ProMo Cymru is delighted to welcome Molly Brown to the team as our Junior Digital Media Designer and Animator on a paid internship.
Molly is currently completing her second year at university studying Visual Effects and Motion Graphics. With experience in 2D and 3D animation, VFX, and graphic design, Molly brings a valuable skill set to our team and is eager to expand her knowledge of the media production industry.
Her role in our Media team involves:
– Creating designs for social media and printed materials – Assisting in various aspects of media production – Contributing to motion graphics and animation projects – Supporting workshops and training sessions we deliver
“I’m thrilled to be part of the ProMo Cymru team and to contribute to all the amazing projects the organisation works on. I’m looking forward to learning more about the media production industry, pursuing my passion for video editing and using social media to engage with communities. My goal for the future is to be a digital media designer!”
Since the pandemic, Zoom has become an integral part of third-sector life. But do you know everything there is to know about Zoom? This article explores some of the platform’s features to enhance your calls and make the most of your meetings.
At the end of 2019, Zoom had just 10 million daily meeting participants, and most of us here in Wales had never heard of the platform. COVID saw tremendous growth, with over 300 million daily meeting participants by April 2020.
While most know that Zoom helps you conduct virtual meetings, you may not be aware that there are a range of interesting tools within the program that can keep your team engaged, informed, and excited for your next project.
Customisable Backgrounds
Zoom’s background features allow you to customise your video call, so a messy bedroom or a busy office will no longer be a distraction.
Say you work for a third sector organisation in a busy office with people walking behind you; Zoom allows you to use personalised backgrounds for your call. Instead of sitting in a hectic environment, you could sit in a cosy cabin, a seafront penthouse, or a quiet library. You can also blur your background in case your working space is more cluttered than you’d like or you’d like to keep your private life private while working from home.
You can select which feature to use by clicking the arrow next to ‘Stop Video’. In the example below, we’ve chosen to blur the background of the call.
You can also change your background to an image of your choice by clicking ‘Choose Virtual Background’. You can upload your photo or select from several pre-assigned visuals.
If you want to take this further, you can add a video background by following the same steps. You can choose your own video or select one of the provided virtual backgrounds, such as a sunny beach or a cosy study.
Timers
Zoom’s timer is a much-underused feature for meetings that can go on a little too long.
Accessing this is straightforward. Log into your Zoom meeting and navigate to the ‘Apps’ options in the meeting toolbar. From there, select ‘Timer’ from the dropdown menu.
Once you’ve downloaded the timer, you can designate set times for your meeting or agenda items. Participants are prompted with visual and audio notifications, reminding them of time constraints and signalling when it’s time to wrap up a topic or meeting.
By incorporating the timer into meetings, your organisation can maximise efficiency and prioritise agenda items based on time constraints while maintaining flexibility if discussions run longer than expected.
Breakout Rooms and Webinars
Zoom webinars and breakout rooms offer powerful features for facilitating engaging and interactive meetings, which is ideal for third sector organisations in Wales seeking to streamline their virtual collaboration efforts.
Hosting a webinar on Zoom is simple to use. After logging into your Zoom account, select the ‘Webinar’ option when scheduling a new meeting. Customise your webinar settings, including registration requirements and permissions, to tailor the experience to your organisation’s needs.
Once the webinar is underway, you can use features such as screen sharing, polls, and Q&A sessions to keep your guests engaged. The chat box and reactions can foster active participation and make your meetings more engaging.
Additionally, breakout rooms provide an excellent way to facilitate smaller group discussions within a larger setting. Organisers can pre-assign participants to breakout rooms or manually assign them during the webinar, allowing for more intimate, detailed conversations that provide feedback to the wider meeting.
Zoom offers several features that allow for greater creativity, customisation, and engagement in team meetings.
For third sector organisations, these tools can make meetings stand out and foster better communication between you and your colleagues/partners.
Whether it’s an important fundraiser with multiple partner agencies or a team training course, you can make the most out of your Zoom account with some of these features.
If you’re looking for advice or help to develop your digital processes to make work easier, our DigiCymru service offers free, short, one-to-one support sessions to third sector organisations in Wales. Find out more.
This resource is funded through Third Sector Digital Support, a National Lottery Community Fund project to support the Welsh Third Sector with digital. To find out more about how this project can support yo
Applications are now open for third sector organisations in Wales to apply for one of five spaces on an exciting programme that aims to transform your services digitally to meet your user needs better. Each participating organisation will receive £4,800 remuneration for taking part.
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, staying ahead is not just an advantage but a necessity for organisations. Our programme will empower and propel you to design or rethink your services to better reach your communities.
About the Programme
This 6-month Digital Service Design Programme is tailor-made for third sector organisations in Wales, regardless of size or previous digital experience.
