With the exciting launch of Volunteer Cambs this year, we’re shaking things up! Instead of our usual ‘Connecting Communities’ events, we’re jazzing it up and declaring June as Volunteer Month.
Like our other fantastic month-long events (Funding and Governance), Volunteer Month will be jam-packed with activities spotlighting essential aspects of the voluntary and community sector.
Mark your calendars because June 2024 is going to be epic!
It starts with National Volunteers’ Week from the 3rd to the 7th, where we want to celebrate the wonderful volunteers in our communities, followed by the action-packed Big Help Out, where groups encourage individuals to come and support. Make sure you include us (@SupportCambs) in your social media.
But wait, there’s more!
Afterwards, prepare for three unique events focusing on the theme ‘Aspects of recruitment’
Where Are Your Next Generation Of Volunteers?
13th June I 10:00 – 11:30 am I Online
Nationally, volunteer numbers have been falling since 2020, and there have been considerable changes in how the public wants to volunteer. There has also been a rise in younger people wanting to give back, contributing to the environment they are part of and making a difference.
About
It makes sense for any group to start thinking about how they can adapt and bring down barriers so that younger people can get involved in volunteering.
This event aims to do that and show you in practical ways what you can do to make volunteering for your organisation more appealing to younger people. We also have examples of groups who have done precisely this.
We have a range of exciting speakers discussing the barriers young people currently face in volunteering, along with representatives from the Student Union and National Citizen Service discussing how groups can engage. Finally, we end with Future Creative, which has engaged young people in their organisation and what they have changed to do this.
The event will end with a question-and-answer discussion among the panel of speakers.
Who is this event aimed at?
Anyone within a volunteer-involving organisation who is looking to widen their volunteer pool and encourage more younger volunteers to join their group.
What will I come out having learnt?
You have a better idea of the barriers to volunteering for a younger person and ways to link projects with younger people looking to volunteer.
Agenda
Click the name below to read up on the speaker.
Eva Woods - Engaging Young People
Having started her career as Peterborough’s Member of Youth Parliament in a volunteer role, Eva is passionate about the benefits volunteering can offer young people. In her roles now in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Careers Hub and the Youth and Communities Team at Peterborough City Council, she advocates for the role volunteering can play in developing young people’s employability skills, and the value including the voices of young volunteers in the running of your organisation can yield.
Eva has also led research into where young people seek information and has developed a Youth Communications Strategy in Peterborough- through her youth work roles in local government, as well as her position as a Trustee at PCVS, Eva is keen to share her learnings from Peterborough and support the county-wide voluntary sector to engage with young volunteers in a mutually beneficial way.
Nicky Massey - Student Volunteering
Nicky is known to many as a community ambassador, having previously been a Cambridge city councillor. Nicky is a domestic abuse campaigner, a charity trustee of domestic abuse charity Landlark and, until recently, a previous trustee of Abbey People, as well as a governor of Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT) and Cambridge University Hospitals. Having previously worked in charities, Nicky is in her second year as manager of Student Community Action, which has linked students to voluntary work in the community since 1972.
Kim Jeffries - National Citizen Service
Kim has been the Programme Manager for the Cambridgeshire National Citizen Service for over nine years, working within the County Council to engage young people in this initiative. The NCS programme is designed especially for 16 and 17-year-olds and up to 25 for anyone with an EHCP or receiving statutory support. It exists to engage, unite and empower young people, building their confidence so they can go out there and achieve their dreams, no matter where they’re from or what their background is. To read more about NCS click here
Imogen Spence - Creative Futures Project
Imogen Spencer, is the Volunteering Project Co-ordinator at TSL Kirklees. Her role has included working on a volunteering programme called Future Creative which has provided an opportunity for young people aged 16 to 24 years old to support creative and cultural events across Kirklees through event and digital-based volunteering. The Future Creative programme also offered training and support with opportunities for volunteers to meet creative professionals, learn new skills, make friends, and update their CV. She is now working on a new project called Creative Steps, which helps people from the ages of 16+ to get into Creative volunteering by matching them up with organisations looking for volunteers.
