Voluntary Action Camden

About VAC

Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) is Camden’s Council for Voluntary Service. We are an independent charitable organisation and our mission is to work with the people of Camden to support, develop and promote voluntary and community activity. More than 1,400 voluntary and community groups provide vital activities and services, create local job opportunities and enrich lives in Camden. At VAC we support these organisations so that local people and communities can continue to benefit from a thriving voluntary and community sector. We are currently running an important survey -  ”Mapping Camden’s Civic Society” – Click here to take part.  The survey will help us pull together an up-to-date picture of Camden’s voluntary and community sector and its importance in local life.  We hope as many local groups as possible will take part.

What we do

• We offer practical support services and training to local groups.
• We help organisations work together through networks and projects.
• We keep groups up-to-date with the news that affects them.
• We offer our expertise to others via our consultancy services.

You can find out more about what we do and how we can help in the different sections of our website, or click here for more information about who we are, how we work, and our history.  

What’s new on our website this month

• Voluntary Action Camden (VAC), on behalf of the Good Neighbour Schemes Consortium, wishes to appoint a Good Neighbour Scheme Consortium Development Worker/Fundraiser
  2 days per week for 6 months. £37,848 pro rata.  See Jobs pages for further information.
• Looking for office space for 4/5 desks?  We have a ground floor office available in the new year. All facilities and reasonably priced.  Contact Kevin
  
• The report of the second year of the Target HR project is now available.  Working across seven central London boroughs, giving up to a year’s support on HR issues, the second year report shows high levels of satisfaction among users.
• The Camden Education Commission has produced their final report.  You can download it from the Camden website education page.
  
• VAC can help you run a Digital Switchover Briefing for your members and users to help them through the switch to digital TV.  From AGMs to luncheon clubs, we can provide a speaker, information stand, videos and lots of useful materials in many languages. Small grants available to help with costs.  Contact Kevin knunan@vac.org.uk.
• Camden Community Empowerment Network is running the Camden Blueprint Neighbourhood Planning project. Through providing independent support and facilitation to two very different neighbourhoods the CCEN hopes to learn how neighbourhood planning can work in the borough.
• The minutes of the last Strategic Liaison Group meeting are now available.
• Camden’s Culture and Environment Department  funding programme for the Voluntary and Community Sector.  Further information can be found on our news page, or by visiting the Council’s website at www.camden.gov.uk/vcs2012 
• VAC has developed a template collaborative working agreement. You can download it from our ‘resources’ page on the VAC website (scroll to the bottom of the page).
• VAC is developing a new web page containing sample policies and procedures that groups might find useful when creating or updating their own policies and procedures.  Click here to visit this page.
• Hot desk space is available free to VAC members.
• New pages contain VAC good practice briefings on topics of interest to voluntary and community groups.