Celebrating 15 years of charity work in Scotland
It feels like only yesterday that we were at the SECC for this year’s edition of SCVO’s The Gathering, but over the last six weeks we have been reflecting on how we can put all of the great learning into action at Ecas.
Opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the two day event was held in Glasgow and featured charitable organisations and partners from across Scotland who attended to explore ways of working together to secure the future of Scotland’s third-sector industry.
We were delighted to hear the First Minister commit to continuing to support the work being done for physically disabled adults, and the work being done by NHS Scotland, to address disability inequality throughout Scotland. With a wealth of content coming out of the events, we’ve taken a moment to jot down our top five tips and insights from The Gathering’s 15th birthday.
1. As volunteering is proven to positively impact the quality of life for physically disabled people, more opportunities for volunteering should be created for persons with physical disabilities and these opportunities developed in such a way as to help them be able to participate.
Read how volunteering with Ecas led one Befriendee to the bright lights of stage production.
2. Video content is a powerful medium for sharing your charity’s story. Charities should take the extra step to ensure that captions are well produced, and that signed versions are made available, to help ensure greater access.
3. The Scottish Burden of Disease Study has produced a series of tools that allow organisations and industry professionals to measure the related impact of disease through the ‘Disability Adjusted Life Year’.
4. Isolation is a key issue for persons with physical disabilities, and social media is a great tool that can be used to connect and foster positive friendships for disabled people. Charities with an active social media presence should look to create communities and opportunities for their audiences to engage with each other online.
5. Organisations with more diversity on the boards will always have a more balanced approach to decision making. It’s extra important to ensure there is representation of the service users of your charitable services, and helping to make sure the application process is available in different formats, like braille and large text, can help ensure more people can apply for board opportunities.
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