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Is it time to consider volunteering? [Jun. 5th, 2009|04:43 pm]

jleach
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In this exclusive video for The Independent, Judith Brodie, UK Director of the VSO, talks about the importance of voluntary work and how it can broaden your horizons.

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Volunteers' dedication is an example to us all [Jun. 4th, 2009|12:00 pm]
etheringtonstu
Volunteers are society’s unsung heroes. They provide a lifeline to some of the most disadvantaged communities and contribute an estimated £22.7 billion to the economy.

With over three quarters (73 per cent) of people volunteering at least once a year and a third of businesses offering volunteering opportunities to their staff, the importance of the role our volunteers play cannot be overstated.

As the recession continues, volunteering should be seen as an important pathway to employment to both kick-start careers and help people return to the job market. Volunteers can increase their employability by learning new skills and, crucially, they provide essential support to those communities most in need. By offering volunteering opportunities, the voluntary sector is well placed to help tackle the looming graduate job crisis and stem the country's spiralling unemployment levels.

NCVO is playing a crucial role by helping our members match the skills of volunteers to the needs of local communities. By working in partnership with our members, we are able to harness the skills, ambition and dynamism of volunteers to help build a fairer society.

And in Volunteers' Week, let’s not forget the key role that Trustees play in overseeing our charities and ensuring good governance. With around 1 million people volunteering their time to perform this vital function, NCVO provides support, training and information to help them and their organisations meet their strategic goals.

NCVO salutes the millions of volunteers who dedicate their time to transforming the lives of the some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Their tireless dedication to enriching the lives of others is an example to us all.
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Volunteers are vital to the British Heart Foundation’s work [Jun. 3rd, 2009|04:00 pm]
aneeshamoreira
As the nation’s heart charity we utterly rely on our volunteers to help in the fight against heart disease. Without their help we would not be able to save lives through pioneering heart research or provide care for patients through our network of nurses and Heart HelpLine.

June is the BHF’s Hand on Heart volunteering month so we’re encouraging more people to donate their time to the charity. We realise that people have busy lives and we don’t want them to feel that signing up to volunteer will eat into their precious spare time. People only have to give the time they can afford – whether it’s a regular day a week or a few hours a year – and can get involved any way they want to, from helping out in a BHF Shop to organising their own fundraising event.

Volunteering is a great way for people to lift their recession-worn spirits as it can be a really rewarding experience – 63 per cent of 25-34 year olds and 62 per cent of over 65's say volunteering helps them feel less stressed and nearly half of all volunteers say it has improved their physical health and fitness.

People like our volunteer Jessie Winyard feel like they get a lot out of supporting us. Following a double and triple heart operation Jessie started volunteering because she wanted to give something back to the charity that funded the research that helped save her life. Over the years she’s leant a hand at our running events and even helped to form a local fundraising group. She feels her experiences have given her a new lease of life and she has made many new friends.

The BHF is proud to be one of Volunteering England’s charity partners for Volunteer’s Week as it’s brilliant we can come together to celebrate the fantastic efforts of our volunteers.

For more information about volunteering for the BHF visit www.bhf.org.uk/volunteer


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Volunteering is a serious job these days [Jun. 3rd, 2009|12:28 pm]
stephenbubb
Whether it's a Saturday helping at the Church fete, serving as a charity trustee or campaigning for a greener environment, millions of us volunteer. More than 1 in 2 of us do so every year, and most of those volunteers give up their time once a month or more. Our contribution makes a huge difference to the health and well being of our society and our democracy.

The question, particularly during a recession, is whether we can find the funding to manage and equip this army of goodwill.

When governments urge us to volunteer more they sometimes forget that volunteering is a serious job these days. Charities have for centuries relied on the backbone of a volunteer workforce. But while volunteering is a free gift that does not mean charities don't have expenses and overheads to organise volunteering. So whether its manning the charity shop or helping out at the youth club the charity has to manage the training and supervision. Properly government and the public expect high standards from all organisations , and if you are working with children or vulnerable adults then we expect proper regulation. That must apply equally whether you are paid or unpaid.

