Future Focus Newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of the Future Focus newsletter, where you'll find exciting opportunities for training, employment support, and guidance.

It’s Dying Matters Week from 6 - 12 May.  It’s a great time to reflect on the importance of conversations that help break taboos and stigmas around death, dying and bereavement. Our Ask, Chat, Planning for the Future session is for those who wish to explore and talk about end-of-life care wishes and preferences. It will introduce you to some of the templates that can be used to facilitate the process either for yourself, your loved ones, or those that you are working with. Book your place here.

Join our Death, Dying and Loss awareness session (12 May, 2pm - 3.30pm) to feel more confident in communicating and supporting people who might have palliative care diagnosis and those who are bereaved.

Dementia Action week will also take place this month from 19 – 25 May.

If you are worried about yourself or someone close to you, join our Dementia Friends Information session (21 May, 12pm- 1pm) to learn about the condition and ways to help improve the quality of life for those living with it.

If you work in the voluntary sector, you can enhance your skills, knowledge, and expertise by participating in our organisational training programs. We offer valuable sessions on volunteer management and strategies for Full Cost Recovery (5 June, 10am - 1pm). Reserve your spot now to avoid disappointment.

Kind regards,

Juli Riley
Head of Wellbeing, Employment and Skills

If you are finding your journey towards employment challenging, our employment support team can help ensure you're ready to secure your next role. 

We can help with:

• Creating online job-seeking profiles
• Writing CVs, personal statements, and cover letters
• Interview preparation techniques
• Communication tips and more!

• Leeming Road Hub in Borehamwood every Friday, 9.30am to 3.45pm - Drop-in available or make an appointment

• Canada Life (cafe) in Potters Bar every Wednesday, 9.30am to 12.00pm - By appointment only

• Appointments are available at other venues upon request

The Communities Thirst coffee cart at St Albans Civic Centre is an extension of Communities 1st's mission to offer volunteers the chance to learn, grow, and support their community. Whether you're a seasoned barista or looking to learn the art of creating the perfect cup of coffee, you can volunteer to help us run the coffee cart and make it a success. You'll have the opportunity to develop various skills and - if you're interested - mentor those who are also eager to learn but find it a bit harder than others. The coffee cart is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.

Interested in joining us? If you'd like to find out more about this opportunity, call us on 01727 649950 or email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk.

We'd love to tell you more!

This session is an introduction to what Advance Care Planning (ACP) is. It is aimed at staff and volunteers in the voluntary sector, healthcare staff, and the wider public.

It provides an opportunity to start thinking and talking about end-of-life care wishes and preferences.

This session is for those who wish to explore more about ACP and what to include, for example Lasting Power of Attorney, ReSPECT, Advance Decisions to refuse treatment, and will introduce you to some of the templates that can be used to facilitate the process either for yourself, your loved ones, or those that you are working with.

8 May 2025, 12pm - 1.30 pm
 

This is an introductory awareness session for staff and volunteers in the voluntary sector, healthcare staff and the public on how to be better at talking about death, dying and loss which covers bereavement.

The session will be a look at

• Why don’t we talk about death?
• What a good death is for yourself
• Communication techniques​, Empathy vs Sympathy​
• some the Theories of loss and
• What to do and say. The session is to help people feel more confident in supporting people who might have a palliative care diagnosis and those who are bereaved.

We will explore the social context of death and dying, considering the impact on good end-of-life care and bereavement support.

Please note this is an online session on Zoom and is being delivered by Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care.

12 May 2025, 2pm - 3.30 pm
 

Join our 2-hour CPD accredited training on Women and Gambling Related Harms led by GamCare's Women's Pathway Programme.

This training is aimed at practitioners working directly with women, to feel more confident in identifying gambling-related harms, and how to respond and signpost for support. During this training, we will cover the gambling-related harms women experience, either from their gambling or someone else's.

The objectives of this training are:

 - Understand what gambling harm is and its different forms.​
- Recognise the risk factors and drivers to gambling harm.​
- Know how to spot the signs of gambling harm.​
- Understand the impacts of gambling harm for women who gamble or who are an affected other.​
- Knowledge of referral pathways for help and support.

GamCare is the leading provider of information and support for those impacted by gambling harms.

Women’s Pathway is an education and prevention programme at GamCare. The programme aims to raise awareness about gambling harms for women. We also deliver CPD accredited training for professionals and support groups for women affected by someone else’s gambling harm.

13 May 2025, 2pm - 4pm
 

There is an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of the role of mental health in the wellbeing of individuals and the community as a whole. Being aware of your mental health can substantially reduce long term physical and mental health conditions and the stigma around it. 

This is an online session. 

The objectives of the course are:

• To be able to recognise stress and anxiety and other mental health conditions.
• To have a good understanding of what support is available to people with mental health conditions.
• To be able to manage stress in day-to-day life.

15 May 2025, 10am - 11.30am
 

Nobody wants to hear the news that they have developed dementia and it is currently the biggest killer in the UK, ahead of heart attacks, strokes and cancer. There is a lot of fear and stigma attached to a diagnosis, which can make living with dementia (and caring for someone with it) very hard.

Join us to for a presentation by Jan Payne (a Dementia Friends Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society) to learn more about dementia and the ways we can all help to improve the quality of life for those living with it. Please note this is a general information session and not a medical presentation and will last about 45 minutes. At the end there will be an opportunity, for those who wish to do so, to join over 3 million people in the UK, by becoming a Dementia Friend.

21 May 2025, 12pm - 1pm
 

21 May 2025, 10am - 5pm
 

Please note that there is a charge for this course. More information on the booking page.

By the end of this online training, we hope that you will be able to:

• Fully understand what is meant by Full Cost Recovery

• To understand your Direct Costs and Over Head Costs, and know how to factor these into your applications

• Be confident in your ability to apply the Full Cost recovery concept to your future grant and funding applications

If you have specific access needs, please email us  or call 01727 649940. A member of the team will be happy to help you. 

5 June 2025, 10am - 1pm
 

Please note that there is a charge for this course. More information on the booking page.