Christmas Review

I just wanted to offer some seasonal reflections, looking back on 2013, and suggest a fine present for last minute shoppers!

Surrey Youth Focus has had a very good year so far. The staff team is the strongest and most professional ever, and I greatly enjoy working with ( for? ) them all : Kate Peters (Funding and Finance; Su Freeman(Marketing and events), Karen Moore(Website and social media) , and Tasha Parkin (Workforce development and HR advice). We do work well together and it does make working enjoyable.

 Our membership has been sustained and we are launching a big marketing campaign early in the New Year aimed at some 300 potential new organisations. We are also holding discussions in West Sussex (with the County Council and former members of WSCVYS) about whether they would value a "West Sussex Youth Focus" or similar.

I met this week with Surrey CC's property person to discuss terms and conditions for us to take over the property management of Woking Youth Arts Centre (5 year lease), which we would do through a social enterprise with separate governance/finances from SYF but all subject to the agreement of our Trustees on 4 Feb.

The advertisement for a CommUniLAB project manager is published on our website, and again we'll have a big marketing push in the New Year.

The social enterprise is now going well, and  the new Apprentice starts on 6 January
I've had a couple of meetings this week about the re-commissioning of mental health services (£9 mill pa for each of 3 years) - tenders due out next August, and the probability is that a lead agent model will be sought. I had a useful meeting with the Director of Public Health about the links between her agenda(obesity, mental health , teenage pregnancy etc) and that of youth workers in the voluntary sector who address the same issues.

FINALLY the last minute Christmas book you should be buying is written by our President,  Robert Baden -Powell and is called"The diary of a dog" - the hilarious and touching story of a racing greyhound called Bandit. Proceeds from sales are to two charities You can buy it (price £12.99) from   http://www.fieldguard.com/the_diary_of_a_dog_book_robert_powell.html

Happy Christmas,
Mike