Legal Issues for Managing Volunteers
19th June I 12:00 – 14:00 I Online
A workshop which looks at providing a concise and engaging review of the information you need to help you meet your legal obligations when managing volunteers.
About
In this workshop, Christine Terrerow, Senior Development Officer at CCVS, will overview the key legal issues likely to influence how you recruit and manage your volunteers.
Who is the event aimed at?
Anyone who manages volunteers or is a trustee in an organisation that engages volunteers and is looking to build their confidence or refresh their knowledge.
What will I come out having learnt?
- What creates an employment contract
- Volunteer agreements and policies
- Equality law and volunteering
- Expenses and benefits
- Checking and Safeguarding
- Protecting volunteers
- Engaging with young volunteers
- Engaging with volunteers from abroad
- Where to go for further information
Please note: The information provided in the workshop is not intended to be a full statement of the law and is not a replacement for professional advice.
Volunteer Cambs – The Story So Far & Planning For The Future
25th June I 10:00 – 11:30 am I Online
The team behind the Volunteer Cambs website has been thrilled by its incredible reception over the past few months. They are delighted to see groups beginning to recruit volunteers and supporters through the platform. Looking to enhance the website’s capabilities further, the team are eager to gather feedback on potential developments, and they want groups using the system to be part of that conversation.
About
The sessions will start with updates on the system, what’s working and some exciting plans to engage groups to get the most from it.
During the event, participants will also have the opportunity to discover how similar platforms are utilised elsewhere. Representatives from Go Volunteer Glos and GoVolHerts will share insights into their sites, which could give you ideas on what you would like to see from Volunteer Cambs.
There will be discussions and learning opportunities, we will not be using breakout rooms or recording this event.
Who is this event aimed at?
All those who are thinking of or have used the Volunteer Cambs website and want to contribute to how groups are supported around it in the future.
What will I come out having learnt?
You will understand more about the current impact of the Volunteer Cambs site and how other counties have developed their offerings. We hope this information will help groups develop and amend their volunteer recruitment strategy, changing their profile or how they have used the site as a tool in recruitment strategy.
Agenda
Click the name below to read up on the speaker.
Sally Page - Where are we
Sally Page, Deputy CEO at CCVS, will be talking through the current successes of the Volunteer Cambs website and what we currently have planned for the site and its development.
Tatinana Campos- GoVolHerts
Tatiana Campos is the Volunteer Development Lead at GoVolHerts, where she leads efforts to promote and grow volunteering and community engagement across Hertfordshire.
GoVolHerts is a project delivered by North Herts and Stevenage Centre for Voluntary Service and funded by Hertfordshire County Council, and it is the go-to source for all things volunteering in Hertfordshire. Formerly known as #TeamHerts Volunteering since its establishment in 2015, GoVolHerts was rebranded in February 2022 to offer users more independence and enhanced service through its easy-to-use and intuitive platform. With over 350 organisations and charities registered, GoVolHerts has successfully promoted more than 1200 volunteering opportunities.
GoVolHerts free services include:
- Assisting individuals in finding their ideal volunteering roles.
- Helping local charities recruit volunteers.
- Supporting Corporate Volunteering & Employer-Supported Volunteering.
- Hosting events to encourage and facilitate volunteering.
- Providing a wealth of information and guidance through workshops and a resource library.
GoVolHerts can be accessed at www.govolherts.org.uk.
Emma - Go Volunteer Glos
Go Volunteer Glos was founded by the Gloucestershire Volunteering Collaborative. The Collaborative is a group of representatives from the local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, health, local government, employers and employees, police, and fire services, along with volunteers themselves, working together strategically to improve the way volunteering works in the county.
We listened to thousands of local people and organisations during 2020/21, many of whom told us there was a need to bring together all the rich diversity of volunteering opportunities available across our county into a single, easily accessible online home. So, we have created Go Volunteer Glos as our first step in making Gloucestershire the best place in the country to volunteer.
We believe: “Volunteering encompasses any unpaid activity where individuals willingly offer their time, skills, and expertise to benefit others or contribute to a cause, organisation, or community.”