Five organisations will be selected to join the programme. The aim is to empower third sector organisations in Wales to improve their service for their service users using digital.
Transforming your service with digital could mean anything, from digitising paperwork to make it easier to sign up for support to finding ways to contact your service users more efficiently using your phone.
If you have a challenge and want help discovering an effective digital solution, this opportunity is for you!
Once you’ve decided on your challenge, you’ll follow the Service Design methodology to explore in more detail and find potential solutions. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about service design. This programme aims to equip you with all the necessary information and tools.
What does the service design programme involve?
The Digital Service Design Programme starts in April 2024 and will end in October 2024. If you secure a place on the programme, you will nominate two staff members as project leads.
Your project leads will receive guidance, mentoring, and the opportunity to design and test new digital services or enhance existing ones within your organisation.
The programme operates on the proven Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver process. It will allow your organsation to work on the real challenges it faces.
You’ll start by learning all about the service design methodology, the process, and how to understand your user needs better. You’ll then research your users’ needs, analyse your key insights, develop potential solutions to tackle your challenge and test them.
Most of the programme will happen virtually, allowing flexibility for self-study and work. Key in-person events are strategically placed throughout the course. There are key dates during the programme where attendance is mandatory. These dates, along with further information and FAQ’s can be found on the Programme page here.
Perks of the Service Design Programme
Participation in the Digital Service Design Programme is not just about learning; it’s an investment in your organisation’s future. The opportunity to solve real challenges in your organisation, with the support of our Service Design experts, is priceless.
Each participating organisation in the cohort will receive a remuneration of £4,800 (VAT inclusive) to contribute towards staff time and resources.
Application Process
We only have space for five third sector organisations in Wales to take part. This will involve an application process.
You’ll need to complete an application form comprised of three parts.
The first part will ask about your organisation as a whole, the second part about your nominated project leads, and the third part about your project and its impact on your service users.
Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate they are committed to using this course to make an impactful change within their organisation.
ProMo Cymru encourages all those interested to apply, regardless of whether or not you have experience in Service Design methodology.
The deadline for applications is Tuesday 2nd April, 11:59pm.
Don’t miss this chance to revolutionise your organisation’s approach to digital service design and make a lasting impact on your community.
This programme is funded through ProMo Cymru’s Third Sector Digital Support project in partnership with WCVA, a National Lottery Community Fund project which aims to support the Third Sector in Wales with digital.
Promo Cymru is happy to welcome Joe Williams as our new Digital Projects Officer!
Joe has years of experience working in the third sector, engaging with communities and young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
He is proud of working with young mothers in the South Wales valleys through delivering support groups to improve mental health and wellbeing, delivering life-skills classes to students at risk of expulsion, and running after-school clubs for children and young people.
Joe is passionate about using digital to improve the lives of communities and young people in Wales.
“I’ve been made to feel very welcome by everyone in Promo. The work matters, and I can’t wait to get more involved!”
Outside of work, Joe is a MA History graduate, and loves hiking and camping – walking/camping the length of Britain in 2021, and Wales in 2023.
We have an exciting opportunity to join our media production team on a short-term paid internship, to support us in creating animations, graphic designs, and videos. This is a great opportunity to receive expert guidance and gain experience to propel your career.
Our Media Production Team is looking for a creative, organised and self-motivated Junior Digital Media Designer / Animator who loves media and has the experience and confidence to work on several media projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Hours and location: 21 hours per week (must be flexible) must be prepared to travel (Cardiff/Wales)
Salary: £23680 (Pro Rata)
Length of Contract: 6 Months Fixed Term Contract
You will be tasked with:
– Crafting designs for social media and printed materials, with guidance from our Graphic Designers
– Working with the team in media production: this includes helping during pre-production, attending filming sessions, voice recording sessions, editing footage with guidance as well as taking and editing photos
– Working with the team to produce motion graphics and 2D animation (it would be a bonus if you had 3D animation experience)
– Assisting in workshops, both face-to-face and online
– Following design guidelines, and other technical and budget constraints
– Working with team and clients to deliver projects on time
– Keeping up to date with the latest developments in the creative industry
We would love to hear from you if:
– You have a background or an interest in Creative Industries, Media, and Graphic Design
– You have experience using Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and similar
– You have hands-on computer experience that includes graphic design, video production, and animation
– You are passionate about using media to engage with people and communities.
– You are reliable, responsible and have a “can do” positive attitude
– You are excited to work in a busy environment where no two days are the same
– You are committed to learning and developing your skills by gaining experience in one of the fastest growing social enterprises in Wales
– You are flexible to travel
Closing Date: 23rd February 2024, 5pm
APPLY TODAY! Email your completed application form (below) to people@promo.cymru.
Every non-profit, at one point or another, has struggled to get things organised – whether it’s juggling projects, managing various tasks with strict deadlines, or hunting for information in a vast database.
