Archive for the ‘Volunteering events’ Category
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Olympics ceremony preview to reward volunteers
A nationwide campaign which aims to use the inspirational power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to motivate the British public to give time in their communities was unveiled today.
The 25th Hour, which is separate to the official London 2012 Volunteer programme, is based on the idea that we can all find the extra hour and more to make a difference.
A recent survey on attitudes to London 2012 for DCMS showed that a third of people in the UK say they would give up their time for an Olympic-inspired activity - with even greater enthusiasm among young people, 48 per cent of whom say they would give up their time.
The 25th Hour will also celebrate the outstanding contributions of exceptional time givers with a range of Olympic-themed awards, including 2,012 pairs of tickets to a unique money can’t buy moment – the chance to see the dress rehearsal of the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
25th Hour supporters will be able to pledge their time via the campaign’s website – www.the25thhour.org - developed by v, the National Young Volunteers’ Service. From June this year the site will link people directly to opportunities to give time in their area, including featured opportunities similar to current campaigns on vinspired.com, and those posted through YouthNet and Volunteering England’s 2012 Games volunteering legacy project, funded by the Office of the Third Sector. People can sign up now to show their support for the 25th Hour and receive updates on campaign activity.
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v’s robot warmly welcomed into Parliament
Well, we did it. We put a robot in Parliament. Not just any robot I have to say, a robot that writes out, word for word, what young people care most about - delivering those messages directly to the politicians. At a time when only 3% of young people have ever contacted their MP, the robot - nicknamed Voicebot - is a very modern twist on writing a letter to your MP.
Voicebot in Parliament
The Voicebot is part of v’s proactive research campaign called Voicebox.
At a reception hosted by Tim Loughton MP, shadow minister for children and young people, to launch the robot’s week-long stay in parliament, lots of MP’s got to hear about the project and meet with the robot itself.
Tim Loughton MP, shadow minister for children and young people talking with v volunteers
Speaking at the launch Tim Loughton MP said, ‘Voicebox puts young people right at the heart of democracy. This is a great initiative bringing politicians and young people together’.
Other MP’s visiting the robot, reading young peoples’ cares and talking to the v volunteers included Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector, who commented, ‘Young people are our future and it is vital that we listen and understand their needs and concerns. Voicebox is an excellent two-way communication tool. It has the potential to give us real insight, helping us to take action that is truly effective where it most counts’.
Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector reading young peoples cares
Terry Ryall, chief executive of v reminded those at the launch that ’hundreds of thousands of young people want to make the world a better place. The challenge for politicians everywhere is to take risks with new ways to engage young people ‘.
The full results of the research underpinning the robot is being fed into v’s project with the think tank Demos, A New Anatomy of Youth.
More pics of the launch available here.
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Volunteer Awareness Week 2009
Australia and New Zealand celebrate Volunteer Awareness Week this week, 14th to 20th June 2009. The have a blog dedicated just for this, and anyone can contribute to the blog with the username and password they’ve provided here - bloggers even stand the chance of winning a prize for their entries.
Another good blog that promotes volunteering and encourages people to contribute their stories is the one run by Seek Volunteer Australia.
It certainly looks like volunteering is alive and kicking Down Under. Over 5 million people volunteer in Australia. This is very heartening news, and it’s good to see the number of initiatives being undertaken to promote volunteering there. If you’re in Australia or New Zealand and reading this, I hope you contribute to one of the two blogs above, or even both. While we’re on the topic, wouldn’t it be good if we could it make it Volunteer Awareness Week wherever we are? Just talk a friend into volunteering with you today, and that’s a good start.
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The European Commission proposes 2011 be designated as the European Year of Volunteering
In a move that is bound to help the cause of volunteering in Europe, the European Commission has announced today that 2011 should be designated as the ‘European Year of Volunteering’. It was spurred on by the initiatives of a network of European organisations that are involved with volunteering. It is likely that the Council and the European Commission will endorse this proposal at the beginning of next year.
More than 100 million people currently volunteer in Europe, strengthening the bonds of society with their valuable work.
From a joint press release issued today, the objectives of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 are “rewarding and recognising voluntary activities; empowering volunteer organisations; and raising awareness about the value of volunteering in our societies.”
The network of organisations involved in this alliance will soon put up a website dedicated to EYV 2011. Meanwhile, you can find a lot of relevant information here.
Here’s hoping more people will learn about the benefits and value of volunteering by 2011.
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The Beyond Sport Summit 2009
Beyond Sport is an initiative that aims to celebrate inspirational sports projects from across the world. The list of finalists for this year’s Beyond Sport Awards has just been announced. Each finalist has earned themselves an invitation to attend the invite-only Beyond Sport Summit from July 7-9 in London, where the winners of a £10,000 cash prize and a support package will be announced. Virgin Atlantic, the summit’s key partner, will be flying in representatives of all the shortlisted projects from all over the globe - including countries like Ghana, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Venezuela.
One of the nominated projects is the Co-Operative Street Games Young Volunteers. They have been nominated in the category of Best Corporate Responsibility in Sport and are supported by v.
A full list of the nominated projects can be found here.
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EFIL Volunteer Summer Summit on Innovation and Creativity in Youth Exchange
The European Federation for Intercultural Learning (earlier called the American Field Service or AFS) is organising a Volunteer Summit on Innovation and Creativity in Youth Exchange in Istanbul, Turkey, from the 30th July to the 4th of August 2009, in keeping with the declaration of 2009 as the European Year of Innovation and Creativity by the European Union. From the Summit’s website:
The general objectives of the Summit concept have been defined as:
- to provide an opportunity for all volunteers to participate in an international event, at low cost, and to encourage them to reach out across their national borders;
- to increase motivation and feeling of belonging to an international community of a large number of volunteers;
- to focus on one leading theme to facilitate the sharing between volunteers from different countries;
- to explore methods and themes new to the AFS network;
- to create a new tradition of an annual volunteer meeting in an informal setting.
Sounds like something that would definitely benefit people working in youth volunteering across the world. If you attend, don’t forget to let us know how it was. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on the website to notify you of any useful resources that pop up.
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