Development Trusts Association Scotland - the national body for development trusts in Scotland -

*News Briefing*
last updated 25th Feb 2010
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NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ASSET TRANSFER - NEW DATE
DTA Scotland is hosting a national symposium on the transfer of assets from local authorities to community organisations. Speakers confirmed include Alex Neil MSP, Minister for Communities, and Cllr Harry McGuigan, COSLA's spokesperson on community well-being. The event, which was to be held on 13th April, is now scheduled for May 19th and is for elected members, council officials and representatives from community organsiations. We hope to see as many from development trusts as possible in attendance. For details of the event e-mail assets@dtascot.org.uk
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BUILDING DESIGN PROJECTS STUDY TOUR - 20TH MARCH
DTA Scotland and the GlassHouse (a national voluntary sector design body) are organising a FREE study tour to two inspiring community buildings in Glasgow. This one day event is for community organisations that are at an early stage in developing a new building, or improving an exitsing one, in their neighbourhood. For more details click here
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BUSINESS ACQUISITION SEMINAR- 24TH MARCH
DTA Scotland in patnership with Social Firms Scotland are running a seminar on the acquisition of an existing business as a method of growth and achieving community benefit/social impact. This one day event in Fort William is for existing and emerging social businesses and community enterprises. For more details click here
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BASICS OF BEING AN EMPLOYER- 29TH APRIL
DTA Scotland is offering basic employment related training for Board and staff members from development trusts and other social economy organisations. This event will cover topics such as building your team, legal requirements and best practice, terms and conditions of service, recruitment, managing staff performance, and dealing with conflict in the workplace. For more details click here
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A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY!
The 2010 DTA Scotland Annual Conference will be held on 13-14th June, at the MacDonald Highland Resort in Aviemore. This is the main opportunity in the year for new and existing development trusts to get together at a national level, share information and expertise and generally inspire each other, so make sure you don’t miss out by putting the dates in your diary now. A full programme will be made available within the next few weeks.
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LAND REFORM CAMPAIGN
Local People Leading, supported by DTA Scotland, is facilitating a series of seminars as part of a campaign to: raise various issues of concern around the operation and scope of the Community Right to Buy legislation; support and extend the community ownership of land, and; press for a review of progress on land reform in Scotland. To find out more click here
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UPDATED DTAS GUIDES ON LEGAL STRUCTURES
DTAS' lawyers have recently updated our guide to setting up an effective legal structure for a development trust (our Start-up Toolkit) as well as our guide to setting up a trading subsidiary. Revisions to both guides and model sets of Memorandum & Articles of Association ensure compliance with the Companies Act 2006 provisions which came into effect on 1st October 2009. For information on how to obtain a copy of either guide, click here
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INSPIRING CHANGE - NEW DTAS PUBLICATION
Inspiring Change is a new learning resource from DTA Scotland for communities who are motivated and ready to take action but need inspiration and information to take their first steps towards making their ideas a reality. The inspiration comes from charting the birth and early years of Comrie Development Trust. The resource includes a booklet, DVD and timeline wallchart and is free to community organsiations. For information on how to obtain your copy, click here
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KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS EXCHANGE FUND
The Knowledge & Skills Exchange Fund provides awards of up to Ł1000 to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, expertise and ideas between enterprising community organisations. It is available to all full and provisional members of DTAS and members of other community networks within the Local People Leading coalition. Awards can pay for visits to established community organisations or for hosting visits from one or more such organisations. For further information or application materials contact Aileen on 0131 2202456 or e-mail aileen@dtascot.org.uk
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