Volunteering News
Tree Planting Packs Available to Community Groups and Schools and Youth Groups (UK).
Free tree packs will be delivered in November 2010. The Woodland Trust has replaced their grant scheme with a new community tree planting pack and with packs available to schools and youth groups. These are designed to be planted in local shared spaces - by a church, community centre or playground for example or on patches of unused land. See http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/plant-trees/help-advice/planting-trees/Pages/free-trees-for-schools-and-communities.aspx
North Alliance: BIG conference, Nairn Community Centre, 28 - 29 October, 2010
For CLD practitioners from the voluntary sector and councils in Shetland, Orkney, Highland, Moray, the Western Isles, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen this is your opportunity to: Explore what The Big Society means for our work in and with communities; Get to grips with the impact of the Curriculum for Excellence on CLD practice; Share practice with others working in CLD across the North of Scotland
National organisations, a panel discussion, good practice workshops and social networking will be part of the conference. The North Alliance aims to make this an inter- active conference with technology supporting participation from those not able to make it to Nairn. Places are free, but limited, so a £20 surcharge will be applied to those who register for a place but don’t turn up.
Priority will be given to those who register for the full 2 days. If you’re unable to make it to Nairn but would like to participate inter-actively, please indicate on your booking form. Booking form available from the volunteer centre at:stornoway@volunteeringwesternisles.co.uk
Samaritans Information Evening
There are lots of ways you can reach out to others going through difficult times - whether you’re 18 or 81
All sorts of people volunteer with Samaritans, if you would like to find out more about Samaritans
or the many ways you can be a Samaritans volunteer
Come along to our Information Evening at:
Samaritans,27 Bayhead, Stornoway, on Friday 10th September at 7pm
Bring a friend Refreshments will be available.
HELP FROM HOME MICRO-VOLUNTEERING WEBSITE
Help from Home aims to make volunteering more accessible by giving people the opportunity to volunteer from the comfort of their own home. Volunteer your time in bite size chunks, when you want to. Benefit worthy causes to suit your lifestyle at your own convenience. Dip in and dip out with absolutely no commitment. Over 500 micro volunteering opportunities to choose from that will take between 10 seconds to 30 minutes to complete.
http://www.helpfromhome.org/?dm_i=7XU,76N6,1MD79W,I1K0,1
Gazette Promotion of Voluntary Organisations
Kirsty Macdonald of the Volunteer Centre recently met with Michelle Robson of the Stornoway Gazette in order to discuss the future of regular promotional features in the new community pages of the Gazette. This cover used to be provided by the Island Eye, which is no longer produced.
Michelle was very interested by the scope of volunteering in the Western Isles and will be pleased to work with the VC to continue feature articles on volunteering. The aim will be to target one or two groups each month and give a more in depth picture of volunteering within that organisation, from the point of view of the volunteer.
The aim is to include articles on as wide a range of groups as possible over the course of a year. This will hopefully raise the awareness of the range of volunteering opportunities around the islands and encourage more people to get involved, especially when they hear of the benefits enjoyed by active volunteers.
To be included in this useful series of feature articles, please get in touch with Kirsty at the VC in Stornoway or contact your local office for more information.
Make a Difference Day 2010
This year's campaign will encourage families across the UK to volunteer. CSV Make a Difference Day 2010 falls at the end of half-term (Saturday 30 October), so is the perfect time for families to get together.
By volunteering, kids learn the importance of helping others and get to try out something new, and adults enjoy a fun, free activity for all the family!
We are encouraging campaign activities to make their activities family friendly where possible, while also keeping their events open to anyone who wants to take part. Anybody who wants to get involved will be able to find events looking for volunteers on the Activity Locator, which will be up and running after registrations open at the end of July.
To find out more about what's new for this year, visit our new and improved website.
http://www.csv.org.uk/campaigns/csv-make-difference-day
Youth Clubs Uist and Barra Association proudly presents
‘ICE EXTRAVAGANZA’
YCUBA has secured funding to bring a portable ice rink up to the islands from October 30th to November 14th 2010. It will be held in Southend Hall and available to all members of the community. The association has been working hard on this project for a while now and are very excited to see it materialize. Our main funding has come from ‘Awards for All’ with added contributions from councillors and individual youth clubs. A competition is taking place to award the youth club with the most funds a ‘Free Skate on the Rink’. Plans are developing for theme nights, games and activities in the hopes to make this project the event of the year. We will have more information for you nearer the time but for now mark the dates in your dairy!!!!
