Echoing Green Fellowship 2022 for emerging Social Entrepreneurs (80,000 USD stipend)

Application Deadline: November 2, 2021. 

The Echoing Green Fellowship supports leaders with bold ideas that will contribute to a world where race does not correlate with the systemic limitation or denial of opportunities, access to resources, or limits to the space to dream and build. Building a future free from racism, colorism, colonialism, white supremacy, and other oppressive systems requires collective action, working across issues and geographies, and learning across experiences.

The Fellowship application prompts you to share how you will help counteract these forces and create a world where all people can thrive. Through clear and identifiable examples in your application responses, we want to understand how racial equity is core to your bold vision for change, from your organization’s operations to your intended impact.

Benefits

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Personalized Framework

A comprehensive program to build and grow leadership skills and develop the strategies needed for ideas to thrive.

Wellbeing Support

Ongoing support focusing on mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as self-care workshops designed specifically for the struggles of entrepreneurship.

SEED RESOURCES
Leader Support

A portfolio team facilitates the Fellow experience and connects these leaders to experts and opportunities according to their needs.

Seed Funding

A stipend over 18 months (80,000 USD). Funding offered to for-profit organizations is in the form of recoverable grants.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Retreats and Networking Events

Gatherings to connect Fellows across classes and cohorts, as well as with experienced business leaders, institutions, and investors committed to solving global issues.

Expert Partners

A suite of pro-bono support from leading professionals to build organizational capacity and help navigate the social entrepreneurship field.

Click here to apply:https://bit.ly/3lU2Szx

Farm subsidies: NI farmers share over £300m in direct payments

Just over £300m will be paid out to farmers in Northern Ireland today, as the first of this year’s direct payments hit applicants’ bank accounts.

Direct payments are annual government subsidies paid to farmers to support the local agricultural industry and to help protect food supplies.

Payments rose by 6% this year, meaning farmers get, on average, an extra £800.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said it was the largest amount ever paid out on the first day of the payment window.

“I am delighted to confirm that 98% of local farmers will be issued a total of £301m in direct payments on 18 October,” the minister said in a statement.

“As a result of exiting the EU, this is the second year the department has been able to issue payments in one go, which in turn has represented the largest amount ever issued by my department on the first day of payments.”

UK farmers used to receive subsidies from the European Union via the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but that financial support was replaced by funding from Westminster after the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.

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Mr Poots said the direct payments “represent the bulk of farm businesses’ annual income”.

“Maximising payments issued on day one improves the financial viability of these businesses and the wider rural economy,” he added.

Image caption,Edwin Poots said his staff had “worked diligently” to ensure farmers receive payment as quickly as possible

Victor Chestnutt, the president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), said that while the money is welcome, most farmers in Northern Ireland have probably already spent their share.

“It would be great just if you had that cheque to come in to be spent now, but you don’t,” Mr Chestnutt told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme.

“The fact of the matter is, it’s in there to pay a lot of bills that are already out there.”

He said many farmers depend on the direct payments to cover their costs, such as fuel and fertiliser supplies.

Food prices

Direct payments are currently calculated based on the amount of land farmers use and how they use it, but that is likely to change as campaigners want to overhaul the subsidy system in order to provide greater incentives for environmentally-friendly farming practices.

The UFU president told the programme that farmers would accept change, but warned that the price of food may have to increase as a consequence.

“Quite simply, farmers can’t survive and produce that good, wholesome local food at what we get for it without some sort of support,” Mr Chestnutt explained.

“That support used to be tied to the numbers of livestock we kept. Then it was tied to the hectares of ground that we farmed in an environmental way.

“Now it’s going to be more targeted – you’re going to have to do things to justify it, which will be another change. But quite simply we cannot continue producing the food that everyone enjoys in Northern Ireland and indeed in the UK if we don’t get support.”

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES/VICTORIA MARRIOTT

Image caption,Setting aside patches of land for wildflowers has been suggested as one way in which farmers could help the environment

Environmental groups like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are among campaigners who want farmers to justify their subsidies by protecting the environment.

“We would like to see a future agricultural payment based on farmers having to do at least something – so every farmer should have to do at least something on their land,” said John Martin, the RSPB’s head of policy and advocacy in Northern Ireland.

He suggested planting trees and wildflowers and restoring peatland as ways in which farmers could contribute to improving the environment.

“There are lots of different options and we work with a lot of farmers… to provide advice for what is the best option for them on their farm, but we really need to see that scaled up across the entire countryside,” Mr Martin said.

Stormont’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is continuing to process a “small number of remaining applications” and payments will being released daily from Monday onwards.

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‘No concern’ over police actions in Ballymena fall death

The Police Ombudsman’s office has said it has identified “no issues of concern” in relation to police actions leading up to the sudden death of a man in Ballymena, County Antrim.

It is understood officers were in a block of flats when the man fell after climbing out of a window.

Police notified the Police Ombudsman about the death and investigators conducted preliminary inquiries.

But the ombudsman said the matter did not require further investigation.

Police and paramedics treated the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene near High Street at 18:40 on Friday.

Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

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Wales’ bid to stop brain drain of young people

Young people do not have to “get out” of Wales to “get on”, the economy minister has said.

Vaughan Gething says he wants to make Wales somewhere people feel “confident about planning their future”.

He faces demographic challenges as the country is a “net importer” of older people and the Welsh government fears 16 to 64-year-olds could be just 58% of the population by 2043.

Speaking ahead of a summit, he said it was “Wales versus the rest of the UK”.

“We’ve got to look again at how we look at Wales continuing to shift to become a higher skilled and higher wage economy,” he told the BBC’s Politics Wales.

“That’s a big challenge – that’s the story of devolution in many ways – a picture of Wales versus the rest of the UK.”

