If you are starting up a project or coming
together as a group, it’s likely you will all be volunteers – and
volunteers are incredibly important.
Volunteers can contribute to the development of a play project
in a variety of ways and will bring different skills and
experience, energy and enthusiasm to your group or organisation.
Play provision can provide a focus for community engagement and a
way of bringing people together.
Volunteers may:
- be members of your management committee or trustees
- provide professional or managerial skills to help with your
organisation
- provide practical skills that will help you develop your play
space
- be involved in fundraising, including applications for grants
or in supporting one-off events and fundraising activities
- be staff who work directly with children and young people
- be young people, parents and other members of the community who
support your activities.
Whenever you use volunteers on a regular basis
you will need to develop a volunteering policy to deal with
recruitment and to provide the support volunteers can expect.
Although they are not paid for the work they
do, volunteers do cost organisations both in time and money. You
will need to think about the costs carefully before recruiting or
engaging volunteers, and perhaps to budget for a level of expenses
to cover travel and subsistence costs. There will also be a time
implication involved in managing and supporting the volunteers.
Volunteers should also be covered by, and
aware of, your safeguarding and child protection policy. They
should undertake checks with the Criminal Records Bureau where
appropriate (see section Keeping children safe).
Some local authorities and voluntary
organisations have play volunteering schemes. You should also be
able to get advice about volunteering from your local volunteer
support agencies. This includes youth volunteering. Contact your
local youth service to find out more.
Young people volunteering in play
projects can be really valuable in creating inter-generational
respect, and their engagements shows youth in a positive
light.
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Tools and information
Do it: Volunteering made easy National database of volunteering opportunities in the UK. Part of the Youth Net registered charity. There is no charge for people to use the database and a small charge to organisations registering their opportunities.
The Recruitment Guide Volunteering England booklet on developing volunteering policies as the key to diverse volunteer involvement.
Managing volunteers The National Council for Voluntary Organisations checklist for managing volunteers.
Risk toolkit Institute for Volunteering Research and Volunteering England guide for organisations on how to take care of risk in volunteering.
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Organisations
Vinspired Independent charity that aims to inspire young volunteers aged from 18 to 25 years and provides support to voluntary organisations to create diverse volunteering opportunities.
Volunteering England Volunteering England works to support and increase the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England.