Blogging IIItravels through the third sector

You can expect that public spending cuts are on their way but you can have your say.

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland invites YOU, the consumer, to attend public meetings in Cookstown and Belfast to have your say.

Now is the time to make your voice heard and help shape how these cuts are managed by government.  Have your say at one or both of our open meetings on how these cuts may affect you, your family and friends.  The Consumer Council will bring your views to the NI Executive Ministers and fight hard for what you believe must stay, what goes and how public services can be improved in the future.

For further details such as times, location and parking, please click here.

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Stratagem Report: Alex Attwood MLA, the Social Development Minister, has urged older people in Northern Ireland to make sure that they are getting the entitlements they are due to help heat their homes this winter.

If you have already received a claim form, send it in now. If you haven’t got a form, do not worry – you can either complete one online at: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment or call the helpline on 08459 15 15 15, (0845 601 5613 for textphone users).

If you claim by 24 September you should get your money before Christmas. If your form is received after 24 September, a payment before Christmas can’t be guaranteed but will still be processed.

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The first draft of the research report is finished. We will now be taking this to the people who work with the Young of Old every day of the working week. We need to gauge their opinions about the findings and future trends in the age sector.

So beware because it could be you (if you have said you wanted to help)!

Thankfully, Community Direct’s Ailish Cullen is handling the logistics of this. My disclaimer was “In the interests of consistency in research data collection, I believe it is only fitting that the organisation that managed the focus groups, manages these interviews too.” I’ve bought myself a bucket of time. I hasten to add that you’d prefer to sit with Miss Ailish rather than me.

Primarily, I’ll be contacting those who were kind enough to offer to help at a later stage when they answered “AFFIRMATIVE” in the previous questionnaire. They are in the firing line for a phone call soon to see if they are still up for it – “it” being an hour long chat with Ailish about the first draft of this report and the potential future trends in the age sector in Northern Ireland.

Nevertheless, if you work with older people in the province and are hankering to have your opinion heard too, give me an email at ciaran@adviceni.net. I’ll gladly email the first draft of the research back to you and put you on the list for potential interviewees if we haven’t enough from the original batch.

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We had our first design consultation with Jonny and Joel from Synergy Learning this week.

Foundations were laid and the building blocks to the project were scoped. The hard-hat and tool belt that I was wearing seemed out of place, though. I must have misread the email

We introduced the boys to the first draft of our research. Within this report it is plain to see what the older people and those who work with them want. Information on seniors’ rights and entitlements is one thing, but they also want the bells and whistles to boot.

I don’t think they would’ve believed me unless I had shown them the physical proof in the study. Then again, I was asked by a 75 year-old at a focus group what anti-virus and spyware secure software I would prefer as her Norton was due for renewal.

So, game-on with the next phase of the project. 

Now, where-the-hell’s-gates-goats did I put my drill set?

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Any slash in the winter fuel payment to older people may be a cut that runs too deep.

Fuel poverty occurs when we pay more than 10% of our income on fuel/energy. Over 1/3 of all homes in Northern Ireland are fuel poor (source: Department Social Development report Fuel Poverty in Northern Ireland) and obviously older people are the members of our community most at risk. Therefore, you do the maths:

(Winter Fuel Payment Cut + Rising Fuel Prices) Winter Severity =  ?

Let’s hope it’s mild this Christmas.

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Just having a peep above the parapet.

If I see another pie chart or venn diagram, I think I’ll scream (or “sqweeeem” as the cartoon says).

I’m sure you can tell that I’ve finally lifted my head up from the questionnaires, studies and books that have been piled up around my desk over the last quarter. I’ll get the bosses to sign off on the report before we release it, though. In-depth interviews with the professionals are being organised as we speak.

Also, after pitched battle and much butting of antlers, we’ve chosen a web designer for the project too. The first consultation is on Monday 16th. I’ve already prepared their artistic director for stupid questions from me. I’ll have plausible deniability from here-on-in. Tua culpa, non mea

Time for proof-reading now! First, I think I might fashion some form of sonic hood and let out that gulder. Nobody will hear

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We’ll have a chock-a-block week ahead of us at Advice NI.

