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Volunteering Greater Manchester

(Championing Volunteering in Greater Manchester)

Key Aim of the Project

To bring about a ‘radical change’ in the way people think about and support volunteering, i.e. a greater acknowledgement that volunteering

• Is essential to local voluntary action
  
• Delivers services in the community, and support to those in need
  
• Contributes to people’s health, wealth, and well being (both volunteers and people on the receiving end of volunteering), and therefore:
  
• Builds social capital and community cohesion

The radical change will come about when people recognise the above, and as a result acknowledge that it needs supporting with properly resourced volunteering infrastructure.

Key Objectives of the Project

• Provide strategic support for existing volunteer involving organisations and services
• Support volunteering by non traditional groups
• Champion and support volunteering and volunteering infrastructure and raise its profile, hopefully leading to greater sustainability (LAs, PCTs, Police and other statutory sector)
• Co-ordinate work across LA boundaries and enable greater collaboration and efficiency including reach into areas where specialist volunteering infrastructure is weak.

Project beneficiaries

Three main kinds of organisations: -

• Frontline voluntary and community organisations that host volunteers
  
• Volunteer Centres and other volunteer development agencies involved in the project partnership
  
• Diversity infrastructure organisations

Outcomes

• Increased good quality volunteering opportunities across Greater Manchester
• Increased involvement in volunteering of people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including those regarded as “hard to reach”
• Increased capacity of organisations to host volunteers who need support or adjustments especially around language, culture and/or faith, mental health, and learning disabilities
• Increased understanding of the value of volunteering by public sector organisations, leading to a greater commitment to support local volunteering infrastructure

Project details

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