Trello can help make things easier for your organisation and streamline a lot of the heavy lifting. Trello is a platform that focuses on getting things organised and collaborative teamwork.
Why use Trello?
Trello is a collaborative and customisable software that can be tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. It can act as a tool for project management, a central hub for information, and a way to communicate big ideas with your colleagues.
Through automated functions and custom design, you can manage multiple projects and view the information in a way that works best for you.
Key features
Some of the key features of Trello that can help third sector organisations are:
Customisation
Trello can be tailored to the needs of your organisation. The user interface is customisable and can be simplified and tweaked to your accessibility needs.
For example, you can
– Create boards related to a project and specify individual tasks within them using ‘lists’ – Colour code tasks or teams. You can assign colours to a person or a team or mark task progress with specific colours
Collaboration
Trello can streamline the organisation of multiple projects. There is no user limit, so any number of people can be invited to view or edit your workspace – something beneficial when organising large teams. This is very helpful when assigning and keeping track of a project’s progress.
For example, you can:
– Assign goals and tasks to individuals and teams – Assign completion dates and create progress bars – Create checklists for given tasks
Automation
Trello has a simple automation system that can save hours of work for volunteers or staff. You can create rules and commands for almost any action. For example, you could create a rule that says, ‘When this checklist is completed, mark the due date as complete, move the individual card to the done list,’ and post a comment saying, ‘Reviewed and Approved’. What could have taken valuable time is now done instantaneously.
Trello can also integrate several applications, such as:
– Microsoft365 (Outlook, Office, Teams, OneNote, OneDrive) – Google (Gmail, Sheets, Docs, Drive) – Zoom, to organise team meetings, as an alternative to Teams – Slack, to keep track of discussions and organisation
Costs and other considerations
While Trello is free to use at its base level, there are different paid tiers. The free tier has limits to the number of attachments, labels, and team boards. However, Trello offers up to 75% off costs for non-profits, with prices for premium tiers ranging from £4 to £14 a month, though this does not include the non-profit discount.
Alternative digital tools, such as Notion, are available and may be able to provide more variety for your project.
If you’re looking for advice or help to develop your digital processes to make work easier, our DigiCymru service offers free, short, one-to-one support sessions to third sector organisations in Wales. Find out more.
This resource is funded through Third Sector Digital Support, a National Lottery Community Fund project to support the Welsh Third Sector with digital. To find out more about how this project can support your organisation, click the link or contact andrew@promo.cymru
ProMo Cymru Ltd has a new and exciting opportunity for a Community Support Officer to join our enthusiastic team at Ebbw Vale Institute.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the creation and development of a Community Luncheon Club, Afternoon Film Club, and a Dementia Café to support people living with and affected by dementia.
Contract: 24 months fixed contract
Location: Ebbw Vale Institute
Salary: £24.410 pro-rata
Starting Salary: £24,410 pro-rata
Hours: 17.5 hours per week
Job Description
We are eager to recruit an enthusiastic and well-organised Community Support Officer to further develop activities within EVI to:
– Create and develop a Community Luncheon Club
– Create and develop an Afternoon Film Club
– Create and develop a Dementia Café to support people living with and affected by dementia
– Engage with the local community to encourage participation in the new activities
– Work closely with the EVI team to support the community of Ebbw Vale and wider Blaenau Gwent through the development of services and activities
– Support the monitoring and reporting to UKSPF Community and Place through Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
This blog is a case study from our DigiCymru service, which offers free, short, 1-to-1 support to third-sector organisations in Wales. The Venture is just one organisation that has contacted the service to ask for advice and help to find solutions to their problem.
What is All Wales People First?
All Wales People First is an organisation for and by those with a learning disability. The organisation describes itself as the ‘united voice of self-advocacy groups and people with learning disabilities in Wales’.
What problem did All Wales People First face?
All Wales People First approached ProMo Cymru for support via DigiCymru.
They wanted to create a TikTok account but didn’t know where to start. Their staff and volunteers didn’t have any experience creating video content. They didn’t know much about how TikTok worked or important considerations like privacy settings and safety precautions when using the app.
They needed expert advice without the price tag so turned to our free digital support service to get started.
Learning how to create content whilst on Zoom
Lucy Palmer, ProMo Cymru’s Communications and Engagement Officer, met with All Wales People First on Zoom.
After understanding their issues, Lucy, who has created lots of short-form video content for ProMo, shared how she uses the app. She gave step-by-step instructions to create and edit a video by mirroring her iPad screen to those on the Zoom call. They could see how to create and edit a video in real-time using TikTok. Lucy also recommended CapCut, another editing tool. CapCut is a video creation and editing tool that can link to TikTok. It provides a wide range of free, fun and engaging templates that can be used to create videos quickly and easily.
