| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 04.07.2006 | Goldstar Regional Conference (North East) |
| Number of Delegates | Location |
|---|---|
| 59 (click to view list) | Centre for Life Newcastle |
| 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 website.
Three GoldStar project managers/workers provided a number of insights into how volunteers are recruited and supported:
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Ian Hutchinson from Age Concern Gateshead. The GoldStar Volunteering Project is effectively an in-house recruitment and training service provider. Its aims are to recruit, train and support a team of motivated and committed volunteers to enable the services and activities that are provided to continue and grow.
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Julia Bracknall from The Junction in Redcar, which provides a range of information and support services to young people up to the age of 25 who are vulnerable and/or disadvantaged as a result of their life circumstances, and who are in difficulty due to problems ranging from homelessness and substance misuse to physical or mental abuse.
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Lana Kirkup from Barnardos North East. The Project (The Party) aims to bring together young volunteers, some of who will also have been service users, to enable them to participate in the development of volunteering opportunities, policies and practices within Barnardos.
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’t just open the door and throw them in and say get on with it ”
“A buddy system is a very good way of introducing people and matching people up with a key volunteer…..I think it is quite intimidating for people to go into a daycentre or become a befriender. You can’t just assume they have the skills and the knowledge and they know what to do”
“It is not just about giving, the volunteer has to get something back”.
A good question to pose is “would you come here if you weren’t paid?"
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, people with skills, people with potential, embrace them”
“The logistics of getting people everywhere and getting things joined up and everyone supported is very, very hard in a rural area”
“We don’t call it training. I think in the first instance that is probably the first key thing. Not to talk about training”.
A more detailed outline of some of the issues raised as part of the event is also available on this website. See full report
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