Local Grants Scheme
We are delighted to enclose information on ‘see me’s new LOCAL GRANTS SCHEME launching today in your area. Awards of up to £5,000 can be applied for by organisations based in Lothian, Fife, Borders, Forth Valley and Western Isles Health Board Areas.
“ ‘see me’s vision is for a Scotland where all people with mental health problems are fully equal and included. This is your chance to make a real difference in your community. We will award grants that help to improve public attitudes about mental ill-health and which promote positive messages about recovery.”
– Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’ Campaign Director
‘see me’s new Local Grants Scheme will grant awards of up to £5,000 to local groups who can come up with fresh and innovative ideas and projects to tackle stigma and discrimination associated with mental ill-health.
There will also be one Equality Award of up to £5,000 on offer for work that aims to tackle mental health inequalities and stigma within communities that already face discrimination – see the enclosed flyer for entry details.
You can download Guidelines and applications forms from http://www.seemescotland.org.uk/getmaterials/local-grants-scheme-guidelines.
Volunteers' Week 2010: Volunteer Centre's Volunteering Awards
Winner of the Organisation of the Year: Alzheimer Scotland
| Volunteer Centre Western Isles marked the end of Volunteers Week 2010 with a major awards ceremony held in Lews Castle College on the evening of Monday 7th June. Drawing together all the awards the VC currently offers with four new awards, the evening was a real celebration of volunteering and the passion and commitment that goes with it. After an introduction by Roy Macphail, Development Worker at the Volunteer Centre, the ceremony was conducted by Charlie Morrison, one of the two Nicolson Institute school captains, who managed the event with composure and eloquence and with a measure of good humour as well. The audience of 140 were then given the chance to appreciate the wide range of achievements and dedication of the award winners, ranging from the youngest in the audience with Make A Difference Day certificates, to the oldest winner, being awarded the Services to Volunteering award. Thanks to technical support from Carl Evans, a volunteer at Isles FM, the audience were able to watch recordings of the nominations made for the winners and runners up of the main awards, detailing why the person had been nominated and outlining some of their personal achievements. This brought a personal touch to the ceremony: several people commented afterwards that it was “Just like the OSCARs!” Quirky stand up comedian, Daniel Downie, brought a good few chuckles with his own brand of humour, rounding the ceremony off well. Refreshments were served in the college cafeteria, where the winners of the Young Volunteer of the Year and Services to Volunteering awards cut the magnificent cakes which had been donated by Stag Bakeries. |
Awards were presented in the following categories: The winner of the Young Volunteer of the Year Award was Gordon Macdonald for his efforts with young people in both sporting activity and the Tong Youth Club, with Nathan Munro of the Boy’s Brigade as runner up. Volunteer of the Year Award went to DJ Macleod for his volunteer work with the children of Tong Primary School with Kathleen Maciver of Isles FM as runner up. In the Organisation of the Year category, Alzheimer Scotland (Lewis and Harris Branch) took the award, with Carthannas Nis as runners up. And the award for outstanding Services to Volunteering was given to John Graham of the Red Cross, with Margaret Macmillan of the Boy’s Brigade as runner up. |
Services to Volunteering
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MV award recipients
Winner andrunner up in the Volunteer of the Year Award
| Kirsty Macdonald of the Volunteer Centre commented: “It was extremely difficult to pick only two winners for each category – the standards were remarkable. All those nominated were winners in reality as they all give so much to the community. We were delighted to host such a special event and that it came as the culmination of a week of promotion with our Faces of Volunteering posters. Almost every business in Stornoway took part by displaying a couple of posters – some covered their windows with them. We feel we really have highlighted the value of volunteering and feted some outstanding volunteers along the way.” The Volunteer Centre would like to express its gratitude to the following for help with the event: Firstly, our sponsors, Nicolson Accountancy, Lews Castle College, Events Monthly, The Stornoway PHAB Club, Stag Bakeries, Samaritans, Celtic Festival Trust, Domhnall Smith Graphics, Angus Clinton Windows, Hebridean Coachworks, Hebridean Chocolates and Tong School. To Charlie Morrison for his help on the night; Laura Campbell and Catherine Ann Macleod for help with photos; Daniel Downie for his entertainment and a big thank you to Carl Easton for technical expertise. Thanks to all the staff of the Volunteer Centre for working as a great team. And finally, thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who truly do ‘Make a Difference’! |
Winner and runner up in the Young Volunteer of the Year category.
