Volunteers’ Week took place last week, we have rounded up how some charities have celebrated and the ways in which they have thanked their own volunteers.
In addition to the below, we ran a series of opinion pieces on volunteering. Read them here.
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland has marked Volunteers’ Week by launching a new project geared toward providing a tangible outcome for those who give up their free time to help the charity protect Scotland’s heritage.
The ‘Pathways to Success: Accrediting the Volunteer Experience’ is a three-year programme that will establish the Trust as an accredited SQA assessment centre and allow it to offer an SQA Award in ‘Volunteering Skills’, providing participants with formal recognition of their contribution.
The award will be available at SCQF levels three, four and five, and forms part of a wider initiative to encourage volunteers from new demographic groups, particularly young people and those seeking a career in the heritage sector, by positioning volunteering as a viable entry point into employment.
Carol-Ann Boyter, head of people at the National Trust for Scotland, said: “This announcement is a visible demonstration of our commitment to engage a more diverse workforce, while addressing skills gaps to ensure a thriving sector in years to come.”
Salvation Army
This Volunteers’ Week, The Salvation Army is “saluting” its more than 12,000 volunteers across the UK who are involved in every part of the charity’s frontline services – from anti-trafficking and modern slavery, to homelessness and addiction support, care for older people and community services.
The past year has seen emergency response volunteers in the UK help police, fire crews and ambulance services at the scenes of the Grenfell Tower fire, the attack at Westminster and the Manchester bombing as well as many other incidents in cities, towns and communities.
The Salvation Army’s strategic lead for volunteering, Claire Bonham, says that many volunteers are often on the frontline of the UK’s toughest social challenges and tragedies - supporting people in highly vulnerable situations.
“Put simply, we could not help as many people as we do every day without the dedication of our network of volunteers.
“We have people up and down the country who are giving up their time to change people’s lives, and we want them to know this week and every week how much they are appreciated and the life changing difference they make for the people they help.”
Royal Voluntary Service
To mark Volunteers’ Week, the Royal Voluntary Service has released data showing the demonstrable difference its volunteers make.
Of the 100,000 people Royal Voluntary Service supports, nearly 2,000 older people who use its services and activities were questioned about the difference the charity and its volunteers made to their lives. It found:
- 82 per cent feel healthier, physically and emotionally
- 70 per cent feel more able to cope with challenges or difficulties that come up in day to day life
- 69 per cent say Royal Voluntary Service has helped them do the things that are important to them and they enjoy
- 68 per cent have more social contact and spend more time with people
- 62 per cent feel more connected to the community
The charity is releasing the findings as it celebrates and thanks its volunteers for all they do.
NCVO
NCVO, which organises Volunteers’ Week, organised a “Twitter party” to celebrate all volunteers. It encouraged its followers to tweet using the hashtag #VolunteersWeek and share their pictures, videos and their own celebrations.
Come to our twitter party! Yes, YOU! All of you! You're invited! Wouldn't be the same without you! Anytime between 2-3pm today! Tweet us using #VolunteersWeek and share your pics, gifs, short vids, words of wisdom, fun but most importantly say thanks to your lovely #volunteers! pic.twitter.com/8Mmf444nur
— NCVO Volunteering (@NCVOvolunteers) June 6, 2018
RNLI
RNLI has celebrated the volunteers that crew their boats and rescue countless lives at sea, as well as its volunteers that keep the charity going elsewhere.
It’s not just lifeboat crew & lifeguards that save lives for us, without the cake bakers, marathon runners, shop assistants, lifeboat press officers & many more we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Our volunteers are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. #VolunteersWeek pic.twitter.com/DYZn16mXZg
— RNLI (@RNLI) June 6, 2018
Follow the hashtag #VolunteersWeek to see what else took place during the week.
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