Submitted by Carrie Brookes on 8 Jun 2023 - 2:01pm
Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency (MVDA) has been awarded nearly £314,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund to create a Volunteering Academy in the town and is the first of its kind in the North East.
The news was announced at a launch event on Thursday 8th June in which representatives from nearly 50 voluntary organisations learnt of the ambitious plans to make Middlesbrough an ‘inclusive volunteering town’.
The Academy aims to fill the gap in local volunteering support by providing training, ongoing support, good practice advice and guidance for volunteers, community groups and volunteer-involving organisations. Having all things volunteering in one single place and contact point is expected to help remove barriers to volunteering, and confusion about where to go and how to get support. The Academy will operate virtually with no physical school of study or central building, however the services available will be both online as well as face-to-face using a range of local community venues giving easy access to local people.
Photo: Launch event at Tees Valley Chinese Community Centre 8th June
The launch is timely, as the number of people volunteering is in decline according to the latest research*. This is leaving charities and community groups struggling to provide services which so often rely on volunteers giving up their time.
During the pandemic, many older volunteers gave up their roles to shielding and haven’t returned, whilst charities report a lack of confidence being a major barrier to taking the first steps into volunteering. The cost of living has also had an impact with people taking on extra paid work in their previously spare time or can’t afford the extra costs associated such as travel. Finally, the rise in long-term health conditions and mental health crisis means the more typical volunteering role just doesn’t suit the modern day needs of people who may require extra support to get involved.
MVDA has seen these challenges and developed the concept of the Volunteering Academy, having run the Middlesbrough Volunteer Centre on a shoe-string budget for many years, wanting to do more and change the offer to meet modern demands, but lacking the funding.
Thankfully, the award from the National Lottery Community Fund will enable a three year programme to begin developing the Academy.
Photo: Councillor Janet Thompson and Lesley Spaven, MVDA
Lesley Spaven, Head of Community & Service Development at MVDA said:
“Through our work we know individuals require more support to help them volunteer. Many lack confidence, are socially isolated, have long-term health conditions or are long-term unemployed. Volunteering can help. The Academy will take volunteers on a journey as a travel agent might, understanding their interests, skills, support needs, aspirations, and destination. We will help them navigate through the volunteer journey from the beginning until they reach their desired destination, supporting them at key points ensuring a positive experience.”
Amanda Buck, Chief Executive of Breckon Hill Community Centre in Middlesbrough said:
”We couldn’t engage with the amount of people we want to without a bank of volunteers. They bring so many diverse skills that allow us to be more responsive to complex community needs that are presented on a daily basis. We provide educational, recreational and social opportunities within a community centre environment. We have about 22 volunteers all working on projects that have an interest to them. They could be working with children, in a café, in the eco shop, or helping provide free meals. We desperately need more volunteers to provide this vital service in the community, so today’s news is an excellent opportunity to help us support and recruit more volunteers.”
Photo: Pat and Joan from the Unicorn Centre
Joan Northend, Trustee and long-term volunteer at the Unicorn Centre in Hemlington said of the news:
“This is brilliant news for us. Our charity supports people with disabilities to ride horses, for the past 25 years from a purpose-built centre. We need an enormous amount of volunteers to work with people who attend, and to work with our horses. The centre needs regular painting, plus cleaning and gardening. People don’t need to have an interest in horses to volunteer though. I liked horses and used to ride, but 30 years later although I no longer ride I’m still involved. I like seeing people enjoy themselves and how riding horses makes a difference to their lives.”
Pat White, fellow Trustee of the Unicorn Centre said:
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation. Anything that broadens and gets the message out about volunteering is great. Sometimes we’re seen as quite specialist but there are lots of ways volunteers can help. We lost a lot of volunteers through the pandemic and are always trying to recruit more. We’re really interested in the training the Academy will bring for our volunteers who cover a broad age range.”
Mark Davis, Chief Executive of MVDA said:
“We know some organisations have lost many volunteers, struggle to recruit and have reduced their volunteering support and activity due to financial pressures. We will support them to create new, flexible and more diverse volunteering opportunities as well as opportunities to share volunteers, enabling them to move from one role/organisation to another.
“By creating the infrastructure and a holistic approach to volunteering, the Volunteering Academy will be able to identify any barriers, improve diversity and ensure Middlesbrough becomes an inclusive volunteering town.”
To find out more about the plans visit www.mvda.info/volunteeracademy
Thanks to National Lottery players for making our project possible.
* Time Well Spent, research findings into volunteering by NCVO, published January 2023
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/key-findings-from-time-well-spent-2023/#/
