19th May
Tuesday 13th June at 10am registration link here: https://lnkd.in/eqHZApk9
Information form last meeting
Update after the Vision for Volunteering Event, brilliant event with over 100 attendees feeding back ideas, questions etc around the movement on volunteering. I apologise for the note-style format below, it was a fast paced meeting even for me!
Formal start with Laura Lowther – Volunteering needs to adapt for the future, building a movement.
Short slideshow, see attached slide on 3 key questions of focus; subsequently broken down into 5 themes:
- Awareness and appreciation – the culture of volunteering and it being a part of everyone’s life. Getting the recognition they deserve.
- Power – Volunteers given more power to lead on change.
- Equity and inclusion – Everyone welcomed.
- Collaboration – Natural proves, doing great stuff together.
- Experimentation – Innovation built in, try new things and unafraid to fail. Test and learn.
It was then open to the floor for questions and discussions:
Qs: Funding linked to vision shared – allowing capacity for experimentation, test and learn.
Ans: This is a good space to hear your ideas and views. Realise we need to take ideas forward and will be thinking over the coming year.
Discussion: Someone recommended recruiting volunteers from corporates who have money and skills e.g. banks/insurance companies.
Share: Question around the accessibility and power to volunteers piece, e.g. getting volunteers as chairs, secretary and the issues to getting them engaged due to bureaucracy and confidence. Switch to assistant chair, secretary etc.
Also setting up of Volunteering Alumni – Previous volunteers now mentoring new volunteers coming through.
Qs: Struggling to embed micro volunteering opps even though these are appealing to young people?
Ans: Fundraising/sporting events/campaigns/events/surveys
Qs: Training resources – will these be made available?
Ans: Certainly what can plan for the future. We do not want to reinvent the wheel, important to learn from each other. Liked model is ‘Dementia Friend’ model. Provides power and enables individuals to become ambassadors. There will be a tool kit at some stage, light touch, that will grow as the movement grows.
Qs: Encourage support for orgs to take on younger people. How can we make it more inclusive to younger generation?
Ans: Schools provide work experience time, proposal for them to switch to time per week, rather than a set 2 weeks. One org (community first Yorkshire) had students work shadowing half a day a week. Confidence increased, took on further responsibility. Sat in on budgeting, transcribing etc. Started with what straight forward tasks can they begin with until you learn their capabilities.
Further recommendations was the: Young Trustees Movement – provide 1 hour free champion training: https://youngtrusteesmovement.org/
Family Volunteering, website focusing on families with children aged from 0 to 9 years old: https://www.familyvolunteeringclub.co.uk
Some further links provided within the chat that may be useful:
Family Volunteering:
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/volunteering-family-affair-summary-report/#/
https://karenknight.ca/engage-kids/
From chat on community reporters:
love the idea of community reporters - brilliant - London lifelines has done some good stuff in this space recently encouraging volunteers to do vlogs... https://londonslifelines.org/
Link provided by member in chat: https://www.govolherts.org.uk/
Resources links:
Links: https://www.inspiringgovernance.org/volunteers/resources/
https://governorsforschools.org.uk/about-the-role/
Thank you forwarding the event across, it was very valuable in content. Added as word doc for ease.