Volunteering

Do you enjoy meeting new people? Are you looking for a change of direction? Have you thought about volunteering?

You can gain so much by volunteering:

Meet new people and make new friends
Gain useful work experience
Learn new skills, use the ones you have already
Build up your confidence
Provide a real service to your community
Add to your CV
Do something you enjoy

People volunteer for may different reasons: to help other people in the community, gain work experience, learn new skills, meet new people, gain access to training or to "just get out of the house". Whatever the reasons, people get a lot out of volunteering.

BAVO provides a Volunteer Centre which offers up-to-date information, advice and guidance to people who are looking for volunteering opportunities. Whether you are an organization looking for volunteers, or an individual looking for a suitable volunteering opportunity, registering with BAVO is free.

With over 100 registered voluntary organisations offering a range of volunteering opportunities, BAVO’s Volunteer Centre can match your skills and interests with a vacancy that suits you best.

We provide one to one confidential interviews at our main office and in a range of outreach premises across the Borough. The interviews are designed to provide volunteers with the information they require to make informed choices in volunteering.

There are many opportunities, from administrative work to driving, conservation to education. You can work with many different organisations and people in your area and most organisations offer training and pay out-of-pocket expenses. You could make a real difference.

BAVO has details of lots of local volunteering opportunities, and there is bound to be one that suits your interests. Please telephone for more information on 01656 810400.

For the latest volunteering opportunities please visit the Wales Volunteer Website here: www.volunteering-wales.net

The London 2012 Games are coming to Cardiff...and YOU can be part of it!

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium will see the first action of the 2012 Olympic Games – two days before the opening ceremony, when it plays host to the first of 11 Olympic football matches taking place in Cardiff. The City will also play host to Pre-Games Training Camps for a number of Olympic & Paralympic teams – this means that in the summer of 2012 we will be welcoming visitors to Cardiff from all over the world. We want to make their time in Cardiff and their experience of the Olympic & Paralympic Games the best possible and our ‘Ambassadors’ will play a key role in doing this.

To find out more on how to volunteer to be an ambassador please click here

The GwirVol website is here!

GwirVol is a uniquely Welsh, diverse partnership, promoting, supporting and driving forward youth volunteering.

GwirVol is an initiative made up of a partnership from the voluntary, community, public and private sectors and led by the views of young people in Wales. The initiative exists to take forward the recommendations of the Russell Commission accepted by the Welsh Assembly Government.

GwirVol was formally launched on Monday 6 April, 2009, at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff by Dr Brian Gibbons, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Social Justice and Local Government.

The number of young people taking part in volunteering in Wales is set to be significantly increased through a partnership of organisations from the voluntary, public and private sectors. The aim of the initiative is to achieve a sustained step change to youth volunteering in Wales through the involvement and leadership of young people.

GwirVol will be led by the young people themselves through GwirForce - a panel of young people who sit on the partnership - and supported in their work by Youth Volunteer Advisors in each of the 22 Welsh local authority areas.

The GwirVol initiative will also give out £500,000 in grants including £110,000 through local grant panels comprising young people to encourage youth led volunteering projects in their own areas. In Bridgend the funding is administered by a group of young people called the Bridgend Funding Group.

GwirVol is taking forward the recommendations of the Russell Commission, which set out the framework in 2005 for youth action and engagement.

Visit the Gwirvol webite on www.GwirVol.org

GwirForce - GwirForce is a diverse panel of young, spontaneous and fun volunteers aged 16 to 25 committed to promoting and driving forward youth volunteering in Wales. GwirForce is split into three sub-groups The Ambassadors, The Engineers and The Marketeers. More information about GwirVol and Gwirforce is available on the GwirVol website at www.GwirVol.org.

GwirVol Grants 2011

The aim of the GwirVol Youth Volunteering Grants scheme is to support the delivery of a wide range of new volunteering opportunities in Wales and overseas that will support the step change in access to volunteering for young people aged 16-25 and especially for disadvantaged young people. The GwirVol grant scheme offers five different strands of funding: Creating Opportunities, Promotions, StreetGames, International and Millennium Volunteers grants.

GwirVol Grant Strands

Creating Opportunities: For organisations looking to create new youth volunteering projects, new youth volunteering roles or to recruit more young people into existing volunteering roles. Creating Opportunities grant applications can be for up to a maximum amount of £10,000.