• ‘Put politics aside’ for Wales’ Covid recovery
• Summer lockdown easing helped Welsh economy bounce
• Unemployment in Wales rises again amid pandemic

Wales’ percentage of people aged 16 to 64 fell from 63.7% in 2008 to 61.2% in 2020.

Mr Gething said it was a “success story that more of us can expected to live for longer. But the challenge is we are a net importer of older people”.

He added that the demographic trend was also “a big economic challenge for us”.

“That’s why we need to have a future for the Welsh economy that means that people can see a way to be successful here, and to invest in that talent.”

Image caption,Mr Gething said it was a case of “Wales versus the rest of the UK” in terms of economic recovery

He added: “My ambition is to make Wales a place where more young people feel confident in planning their future here. You don’t have to get out to get on, make your future here in Wales.”

Businesses, trade unions and local government leaders have been invited to the economic summit where Mr Gething will speak on Monday, held at Transport for Wales’ new headquarters in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

He plans to offer “as much certainty as possible” for businesses and proposals to strengthen regional economic development.

The Welsh government is also expected to say its UK counterpart should be “honouring promises made on EU successor funds, backing major renewables such as tidal energy and investing in Welsh research and development”.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Gething said: “As we face the headwinds of Brexit, I am determined that our credible plans will offer as much certainty as possible to help businesses plan ahead.”

He said his plan would include “a new era of partnership for stronger regions, a young person’s guarantee, a plan to back our everyday economy and collaboration with world-leading, advanced manufacturing”.

The aim the Welsh Government is setting itself is to make Wales a more attractive place to live and work – it wants more young people to stay here, others who have left to return and to attract young people with no previous links to Wales.

Changes, such as remote working that have come from the pandemic, have made that more possible.

Many employees are predicted to continue working from home for at least some of their time.

House prices in scenic communities are already rising steeply, and having more higher paid people moving into those communities to work remotely is likely to accelerate that.

Vaughan Gething says there is a big difference between people buying second homes in Wales, and, on the other hand, moving to Wales, setting up businesses and spending here.

The challenge, however, is that the changes work both ways and increasingly people can work for Welsh companies without living in Wales.

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Northern Ireland ‘losing out on tens of millions of EU funding’

Northern Ireland is losing out on tens of millions of pounds with the end of funding which had previously come from the EU, the finance minister has said.

Conor Murphy said £70m had been lost to the Stormont executive, with a further £34m deducted from agricultural subsidies.

The EU’s structural funds have been replaced by the Shared Prosperity Fund.

It will be administered from Whitehall rather than the UK’s devolved administrations.

During Question Time at the assembly, Mr Murphy said the post-Brexit funding landscape “had not been a positive one”.

He said there was now no access to the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and other EU programmes.

While these had been replaced by the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund, neither Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland had been given any say in its design, policy direction or delivery, he added.

“The result is a £70m annual loss to the executive’s spending power,” he said.

IMAGE SOURCE,PA

“£315.6m has been agreed in agricultural support in 2021-22 but Treasury will deduct the receipts we get from the current programme – the deductions estimated at £34m over the next three years, which I consider lost.”

However, Mr Murphy said on a more positive note, Brexit had not impacted on the Peace Plus funding programme, which would see a pot of €1.1bn (£930m) over the next seven years.

Farming payments

UK farmers used to receive subsidies from the European Union via the Common Agricultural Policy but that financial support was replaced by funding from Westminster after the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.

On Monday, farmers in Northern Ireland received their share of just over £300m, as the first of this year’s direct payments hit applicants’ bank accounts.

Direct payments are annual government subsidies paid to farmers to support the agricultural industry and to help protect food supplies.

Payments rose by 6% this year, meaning farmers get, on average, an extra £800.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said it was the largest amount paid out on the first day of the payment window.

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Top baby names in 2020 across England and Wales revealed

Younger mothers chose more modern and shortened baby names last year when compared with mums aged 35 and over.

Official birth data in England and Wales for 2020 showed Olivia and Oliver were still the most popular baby names overall – for the fifth year running.

New entries into the top 10 included Ivy, Rosie and Archie. Oliver was particularly popular in the North East.

The largest movers into the top 100 boys’ names were Milo (80th) and Otis (96th) and the girls’ was Maeve (94th).

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 4,225 baby boys were named Oliver in 2020, down from 4,932 the previous year, while a total of 3,640 newborn girls were named Olivia, down from 4,082.

Olivia and Oliver have been the most popular names in England and Wales since 2015.

The name of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie, moved up the boys’ list from 19th to ninth, with 2,944 babies named Archie in 2020, up from 2,544 in 2019. It is the first time Archie has made the top 10.

It is also the first time Charlie has not been in the top 10 since 2005, slipping to 12th place with a total of 2,810 babies named Charlie in 2020, down from 3,355 in 2019.

Since 2010, Ivy has risen 221 places to become the sixth most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2020.

Arthur and Noah have seen an increase in popularity over the last two decades, both rising more than 200 places in the ranks to the boys’ top five in 2019 and 2017 respectively.

In 2020, the largest movers into the top 100 boys’ names were Milo (80th) and Otis (96th), both rising 28 places since 2019.

Maeve has risen 124 places since 2019 and was the largest new entry into the top 100 girls’ names (94th).

Muhammad was top in four regions of England and Arthur in three regions.

In Wales, Noah was the top boys’ name but only the fourth most popular name in England and Wales combined.

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,The name Archie moved up the boys’ list from 19th to ninth

Siân Bradford, from the ONS, said popular culture and celebrities continued to provide inspiration for many parents.

“Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme Sex Education, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020,” she said.

“While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street.”

In 2019, pop star Dua Lipa and Star Wars’ Kylo Ren were among the influences on parents for the choice of baby names.

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