Volunteer for Cambridge Conference 2019
Volunteer for Cambridge was first initiated by Cambridge City Council in 2015. It began life as a free annual fair where local community organisations could promote both themselves and their volunteering opportunities to members of the public who might be interested. Extremely successful events have taken place over the last few years, with over 80 organisations and 800 delegates in attendance. The 2019 conference took place on the 4th November 2019 at the Meadows Centre in Cambridge. The keynote presentation was provided by Veronique Jochum of NCVO who talked about their Time Well Spent Research.
This was followed by a series of workshops on varying aspects of volunteering.
Session 1 was labelled How inclusive are we?: Facilitated by Hannah Touey of the Arthur Rank Hospice with support from Eddie Stadnik and Suzan Murrad from the Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum, this session examined what we can do as organisations to overcome the barriers that some people face when attempting to volunteer, how do we better reflect the communities we serve and are we doing enough as a sector to encourage volunteers.
Session 2 was labelled How flexible are we?: Facilitated by Vic Hopkins of Food Cycle, with Chris Pursell and Ania Udalowska from Anglia Ruskin and Kerrie Thackray from Girl Guides East, this session debated such issues as can we let people pilot volunteering opportunities without commitment, can we accommodate those with a limited time offer and how responsive are we to volunteer interests and skills.
Session 3 was about Making volunteering attractive and relevant?: Facilitated by Roxanne de Beaux of Camcyle, Marika Newman of Eddies and Lorraine Payne from Citizen’s Advice, this session examined issues such as do we know what volunteers want, how effective are organisations at retaining volunteers and what recognition or incentives are on offer.
The final session was labelled How do we make business volunteering work for everyone?: Facilitated by Peter Griffiths of Ingleton Wood, Hetti Wood and Abi More from Rowan, Heidi Mulvey from Cambridge University Press and Maria Varallo from Illuminate, this session examined topics such as do we as a sector know what business wants, how does the sector build engagement with business and how can we partner for greater impact.
If you want to know more about the Volunteer for Cambridge Conference then please contact Bridget Keady (Community Funding and Engagement Officer) at Cambridge City Council by E-Mailing bridget.keady@cambridge.gov.uk
