A New Chapter for Volunteering in Wales

This month, we launched the draft Vision for Volunteering for Wales. After years of conversation, engagement and reflection which considers changes in the landscape of volunteering and society, a uniquely Welsh vision was created, to drive us towards a future in which volunteering can flourish and become a way of life for everyone.

We are volunteers

Wales is a nation built by volunteers, people that give their time freely because they care about their communities and environments, which make many of our lives better every day because of their presence. Data from the National Survey for Wales tells us that an impressive 30% of people (16 and over) formally volunteer in Wales, but in addition to this we know that there are thousands of people that ‘help out’ informally, in big ways and small ways every moment, of every day. What these statistics also do not show is the many children and young people that give their time to causes they care about.

Without these invaluable contributions, many of the aspects we depend on and enjoy would be vastly different. You could meet a volunteer every day of your life, from those that are present supporting babies to enter the world, or with parents in those first 1000 days of life, to those that hold hands of the dying in hospices. Whether you attend a weekly Park Run, take your children to a Scouts or Guides group, enjoy community sport, or a local or national cultural event, every one of these will have volunteers taking on key roles to enable these experiences to exist. Our rich heritage, our beautiful landscapes, our precious Welsh language, all of these are enriched and supported by volunteers.

Volunteering is the very heartbeat of our communities.

Why a new vision now?

The volunteering and societal landscape has changed, not just in Wales or the UK, but globally, and this affects us all. Peoples’ lives are constantly evolving, and at a pace now, that may well be, quicker than ever. People’s motivations, availability and expectations of volunteering are different from what we saw generations ago. Life today, means that people feel they have less time and want to ensure that time given really makes a difference, no longer do we see people that commit to the same lifelong volunteering activities. This is not a problem or a crisis, it’s an opportunity to adapt and innovate in how we attract and recruit volunteers, and how we ensure volunteers have a positive experience across the whole spectrum of volunteering – from the spontaneous and informal, to the formal and structured.

This change is happening at a time when the demand for services has increased, and continues to grow, which increases the need for volunteers creating both challenges and immense opportunities for our communities. This isn’t about volunteers filling a void, but about where volunteers can enable the continuation, the expansion, the improvement of services, experiences and overall quality of life of people living in Wales.

The Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt MS who supported the launch of the new approach to volunteering, in recognition of these challenges and changes shared that ‘we need a long-term approach for a flourishing future for volunteering’.

What will the vision do for Wales?

The vision, is one of three parts of the new approach to volunteering in Wales which includes a delivery framework and an implementation plan, a clear roadmap to how we turn the ambitious vision into reality.

This new approach does not exist in a vacuum, it builds on and will take advantage of the existing foundations we have for volunteering in Wales. Wales has a committed and experienced voluntary sector infrastructure (known as Third Sector Support Wales or TSSW) that many nations around the world are in awe of. We are fortunate to have a government that truly values and proactively supports volunteering, evidenced by initiatives such as the national bilingual Volunteering Wales platform, which connects prospective volunteers to thousands of organisations that are looking for volunteers. The government, via WCVA, fund dedicated strategic, operational and youth led grants that enable innovation, excellence in volunteer management and youth led social action to thrive. We have a robust network of volunteer centres in every unitary authority, providing vital local support and connections, which ensures a consistent offer for volunteer involving organisations throughout the nation. This existing strength provides a strong platform for implementing this new approach to volunteering, and I, along with my colleagues at WCVA and TSSW are eager to get started!

What's next?

The next steps include testing the delivery framework and building an implementation plan. If you would like to be involved in these aspects, please get in touch, you can contact us at volunteering@wcva.cymru.