Launching the Newcastle Volunteer Coordinators' Network

Attendees at the first Newcastle Volunteer Coordinators' Network Meeting on Tuesday 16 April at One Strawberry Lane

Connected Voice, in collaboration with Volunteer Centre Newcastle, welcomed 26 VCSE organisations from across Newcastle for the first meeting of a new network on Tuesday 16 April. The network will bring together the voices, expertise and enthusiasm of Volunteer Coordinators and Managers to develop volunteering across the city. The attendees enjoyed having a space to network and brought up challenges such as inclusion, barriers to volunteering and capacity for volunteer support. They told us of fantastic success stories such as the mental health benefits of being a volunteer and the journey from beneficiary to volunteer and in many cases on to becoming a paid member of staff. It was great to hear about different organisations' plans for the upcoming Volunteers' Week 2024 (Monday 3 - Sunday 9 June). Watch this space for more announcements about what's happening during Volunteers' Week, and when the next Volunteer Coordinators' and Managers' Network meeting is taking place.

The need for this network was one of the main outcomes from consultations with Newcastle-based VCSE organisations as part of our Volunteering Voice and Engagement work, delivered by our Volunteering Voice and Engagement Manager, Nimerta Virdee. Nimerta has been delivering this work as part of a wider Volunteering Development and Social Action Programme, a joint initiative funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, via the North East Combined Authority. In quarter 1 of this programme, we consulted with 35 VCSE organisations about the challenges, barriers and successes they have experienced with regards to volunteer activity. We will then be taking these voices to decision makers across Newcastle to see what initiatives can be developed to address the challenges and barriers, and to celebrate the amazing successes we have seen.

We are delighted to share our first report bringing the findings from these consultations together - you can find this below.

Nimerta is continuing to consult with organisations on their experiences with volunteers, so please do reach out to her at nimerta.virdee@connectedvoice.org.uk to be a part of this work.