Being safe on social media
Organisations often worry about the dangers of social media, and whether they should engage on a these platforms.
The good news is that most social media apps have tools to help protect those engaging with it from harm. Lucy gave best practice tips, including the pros and cons of some features and how to mitigate risk. We used our own experience to illustrate points, sharing our learning from the Cardiff Pride: More Than a Month awareness campaign.
The campaign involved sharing videos of young people interviewed at Pride Cymru on TikTok. One video, in particular, became viral, resulting in over 3.5 million views. Whilst this was a huge success, it also resulted in a flood of negative and homophobic comments.
To protect the young people involved in the campaign and our audience, we used TikTok’s comment filter to sift through comments. We decided chose which comments were approved manually. We also learned to set up filters which would automatically block specified words from appearing in the comments.
As a result of All Wales People First’s DigiCymru sessions with us, they created a TikTok account. They set up a comments filter for added control over comments and to protect people involved in their videos.
To create content, they utilised events they were going to as opportunities to film clips of what was going on and interview people who attended. They could practice the skills that they learned in their DigiCymru sessions.
This case study is funded through Third Sector Digital Support, a National Lottery Community Fund project to support the Welsh Third Sector with digital. To find out more about how this project can support your organisation, click the link or contact andrew@promo.cymru
Three members of our team recently embarked on an exciting study visit to Catalonia with fellow representatives from the Welsh Government Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board (representing ProMo Cymru, CWVYS and Youth Cymru).
We were kindly hosted by the Agència Catalana de la Joventut (Catalan Youth Agency), and were taken on a journey throughout the region exploring their youth initiatives, exchanging best practice, and making connections.
Day 1: Barcelona
Our trip began with a warm welcome at the Agència Catalana de la Joventut in Barcelona. Rut Ribas, Directora General de Joventut, and her colleagues shared valuable insights into Catalonia’s youth policies. They covered topics such as mental health, diversity, bilingualism, and the various contextual factors influencing the region. We visited a Youth Information Point, learning about the role of their 300 plus youth information points across the region, and the 500,000 users of their youth card. The day also included a visit to Fundacio Comtal’s Second Chance School. The school focuses on education and job placement of children and young people at social risk in Ciutat Vella.
There are over 300 youth information points in Catalunya!Meeting the Catalan Director General of Youth, Rut Ribas.
Day 2: Girona
Our visit continued in the picturesque city of Girona. We visited a youth centre of health, where the team shared their campaigns and their extensive work promoting sexual health for young people in the region. Next, we visited La Selva Youth Office. We learnt about their remarkable ‘Cap Caos al Cap’ (‘No Chaos in the Cape’) youth mental health campaign. The day concluded with a visit to a youth club in Breda. We interacted with youth workers and young people, gaining insights into their projects and even enjoying a game of Fifa!
La Selva Youth Office in GironaVisiting a Youth Club in BredaYoung people at a Youth Club in BredaGoal! Successful Fifa game with young people in Breda.
Day 3: Final Day
Our study visit concluded in Sant Boi de Llobregat, where we met with the youth department of the municipality and had an enriching tour and discussion about their work. We didn’t miss the chance to fit in some cultural visits too of course!
La Sagrada FamiliaCatedral de Santa Maria de Girona
The trip was jam packed with learning, sharing and comparing approaches to youth work and engagement, and forming lasting relationships. We left with valuable knowledge that will help further our work in developing digital youth information and a youth entitlement scheme in Wales. We’ll be sharing our insights in a report soon.
Thank you to Taith for funding this enriching trip and to the Agència Catalana de la Joventut for their warm hospitality and planning to make our trip so thorough, insightful and enjoyable!
Promo-Cymru is happy to welcome Lucy Palmer as our Digital Marketing Assistant. She will be helping us to speak with more young people and manage our growing TikTok presence.
Lucy started at ProMo-Cymru through a work experience placement arranged by Go Wales (now Career Confident) at the start of 2022. She ran a week-long campaign on the theme of mental health on TheSprout service. Lucy then became a paid member of staff working one day a week as a TikTok content creator and runs TheSprout’s TikTok account. Now she has been successfully appointed as a full-time member of staff for ProMo.
Lucy is passionate about using social media to inform and give voice to young people. On TheSprout’s TikTok she has run many campaigns. This includes the Cardiff Pride: More Than A Month campaign which had over 3.6 million views. She has also worked with YMCA to run a campaign to promote education and reduce stigma around sexual health. Another project she’s been involved in is the Our Mind Our Future project.
Welcome to the team full time Lucy!
Interested in working with us? Why not get in touch.
ProMail is ProMo-Cymru’s monthly newsletter on our projects, developments, services and training.
About Us
In the last 30 years, ProMo-Cymru has developed services that range from information websites and community regeneration projects, to an advocacy helpline.
