot to talk about a project that has involved local people in the design and delivery. Tell us about your work that fulfills the objective of “nothing about us without us.”

More details and booking here:
Southampton Friday Forum June 2024 – Southampton Voluntary Services (southamptonvs.org.uk)

Coproduction journeys

April’s Coproduction Corner

It was lovely to see lots of you on 26 April at our last Coproduction Corner session. Read our event blog here: Coproduction Corner in April 2024 – so what happened? – Southampton Voluntary Services (southamptonvs.org.uk)
We explored Design for Wiser Action as a process. This helped us explore four local projects in more detail:

• Calm spaces associated with events;
• “Soul of Southampton” to share positive stories about the city and its people;
• Neurodiversity and unpaid carers; and
• Gardening project on Holyrood Estate.

Next coproduction-themed session
Our next Friday Forum will have a coproduction theme. More information and sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/F6WXDpWsnt
Local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations will have the chance to tell everyone about any coproduced projects they have been involved in.

Teenage girls in parks
If you are interested in ways Southampton can help ensure teenage girls feel safer and more welcome in parks, we’d love to hear from you. Maybe you are connected with a park or open space? Perhaps you are keen to support girls and others in doing more physical exercise? Maybe you have an interest in community safety issues for young people. We are working with Monty’s Community Hub and Veracity Life to hear the voices of young people, and we’d also like to hear your perspectives too, please.

Please contact Rebecca Kinge at r.kinge@southamptonvs.org.uk about our Coproduction Corner work or to be added to the dedicated mailing list.