There is a strong relationship between the effective paid staff of a charity and its volunteers. Increasingly our national and our community charities and civic groups are becoming more professional in their approach. We need to be. So volunteer does not mean amateur.

And many of our great charities are finding times are tough. Falling donations, a collapse in commercial sponsorship, and a looming squeeze on public sector spending mean tight budgets. So giving remains as important as volunteering. Charities need our time - but they need our money too. 
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Volunteering has never been more relevant [Jun. 2nd, 2009|04:02 pm]
justindsmith
This week is the 25th anniversary of Volunteers’ Week, an annual UK-wide initiative which seeks to raise the profile of volunteers and volunteering, and encourage those not already involved to consider volunteering.

Nearly 200 events are taking place across the country throughout the week, representing a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the work of the 22 million people throughout the UK who invest their time and energy each year for the good of their communities.

And what a difference they make. It’s estimated that volunteering is worth in excess of £20 billion a year to the UK economy. But the benefits run much deeper than purely financial. As our Prime Minister pointed out in a previous posting, volunteers are a vital part of everyday life everywhere across the country.

Just imagine a society without volunteers. There would be no sports clubs or museums. Our health service, schools and police forces would be a shadow of themselves. There would be no Samaritans, no National Trust, no St John Ambulance first aiders, no day care centres for older people, no hospices: the list goes on and on. Almost every aspect of daily life contains volunteers, though many aren’t immediately visible as volunteers, and many people aren’t even aware that they’re ‘volunteering’.

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It’s time to celebrate our volunteers [Jun. 2nd, 2009|11:24 am]

gordonbrownpm

There are some people who argue that Britain is broken, but I believe the opposite is true.
 

Ours is a country being lifted up every day by the people who love it – and this week, Britain’s 25th National Volunteer Week, is a celebration of the millions of people up and down the country who give their time and energy to make a difference to their communities and to the lives of others.
 

Whether they are helping out in homes for the elderly or tutoring young pupils in schools, campaigning on local issues or fundraising for global ones, each and every volunteer is a testament to the fact that Britain is a country filled with people sharing their talents so that others can realise theirs.
 

Last week I met young volunteers from the Scouts, Kids Company and the Hackney Youth Parliament along with members of the National Union of Students, who told me about the campaigns they’ve been running to get young people more actively engaged in their communities.
 

As I spoke to these young people, the thing that struck me most was that they were inspirational but not unusual. Already, nearly half the population volunteers at least once a month - and in these difficult times I am proud that, rather than looking inwards and only looking after themselves, people are showing in ever greater numbers that we achieve more together than we do alone.
 

Youthnet, the home of Britain’s volunteering website do-it.org.uk, has recorded a rise of more than 100% in the number of people applying for volunteering opportunities, and charities like Crisis and the Cranfield Trust are seeing a big surge in interest from potential volunteers.
 

All of these people are changing the world the only way it ever really changes – one life at a time. And I am determined to support them, which is why we have more than doubled spending on the third sector since 1997 to £11 billion a year, why we have invested in expanding opportunities and support for volunteers across the country, why we launched the v national youth volunteering body back in 2006 and why we are now starting to help all schools provide volunteering opportunities for their pupils so that serving the community becomes a normal part of growing up in Britain.
 

I am committed to ensuring that the third sector is a genuine partner to government rather than being the last resort if government retreats and leaves people alone to sink or swim. There are things that only the voluntary sector and only volunteers can do – but that doesn’t mean government can just pass by on the other side.
 

The way we will come through this global recession will depend on the efforts of people in communities the length and breadth of Britain – charities and voluntary organisations, councils, businesses, unions, faith groups and social enterprises all working together with government to help people through these times of challenge and change.
 

We are going to need the idealism, the energy and the expertise of Britain’s volunteers as we face the challenges ahead – and I hope that National Volunteer Week will inspire many more people to play their part in building Britain’s future.

 

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