The main part of the research is in:

132 questionnaires from older people around the province

74 questionnaires from those who interface with them 

15 out of 16 focus groups amounting to a further 130 people (big “Word-up!” to Ailish and all the ladies at the WRDA)

The richness and reach of the research has been unbelievably helpful so thank you all very, very much. We’ve had input from the likes of Jacinta up in Ballymurphy or Billy down in Ards right through to the First Minister, Peter Robinson, himself. Professionals and family carers across the board have aided me at every juncture too.

I’m writing the report this week and then I’m going to organise semi-structured interviews and mini focus groups with the professionals to see whether I need to include anything else. Then I can polyfilla any gaps.

We had massive interest in the project from some of the top designers in Ireland and Great Britain so it took a few days longer to read their proposals properly. The final presentations are being held this week so I’ll look forward to meeting the select few. That means we’ll be good-to-go in September so hold on to your hollyhocks.

Oh, and the results are in for the naming of the site. 81 people voted. It was neck-and-neck all the way. The final split was 41 to 40 in favour of… (non-contentious drumroll):

Rights 4 Seniors  .net/.com. (not active yet)

Keep visiting or sign up for the RSS feed (the yellow sun above this post) as Blogging III is attracting an average of 25 visits a day (about 24 more than I expected ).

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“I like your manifesto/Put it to the testo” sang the best known Cork philosophers, the Sultans of Ping, back in the day:

Well, I was back at Stratagem for a masterclass in campaigning and lobbying and, of course, we just had to review the political manifestos of the parties in “Norn Iron“. It’s fantastic how glossy and slick they are when they are wanting a vote. Aye, and the manifestos too!

Lesley Johnston of Unltd fame was there so I knew I was going to be distracted from hard work . (Ed: give her a shout if you have any great ideas for over 50s groups and need funding as I’d love to think of her being busy in work). Thankfully, there were three of Stratagem’s consultants there to keep an eye on her and a sleeper in the class (Clare, the intern) just on the off-chance Ms. Rambunctious got out-of-hand

Again lots of practical advice was dished out in dollops – “campaigns… are conversations with society” – and we had Nora Smith from Employers for Childcare apply it to the real world. Essentials to remember for campaigning and advocacy are:

• Focus
• Clarity
• Credibility
• Relevance
• Timing
• Commitment

“Social Media and the Campaigning Mix” considered the use of blogs, Facebook and Twitter by charities but I can’t imagine any of these catching on .

Interesting to note that I’m at Stratagem so often that they are even giving me stationery on the way out the door.

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There were near riots at focus groups and the professionals in the third sector are split: what do we call the “Young of Old” without causing outrage.

Well now I’m going to leave it open to you. We have whittled it down to two choices from the gamut of people that I have met over the last quarter. I have been out-voted and overruled:

ERNI (Elders’ Rights Northern Ireland) caused a storm as “elder” isn’t respectful anymore so my nanny’s wrong.

TROOP NI (The Rights of Older People Northern Ireland) is too militaristic apparently.

OPENI, pronounced “open eye” (Older People’s Entitlements Northern Ireland) was one acronym too many for my line manager.

It’s all up to you now, so you choose!

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If you have a better idea, you can post it here.

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Ropes and crampons?

More Tender than Bender.

To do justice to the website proposals that designers from all over the realms have been kind enough to send Advice NI, I had to forewarn the professionals that our team would have to sacrifice the weekend to read through them all. That means we won’t be together again to confer until Monday.

It’ll then be knuckle-duster to-hand as the battle will be close-fought by many.

Any thoughts, therefore, of drinking shenanigans are out the window so all benders are on hold

Seriously, though, they make for a good read so it won’t be too bad at all, especially if the good weather holds for a few hours longer and I can sit outside with the neighbourhood cats. I’ll have learned more about information architecture and project management by Monday than I have done over the past decade.

Sometimes I think I should get a hobby other than snail racing.

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