Latest MV Awards in Uist
| Congratulations to Anna MacLellan (18) of Lasgair, South Uist and Seamus Buckley (22) of Cnoc A Lin, North Uist, who recently achieved their 50 hour M.V award. Seamus is currently volunteering at the Uist Community Riding School, and help in everyway possible, from general horse keep duties to horse treks. He is also a member of the Youth Council. He has recently been selected to represent the Western Isles in a Youth conference which will be held in Edinburgh. |  |
| Anna is heavily involved with the South Uist Youth Development Group, were she assists in both senior and junior youth club on a week basis. Anna is currently working toward her 100 hour M.V, which I am confident she will reach in the next few weeks as Anna is always willing to go that extra mile and has involved herself in a number of one off events in her community. Well done to both volunteers and I look forward to presenting your 100 and 200 hour award. |
Half Marathon
This years annual Benbecula Half Marathon took place on Saturday 5th June, seeing over 90 competitors take part in the 13 mile race. The 13 volunteers who assisted in a number of duties, received a fantastic reception from the competitors and organizers, who greatly appreciated their support. The volunteers ensured that the race ran as smoothly as possible, and kept the runners hydrated. Every year the half marathon, and similar events, rely heavily on volunteers. Whether it’s handing out water, long term planning, or simply pointing athletes in the right direction, a volunteer’s commitment and dedication is never underestimated and always greatly appreciated. It is therefore as equally important that the Volunteer Centre is able to facilitate for events on any scale and ensure a positive experience of athletes and our volunteer. For more information on this years half marathon, please visit the official website on http://www.runbenbecula.btik.com/p_Home.ikml
National Spring Clean in Uist
Following the many years of previous success of the Baleshare Beach Spring Clean, over
20 Carinish school pupils and staff attended this annual event with the help of the Volunteer Centre and Keep Scotland Tidy to play their part in National Spring Clean Month.
The morning of the 30th April was a perfect spring morning and following the weather of the previous few days, we were able to uncross our fingers and absorb the sunshine of what seemed like a summer’s day. After a brief talk about the event and sharing some clean-up stories, pupils were then teamed up and were kindly transported by A. Ferguson of Alda’s Taxi’s, to Baleshare beach, where they were then supplied with a Keep Scotland Tidy tabard, gloves and bags. As soon as everyone was well equipped, we then set off to collect as much waste along the shore as we could.
At first glance the beach was in a very tidy state, which demonstrated the hard work put in each year by Carinish School to keep their local environment and beach, clean and tidy. However once each group settled into their role, it wasn’t long before 1 bag turned into over 50! Among the debris found as well as the usual items washed up, was a flip, but no flop, several pairs of fisher men’s gloves, a yogurt pot from Greece, Lego and many more unusual artifacts.
After a morning of hard work, the pupils were treated to lunch, and tucked into delicious donations of food and refreshments from MacLean’s Bakery, Lovat’s, Creagorry and Sollas Co-op. Many thanks to them for showing their support and generosity.
Catriona Black, head teacher of Carinish School said “The children get a lot of satisfaction from helping to care for their environment.”
For Carinish School, volunteering would seem something of the norm. Not only do they take part in the annual Spring Clean, but are also members of Caraidean Trianaid. On a regular basis, a number of pupils visit the residents of Trianaid and take pleasure in their company.
Finally, I would like to thank Waste Aware for donating equipment and collection of the rubbish collected on Baleshare. I would also like to thank Niall Leveson Gower who kindly assisted in the collection of the rubbish to the car park, which resulted in a lot more being collected. More importantly, thank you to Carinish School pupils and staff, who were joined by Bethany Lane from Sgoil Lionacleit, for their hard work and volunteering, which, I’m sure without, the beach would certainly not be as clean.
Uist WAVE under 16's Award
Congratulations to Emma Atkin (13) of Askernish, South Uist who has recently received her 25 hour WAVE award for Volunteering Excellence.
Emma is currently volunteering within a wide array of organisation in her local community, from assisting at her local youth club to helping at Uist House residential home and assisting in after school clubs. Emma will continue her dedication and effort within these organisations and is currently volunteering towards her 50 and 100 hour WAVE award. Well Done Emma, keep up the great work!
