| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 04.07.2006 | Goldstar Regional Conference (Yorkshire and Humberside) |
| Number of Delegates | Location |
|---|---|
| 46 (click to view list) | The Queens Hotel Leeds |
| Format |
|---|
| 1. Interviews with GoldStar Exemplar project managers 2. Workshops relating to recruitment and selection and progression pathways |
A more detailed outline of some of the issues arising as part of the event is also available on this websit
Three GoldStar project managers/workers provided a number of insights into how volunteers are recruited and supported:
-
Soo Nevison is the Development Manager at Multiple Choice, which is a community-based drug rehabilitation programme supporting individuals to become and remain drug free, as an alternative to residential rehab.
-
Rowena Holstead and Tilly Rothmell both work for Home-Start Leeds. Volunteers offer families emotional support, guidance and encouragement, together with some practical help during periods in which they are experiencing difficulties.
-
Dr Hailu Hagos manages the Refugee Mentoring Service in East London which aims to enable refugees and migrants to realise their potential in society by providing peer support and positive role models from the refugee community, and support for personal, educational and career development.
Two key themes were addressed as part of the event, these being recruitment and selection and looking after volunteers.
The following views expressed by participants at the event provide a flavour of some of the issues raised.
“We are a bit back to front. A lot of people who get into volunteering, the first thing they need to do is go for an interview. Our interviews appear at the end of out training programme. People can learn…we can get a hold on whether they will adapt…We don’t want to turn them down at that point, so we give them the opportunity to learn if they can take it on board”.
“You can be very, very isolated living in quite an intense community…and bringing up children is a hard enough job anyway, if you feel like you are doing it on your own”.Quite a lot of people within families supported subsequently become volunteers themselves, “which is great, because it shows how they have progressed and really come through”.
“A lot of people come in thinking I will stay for six months and at the end of it I will have enough experience to get me somewhere else and find that they absolutely love it and feel very passionate about what they do and continue it”.
“What we are proud of is it is a multicultural organisation. The mentors are as diverse as the mentees themselves”.
“It is about treating (volunteers) equally, taking as many barriers down as possible and maintaining trust”.
A more detailed outline of some of the issues raised as part of the event is also available on this website. See full report
Print this report 
Close this window