DIARY MARKER: 10.45am, Tuesday 4 August, National Eisteddfod, Meifod, WCVA/PAVO stand M44-M46
Project will widen and ‘professionalise’ volunteering at Welsh events
The success of the London Olympics in attracting thousands of volunteers is acting as a springboard for an ambitious plan to make Welsh public events more successful than ever.
The Volunteering Spirit Wales initiative is aimed at professionalising standards in the involvement of volunteers at eventscountrywide, increasing their numbers, improving their experiences and providing lasting benefits both for volunteers and communities.
Third sector umbrella body Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) will be working until 2017 with partners on six pilot projects, ranging from the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff to the Urdd Eisteddfod,to explore how principles of good volunteer management can be applied consistently across events.
The partnersinclude SportWales, Disability Sport Wales,the NationalMuseums and Galleries of Wales,The Outdoor Partnership,Run4Wales,Voluntary Arts Wales, Welsh Government,Tenovus and Cardiff Metropolitan University, and among other projects set to feature is an inaugural mental health arts festival in Merthyr Tydfil.
WCVA has been awarded £179,398 towards the schemefrom the Spirit of 2012, an independent trust established with a £47m endowment from the Big Lottery Fund. Volunteering Spirit Wales is being launched at WCVA and PAVO’s stand (M44-M46) at the National Eisteddfod in Meifod on Tuesday 4 August at 10.45am.
‘The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were characterised by an enthusiastic and generous volunteering spirit, and our new initiative seeks to ensure that volunteers at public events in Wales have similarly positive experiences,’ said WCVA Chief Executive Ruth Marks.
‘We are delighted to have received the funding to embark on this project, which will involve bringing together event organisers, charities, volunteer centres,academic institutions and many other partners.
‘We will be learning from one another and sharing ideas widely across Wales so that more people can get involved and have worthwhile experiences as volunteers at local and national events.’
Volunteering Spirit Wales will build on work already done by the GwirVol initiative, also administered by WCVA, which promotes and develops youth volunteering for 14 to 25-year-olds and which provided volunteers at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in 2010. Events Volunteering Co-ordinator Nia Ramage has been appointed to run the project.
The project aims to establish a framework of good practice to be disseminated across the sector, along with a means of common certification to recognise the contribution of volunteers.
Spirit of 2012Chief Executive Debbie Lye said: ‘Volunteering happens all over the UK, week in week out, and its impact on individuals and communities is immense. We want to invest in making volunteering more sustainable and meaningful.
‘WCVA’s excellent project aims to build understanding and provide learning about how best to create and manage enriching volunteering opportunities that improve the wellbeing of both volunteers and the communities they serve.’
For more information please contact LynneReynolds on 029 2043 1718 or JackieHuybs on 07814 070239. WCVA website
Notes to editors:
- WCVA supports and represents the third sector in Wales, with more than 3,000 members including a wide range of organisations working on issues such as housing, economic regeneration, childcare, community development, transport, the environment and health.
Data Protection Act 1998 Contact details (name, address, organisation, tel, fax, emails) of press contacts are held and processed by WCVA on computer. The information is used by WCVA for the promotion of the voluntary sector in Wales. Contact details are disclosed to third parties for the purposes of assisting this promotion.