There’s no sheepishness from 
In Defense of Youth Work! Join them for free events in London on 26 April and Manchester on 27 April to share experiences of how people are dealing with the marketisation of youth and community work and the wider voluntary sector.
Since the start of its campaign, In Defence of Youth … Continue reading
Here’s a good read that elegantly puts together different pieces of the jigsaw – the state of the economy, private sector influences on it, the undermining of public services and the welfare state, and how we might come together to resist the plans that the neo-liberals have for us.
Learn to speak like a fully engaged, customer-facing choice moderniser…
Health Emergency have an entertaining and insightful guide to the language and spurious concepts used by those currently busying themselves with the dismantling of our welfare state. Have a giggle, get cross, pass it on:
http://www.healthemergency.org.uk/pdf/TeachyourselfLansley.pdf… Continue reading
The winners and losers in the Transforming Local Infrastructure beauty contest have been announced. But is twisting yourself into a pretzel to please the government the best way to support local voluntary action? Here Adrian Barritt has a rant against the rise of the cyberstate….
Back in the 1970’s, the Cybermen with their sibilous metallic … Continue reading
NCIA was pleased to see a strong attack on the effects of market-led commissioning models, but thinks the panel needs to be less cautious on the change that is needed on two key issues: funding and commissioning mechanisms, and the need for voluntary organisations to combine to fight off the threats to their autonomy.
NCIA … Continue reading
Compact Voice continues its happy-clappy approach to the disaster that is the Compact in welcoming the National Audit Office report on its (non) implementation in central government. “We are delighted that the Compact is supported by government departments and that the NAO have found good examples of it being applied” says Compact Voice’s Simon Blake, … Continue reading
For nearly two decades we have been told that ‘partnership’ is the way forward, bringing us all together in ‘one big happy family’. But is partnership working really a confidence trick, confirming and exploiting unequal power relationships? Here Professor Jonathan Davies of De Montfort University outlines the arguments and trails his recent book which locates … Continue reading
On 22 November, in his final address to a NAVCA conference, Kevin Curley asserted his belief that the work of infrastructure organisations should not be values neutral. He said: “I was dismayed when Turning Point and Catch 22 – two great national charities – formed a consortium with Serco to build and run two new … Continue reading
Vera Martins, Director of Manchester-based young people’s support agency 42nd Street, has announced in her organisation’s 2011 annual report that she believes ‘if there is to be genuine positive change where we don’t simply buy into the existing rhetoric, organisations need to raise their heads above the parapet – neutrality is no longer an option.’… Continue reading
The In Defence of Youth Work campaign has published ‘This is Youth Work’, a collection of case studies about youth work practice, as part of its attempts to highlight key characteristics of the work that are being undermined. The report says that youth work should be ‘founded on a voluntary engagement with young people in … Continue reading