“Hi, I am currently studying at United World College of the Atlantic in South Wales, but am originally from Scotland. In March, we have a project week for which I am trying to organise a volunteering opportunity somewhere in Scotland possibly for up to 5 people. I would really love to use this opportunity to volunteer in the Western Isles in particular, I have family on the Island but I haven’t visited since I was very young.” - Lindsay Riddoch
Fast forward 4 months and the Volunteer Centre welcome Lindsay Riddoch (Scottish), Tim Ogallo (Kenyan), Anna Evans (Welsh), Morgan Thorne (Barbadian) and Emmanuella Onyilofor (Nigerian). The group are all aged 17 and studying at Atlantic College. Lindsay’s reasons for visiting are clear, but why would the rest of the group choose our long Island?
“I was especially interested to find out more about this ‘remote’ Island tucked away off the mainland. I knew very little about it beforehand but thought that volunteering would be a great way to get to know both the place and the people.” – Tim Ogallo.
Many Volunteer Involving Organisations extended our welcome by participating in what promised to be a sensational and varied week of volunteering. Upon meeting the group it was evident that they were talented, brave, outgoing and highly motivated. Throughout the week it was their enthusiasm, friendliness and maturity that guided them through various interesting volunteering opportunities.
The Volunteer Centre sincerely appreciates the involvement of the Bridge Community Centre, Isles FM, The Science and Technology Festival, The An Sulaire Trust, Active Schools, Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, Western Isles Association for Mental Health and Stornoway United. Your openness to this project and interaction with the group helped build an experience of a lifetime.
"People here are much friendlier than we are used to; they have a different attitude towards life and a real community atmosphere.” – Atlantic College Group
What you told us about volunteering.
Thanks to everyone that filled out one of our online surveys. If you missed it they are still open and we would love to hear what you think. So far the results are looking interesting, see for yourself: 95% Of Volunteer Involving Organisations said that volunteering had increased the confidence or improved the self esteem of their volunteers. 75% said that volunteering had improved the physical or mental health of their volunteers. Almost 50% said that volunteering had led to/assisted their volunteers to find paid employment. 96% said their organisation could not operate without their volunteers The majority of organisations had between 6 and 15 volunteers with one organisation reporting 190. The amount of time volunteered varied greatly from just one hour per month to more than 40 hours a month per volunteer. Adding up the number of hours volunteered with just the 24 organisations who gave us details equals a staggering 51,192 hours a year. At a cost of £296,913.6 to replace at minimum wage! If we apply this formula to all the volunteer involving organisations we have registered with us. Volunteers are worth £3,360,000 to the economy of the Western Isles each year We also asked people who had recently asked us about starting to volunteer about their experiences so far: 95% of the volunteers said volunteering had had a positive effect on their lives 95% said they would recommend volunteering to a friend Quotes from a recent volunteer survey about their volunteer experience: Its a great way of meeting people, learning new skills, sharing your own and making a difference to organisations. It helped me develop another interest that also benefited my work as a therapist and also gives me an opportunity to help out an organisation that I have always thought highly of and even more so after the training session. Was feeling pretty lonely when i moved here and it helped boost my confidence. Sharing my skills and making a difference (was the best part of volunteering) as it was highlighted at the training session how important the volunteers are to the organisation and that there are more volunteers than paid workers. Wanted to do something for young people locally (I teach here) but it has also improved my relationships with pupils in class Help us gather statistics on Volunteering in the western Isles by answering one of our short surveys:
Are you a volunteer? click here
Do you work for an organisation that uses volunteers? click here
The Voluntary Action Fund Helping Scottish Communities from the grass roots up.
The Voluntary Action Fund Scotland’s leading independent grant-making body investing in small voluntary and community based organisations throughout Scotland has announced its funding priorities for 2010-2011 for its Community Chest grants programme.
Voluntary Action Fund operates a number of funding programmes furthering the legacy of grass roots grant making and robust practice it has established over the last 28 years aimed at promoting the inclusion of those most excluded within their communities. Its Community Chest programme aims to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. Applications are welcomed from small community and not-for-profit groups who can apply for a small grant up to £1,000 to fund general activities or a specific project.
