Arts for Health at Manchester Metropolitan University are currently delivering an ongoing programme of networking events across the North West Region which Praxis members will find useful.

These sessions are about giving us the opportunity to network and discuss how the sector can grow through informal discussion. They’ve come about as a response to the arts and health communities expressed need, to get together.

The hope is that future sessions feed into both strategic developments and provide practical support on the ground. The format of the evening sessions will be very much dictated to by those attending.  Read more... (186 words, estimated 45 secs reading time)

Public Health International Conference:  8&9 September 2011, London

The Journal of Public Health is holding its second international conference in September 2011. Taking as its theme health and wellbeing, the conference will explore the relationships between health, wellbeing and the factors which influence them in a global environment.

Key note speakers include:
Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Jonathon Porritt
Professor Sir Andy Haines
Professor Dame Carol Black
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Plus masterclasses from:
Dr Ian Banks
Dr Steve Boorman
Professor Tim Lang
Dr John Beard

Early bird bookings – 10% discount for bookings made prior to 31 March.  Read more... (160 words, estimated 38 secs reading time)

Did you know there are over 30 different EU funding programmes or schemes that have provided support for arts and culture projects and activities? This seminar will outline these opportunities and provide practical information, useful tips, and relevant contact details.

Geoffrey Brown has worked within the EU funding systems for 15 years, including 11 as the official EC Cultural Contact Point in the UK – now an independent consultant, he offers his insider knowledge, tips and contacts to help you identify opportunities and start developing your applications.  Read more... (161 words, estimated 39 secs reading time)

 The second annual State of the Arts conference, organised by the RSA and Arts Council England, will bring together a wide range of creative voices to debate issues around resilience, audience and the value of arts and culture.

In a time of austerity, what are the priorities now? What is our vision for the long term? What imaginative and practical approaches are needed to sustain the arts through this period? What new opportunities are there to deepen the value of the arts to individuals, to society and to the economy? Confirmed speakers include: Julia Peyton-Jones, Tabitha Jackson, Miranda McKearney, Shreela Ghosh, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Marcus Romer, Josie Rouke, Alan Davey and Dame Liz Forgan from Arts Council England, and the RSA’s Luke Johnson and Matthew Taylor.  Read more... (174 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

This new edition of the Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment (MWIA) toolkit has been published by the National Mental Health Development Unit in partnership with the English National MWIA Collaborative. 

It is designed to help support national, regional and local services and systems across health, local government, the voluntary, community and private sector to embed mental wellbeing into their work.

This version builds on the earlier MWIA Toolkit published in 2007, and is a final working draft.  Click here for more information or download the Toolkit here.

See also the Mental Wellbeing Checklist which was mentioned in our Commissioning Revealed Event in November.

Volunteer roles can now be advertised on the online Guardian Jobs listing, free of charge.

Guardian Jobs’ dedicated volunteering recruitment section attracts 12,000 unique users a month with opportunities catering for the 207,000 charity/volunteer sector job seekers using the website every month.

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