Force4Change, new Conversation on the Grapevine

Force4Change is a new project run by mosaic, Vista and Action Deafness.  It is aimed to help disabled people with physical and sensory impairment have their voice heard on Adult Social Care policy and service development.

The Force4Change Conversation is now accessible on the Grapevine and we would like to encourage all of our users to have their say.

New team member

We would like to welcome our new team member, Melissa Seims,  CareOnLine Support and Training Assistant.

Melissa joined the CareOnLine team in February 2009.  She has worked voluntarily for various charitable organisations helping vulnerable individuals with shopping and outings. She also brings additional technical computer skills which will be of great use in supporting our users.

Interesting topics

1. Free money advice service (Money Advice)
2. Amateur Dramatics as a hobby (Work and Learning)
3. Freecycle (Community Information and Safety)
4. Introductions (Welcome to the Grapevine)
5. Planting with Love (General Chat)
6. Where to see Starlings Flocking (Housing and the Environment)
7. Homes Insulation Scheme (Housing and the Environment)
8. Puzzle of the day (Game for a laugh)
9. Are you a carer? (Carers Corner)
10. Dates for your diary (News and Sport)

Become a Grapevine Moderator!

If you’ve enjoyedusing TheGrapevine thus far, why not think about becoming a moderator? It’s easy, fun and a great way to get involved. You don’t need any special qualifications, though it would help if you have agood grasp of the English languageand a sense ofhumour! Almost anyone can join our team of already great moderators – all you need to do iscontact us.

Being a moderator is about helping to keep the Grapevine in tiptop shape. It involves coming up with topicsof conversation that will help keep thechat moving along at a constant pace, ideally you should be visiting The Grapevine at least once a week (but preferably much more often!).At the moment, we are only looking for regular Grapevine users to become moderators.

Being a moderator is much more than being a "hall monitor." Moderators are active members of The Grapevine community who are devoted to maintaining a safe, fair and fun space for everyone. You would also welcome new members and help them feel at ease.Wewant your help to be able to continue providing the excellent service that you currently find inThe Grapevine.

Main tasks as a Grapevine Moderator:

• Checking The Grapevine as often as possible, responding to messagesand adding new messages and topics
• Welcoming new users in the Introductions topic
• Generating conversations between users and keeping conversations flowing
• Ensuring posted messages do not breach the Terms and Conditions (e.g. by using offensive language) and taking appropriate action if such messages are posted
• Suggesting improvements and providing feedback to improve The Grapevine

Besides putting you in charge and giving you a larger say inThe Grapevine, being a moderatorgives you the opportunity to make new friends and share your knowledge abouta variety of subjectswith the rest of the world.

If this sounds appealing to you, simplycontact us and we will send you more information about becoming amoderator or visit this page for more information and to apply online: www.leicscareonline.org.uk/grapevine/grapevine_become_moderator.htm.  It’s that simple!

If you decide later on that being a moderator is not for you, we will changeyou back into an ordinary user again.

Contact The Grapevine

Phone: 0116 305 7538.  Email: grapevine@leics.gov.uk

Website: www.leicscareonline.org.uk/grapevine

Address: CareOnLine, Room 317, County Hall, Leicester, LE3 8RL.

The aims of CareOnLineand the Grapevine are to reduce isolation and improve the quality of life among Older People, Disabled People and their Carers. The service provides help with access to computers and the Internet, training, technical support and a purpose-built website.