Each year the Voluntary Action Fund targets different regions throughout Scotland this year it particularly welcomes applications from groups based within North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire. As well as being eager to fund groups in the target geographic areas, The Voluntary Action Fund is especially keen to hear from groups who work with disability or health related issues, provide childcare or whose beneficiaries face exclusion due to their ethnicity, disability gender or sexual orientation.
A key benefit of the fund is the opportunity to be involved with a range of training events. Free training is offered to all groups applying for a grant on topics such as charity law, making successful funding applications, managing money and measuring success.
Previous recipients of Community Chest funding have included, Art Trek Artists of Glasgow, where a grant of £1,000 provided funding to run an 8 week arts workshop for people with learning disabilities. Inverness based HAPIS received a grant of £1,000 to contribute towards the running costs of the group, enabling the group to offer free counseling sessions to mothers and families affected by Post Natal Depression. Other projects include funding for after school clubs, a drop in centre for people affected by mental health issues, a meeting place for elderly people and a Youth Café.
Chris Smith the Community Chest Grants Officer said ‘’The small pots of funding we can provide through the Community Chest programme really will make a significant difference to people's lives, whilst also sustaining and developing the activities of the community groups involved. We’re excited to see what varied and inspired applications we’ll receive throughout the year and the difference the Community Chest funding will make to the communities of Scotland”.
Applications for the Community Chest programme are welcome throughout the year with the next deadline being the 31 December 2009. Groups wishing to apply for a Community Chest grant can download an application form and guidance notes from the VAF website at www.voluntaryactionfund.org.uk. Alternatively call 01383 620780.
DR’s Support Charity Knitters
DR Macleod’s have stepped forward to help the Volunteer Centre Western Isles with an unusual problem: how to transport a mound of beautifully crafted knitted garments from Stornoway to Fife.
The Loving Hands knitting project has proved hugely popular with island knitters, and the Volunteer Centre has been receiving donations for months – leaving them with increasing transport costs for the garments. Several boxes were dispatched at the start of the summer, but by September, there were bags and bags of tiny baby clothes, cot blankets and hats awaiting transport from the Stornoway office.
“We were wondering what to do about the situation,” explained Kirsty Macdonald, Joint Manager of the Volunteer Centre, “and then we decided to see if we could get help from one of the local hauliers. We approached DR Macleod’s who were very happy to transport the knitting, securely packaged, down to their depot in Glasgow. Someone from the charity Loving Hands will collect it from there.
“We are very grateful indeed for this help from DR’s, as it means we can continue to encourage local knitters to keep knitting and bringing their work to us. We have a range of patterns in our offices that people can use for the project. We started with another project a few years ago that asked people to knit teddies and squares for blankets for use by the emergency services, but this has now finished. We were delighted to find a new knitting project called Loving Hands that we can work with instead.”
Loving Hands, a Fife based charity, distributes knitted garments to a number of different charities including at present: Linda McDonald Foundation; Blythswood Care; British and International Sailors Society and Feed The Children.
“Knitters can of course give knitting to our own Blythwood shop here in Stornoway,” continued Kirsty. “They are about to finish off their Shoebox Appeal for this year and hats, scarves and other items are needed for this. Whatever they choose to do, it is wonderful that so many people are willing and able to spend time making beautiful things to help those who desperately need them. This is armchair volunteering with real impact!”
Volunteering Team Challenges
The Volunteer Centre has been asked by a couple of groups for ideas for team challenges that can be undertaken by either a work group or a student group from the college. We have already had some interesting ideas coming to us and would like to open up the whole idea a little wider. We hope that we will be able to match ideas to groups and offer a new range of interesting opportunities for those wanting to volunteer.
Team volunteering can be a fun way to build relationships in a group, and can achieve specific tasks while also offering the satisfaction of getting the job done. Tasks that can easily be accomplished in half a day or a day are usually the best ideas, but sometimes a group might want to take on a longer project.
If you have any ideas, get in touch with us!
RNID Volunteer Support Pack
RNID is currently running a project focusing on enabling organistions to create volunteer opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as supporting volunteers that work with the deaf and hard of hearing community.
This informative and useful pack is now available on loan from our office in Stornoway. It covers all you need to know to involve deaf and hard of hearing volunteers in your organisation. It has a simple, easy to use format and covers topics such as: understanding deafness and hearing loss; recruiting volunteers; supporting volunteers; better communication.