Promotions: For organisations looking to promote the benefits or challenge the perceptions of volunteering to young people or about young people to their local communities. Shout it out! grant applications can be for up to a maximum amount of £3,000.
StreetGames: For organisations looking to develop volunteering opportunities in doorstep sports within deprived areas. StreetGames grant applications can be for up to a maximum amount of £2,000.
International: For organisations looking to develop overseas volunteering opportunities that benefit young people and their communities in Wales as well. International grant applications can be for up to a maximum amount of £30,000.
Millennium Volunteers: For organisations looking to recognise the commitment young people give to volunteering through offering the 200 hour award of excellence. Millennium Volunteers grant applications can be for up to a maximum amount of £10,000.

What they don’t fund:

Volunteering activities for those outside the age range of 16-25.
Young people who are carrying out the activities as a part of their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification or any other compulsory community work required for education such as work experience for degree courses or diplomas.

To find out more about the funding please go to www.GwirVol.org.uk Completed applications need to be returned to: GwirVol Youth Volunteering Grants, WCVA, Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FH. The original, signed hard copy must be received by: TBC

An emailed copy of the final version of your application needs to be sent to GwirVol@wcva.org.uk in addition to sending a signed hard copy as this will help them to process you application as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Bridgend Youth Funding Panel

The Bridgend Youth Funding Panel, made up by young people from the Bridgend Borough will be awarding grants of up to £1500 for organisations that are supporting youth volunteering. Previous sucessful applicants to the scheme Solid Rock Youth Centre stated "the grant was much appreciated and made the HOPE event in May very successful. The young people really enjoyed the projects around various communities as well as the celebration evenings." If you would to promote youth volunteering in your organisations then please contact Sharon or Geraint at BAVO for more information on the Bridgend Youth led Funding Grant. The deadline for completed applications is Wednesday 30th November 2011.

To download aplication form click here

To download guidelines click here

Volunteering in Wales Funding 2011

WCVA’s Volunteering in Wales Fund has received continued support from the Welsh Assembly Government meaning that organisations will be able to apply for funding to support projects for the next year.

The Fund can offer grants of up to £25,000 to support and develop new volunteers through covering the cost of the volunteer expenses and training; contributions to organisations’ running costs and the recruitment of specialist staff to help support new volunteers.

For further details and an application pack, contact the WCVA Helpdesk on 0800 2888 329 or email help@wcva.org.uk.

The deadline to make a grant application is tbc.

JobCentreplus' guide to benefits and voluntary work

A comprehensive guide for individuals who may want to volunteer but are uncertain whether this will impact on their benefits. Download the guide.

Workforce Hub Review of National Standards for Volunteer Managers

Do you manage volunteers? Revised National Occupational Standards for managing volunteers published

The UK Workforce Hub have revised and updated the national standards for the management of volunteers - which are available to download for free.

These standards have been developed for everyone who manages volunteers. Voluntary and community organisations across the UK will be able to make use of the new standards in their recruitment, selection, training and development procedures in order to improve the skills of volunteer managers.

The standards were written by a steering group of experts and practitioners led by the UK Workforce Hub and compiled by the Management Standards Consultancy. The process included a three month UK wide consultation period in which individuals were able to contribute their views via an on line consultation or at one of the UK events. All of this hard work has led to this final version.

These standards are funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, (UKCES). They include the knowledge and skills that every competent manager of volunteers needs to be able to demonstrate in order to do their job to a nationally recognised level of competence.

The new standards can be accessed at www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/mvnos08.

The UK Workforce Hub has also developed National Occupational Standards for Fundraisers (which have also been recently updated) and for Trustees and Management Committee Members. To find out more about these standards, visit www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/nos.

If you're interested in finding out more about our standards work, join the mailing list by emailing workforcehub@ukworkforcehub.org.uk quoting 'NOS mailing list'.

Millennium Programme - 16-25's

Millennium Volunteers is a programme for volunteers aged between 16 - 25. It gives young people encouragement and recognition for the volunteering that they do. Funding and accreditation for the Millennium Volunteer Programme is given by the Welsh Assembly.

The 'Certificate of Recognition' is awarded for 100 hours of volunteering and 'The Award of Excellence' is present for 200 hours of volunteering achieved. Out of pocket expenses are paid to all MV's including travel and childcare costs. This is an innovative scheme, which emphasises the volunteering achievements of young people.

If you are aged 16-25 and looking to volunteer, or indeed, if you are an organization wishing to recruit younger volunteers please contact Sharon or Geraint for further information on this scheme.

To email Sharon, click here

To email Geraint, click here