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Homepage > Partners > Essex Youth Involvement > Volunteering Strategy

Vision

Create a vibrant Essex culture where all young people are inspired, empowered and supported to volunteer, encouraging greater participation in community and civic life.

Introduction

The values that underpin this integral piece of work are:

  • inclusiveness
  • diversity
  • equality
  • accessibility
  • reward
  • recognition
  • community benefit
  • partnership working

All of these elements are fundamental to achieving positive volunteering experiences for volunteers, organisations and the community.

Volunteering has tremendous benefits, it makes a huge social, human and economic contribution and acts as a catalyst for positive change in local communities, whilst enhancing the quality of civic life. Partners from all sectors have a duty to support this development, in order to ensure the unique contribution volunteering makes to society is supported, valued, enhanced, celebrated and resourced.

Key Priorities & Objectives

1) - Respect and listen to young volunteers, organisations and community views.

  • Community needs are clearly identified by young people, organisations and local society.
  • The above views form the core and essence of the development of youth volunteering provision.
  • Gaps in provision are closed.

2) - Support, empower and inspire everyone to participate in volunteering

  • A stronger infrastructure is developed and resourced.
  • The implications for local organisations offering volunteering experiences are recognised and supported.
  • Organisations are supported in enhancing provision and developing practice.

3) - Provide clear information

  • Increased local knowledge and confidence about volunteering, the benefits, implications and community impact.
  • Centralised information resource utilised for promoting and supporting youth volunteering across Essex.
  • A common framework implemented for sharing information and developing best practice.

4) - Enable everyone to have access to a diverse range of volunteering opportunities.

  • Increased number of young people actively volunteering.
  • Increased number of youth led, innovative volunteering opportunities.
  • Appropriate volunteering opportunities accessible to all.
  • Streamlined access to opportunities via multi agency partnership working across all sectors.
  • Volunteering ethos embedded within education, training and employment .

5) - Give and seek feedback

  • Mechanisms developed for assessing and reporting on quality of youth volunteering provision.
  • Quality assurance systems in place (Investors in Volunteers).
  • Existing guidance is utilised i.e. Essex Compact Code for Volunteering and the Essex commitment to children, young people, their families and communities.
  • Formal and informal youth volunteering is recognised, rewarded and celebrated through a wide menu of accreditation.

6) - Work together to provide the widest range of the best possible opportunities

  • Commitment given by all partners to achieve the overarching vision.
  • Partnership action plan created and reviewed on an annual basis to further develop the quality, quantity and diversity of youth volunteering provision.