I am thrilled to announce that Creative Optimistic Visions (COV) has received funding from The Social Enterprise Support Fund. This enables increased youth provision, training and wellbeing supervision for frontline practitioners.
We have, like so many others, worked endlessly to ensure that we can still deliver our services alternatively during the pandemic. I am very proud of how hard our team and the sector has responded to support those most vulnerable at this very difficult time. However, this has come at a cost. That being our emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. There is only so long our reserve tank can last, and nearly 8 months in, it’s pretty much running on fumes.
We asked the Social Enterprise Support fund to help with:
- support part of our salaries
- create two new youth worker posts to continue and increase the delivery of essential youth services and one to one mentoring.
- provide discounted accredited Protective Behaviours training to 48 professionals working with vulnerable children, young people and adults**
- provide additional staff wellbeing services
- engage with business and social impact consultants to ensure the businesses growth strategy is implemented through these uncertain times.
The Social Enterprise Support Fund was established in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and five social enterprise support agencies: Big Issue Invest, The Key Fund, Resonance, the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and UnLtd with support from CAF Venturesome, the Young Foundation and Ashoka.
The Fund provides essential financial support to help social enterprises during COVID-19. It will help social enterprises to meet additional demands, change the way they work, make their spaces COVID-secure, and manage liquidity during the next six months.
As a small grassroots organisation, this funding has provided a lifeline in ensuring we can achieve our mission as an organisation. Making sure we can respond to the wellbeing of our staff and young people, whilst sharing our skill set with others via our online Protective Behaviours Training.
** This fund has enabled us to provide a 50% discount on our accredited Protective Behaviours Foundation Level Training. If you would like to benefit from this, please click here to find our training dates over the next six months.
Creative Optimistic Visions was established in 2014, we are a Community Interest Company that delivers alternative education, training, mentoring, youth and wellbeing services through the lens of The Protective Behaviours Process with people of all ages and abilities.
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