Well worth taking time to read!
Pack also available from RNID 0141 341 5330 e mail rnidscotland@rnid.org.uk
Congratulations to our latest MV Award recipient
Matthew Matheson recently received his 100 hours and 200 hours MV Awards. Matthew has been volunteering with Western Isles Association for Mental Health and Alzheimer Scotland Lewis and Haris branch and has gained a great deal from his time with these organisations. Matthew said he would reccomend volunteering to others: 'It has given me a lot of confidence and an insight into other people’s lives.' 
Working with Children and Vulnerable Adults changes in legislation
Pending parliamentary procedure, new regulations affecting disclosure checks are expected to come into force on 29 June. For more information visit www.crbs.org
Half price advertising and chance to win £100
Events monthly are currently offering small community groups and charities in Lewis and Harris the opportunity to place a 9cm x 9cm advert for only £17.25 including VAT and be entered into a monthly draw to win £100. The advert can be extended for an extra month for an additional £11.50 and when you get a chance in another price draw.
Please email adverts to info@hebevents.com or post to office 2/3 Clintons Yard, Rigs road, Stornoway. Tel 01851 705671.
Make sure you quote Bobby's Special deal for Charities and community groups. Closing date for the next issue is 2nd July.
Facing Up to the Challenge of 2011
Volunteers' Week 1st- 7th June
Generations Working Together - Practical support for intergenerational working
Does your organisation/project involve volunteers/staff/clients from a range of age groups. If so, you may be interested in the Generations Working together Network. You can receive regular updates from the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice by joining your local intergenerational network. Joining the network is free and you will receive the regular newsletter, information on funding, meetings, new publications and updates on research and examples of best practice. Simply complete the online membership form:
http://www.scotcip.org.uk/network_membership_form.html
9 Organisations achieve WAVE standards award
The Volunteer Centre Western Isles was proud to present the first ever Western Isles Awards for Volunteering Excellence (WAVE Awards) to local organisations on Tuesday 24th March in the Bridge Centre, Stornoway. The awards were given to nine organisations for their high standards of volunteer management and commitment to their volunteers.
The awards recognise the effort that goes into managing volunteers and clearly shows where a good standard has been achieved. This will be reassuring to volunteers that they will get a quality opportunity with that organisation. The awards cover areas such as volunteer policies, induction, training, support and rewards for volunteers and other relevant policies.
The nine awards were presented by Sandy Matheson, Lord Lieutenant for the Western Isles, who spoke eloquently about the value and inspiration of volunteering in the islands.
The organisations receiving awards (pictured above) on this occasion were: Alzheimer Scotland Lewis and Harris Branch & Services; British Red Cross; Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland; Western Isles District Scout Council; Alzheimer Scotland Day Centre in Leverburgh; Crossreach Lifestyle; Bridge Community Centre YMCA; Advocacy Western Isles and Save the Children.
If you would like your organisation to work towards the WAVE award please contact your local Volunteer Centre office.
Eye on Volunteering
You may have seen in the last few issues of Island Eye newspaper, that they are running articles about volunteering. The Volunteer Centre are very pleased to be working with Michelle from Island Eye to promote volunteering and local volunteering opportunities. We are always looking for good news stories from anywhere on the Western Isles, so if you have a volunteer that you think it would be good to do an article about or are in need of some volunteers contact Roy on 01851 700366 or roy@volunteeringwesternisles.co.uk for more information.
European Year of Volunteering 2011
The European Commission has announced that it has started to prepare for the European Year of Volunteering 2011.
This announcement follows an intensive two and a half year campaign co-ordinated by the European Volunteer Centre.
Congratulations to our latest MV Award recipients
| Pamela Mowat recently received her 50 and 100hr MV awards. Pamela volunteers with The Grianan Centre which offers day care support to adults with additional support needs. Pamela is pictured with Catherine Macleod from the Grianan Centre. Ciaran recently achieved his 100hr MV award for his volunteering with Isles Fm. As well as presenting radio shows, Ciaran has also volunteered to write gaelic adverts and carried out reception duties for the organisation. Ciaran is pictured with Donald Sanders from Isles FM. |
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200 Hour MV Award of Excellence for Jane.
 | Young volunteer Jane MacDonald, 19, from Lochmaddy received her Millennium Volunteer Award of Excellence recently, for 200 hours of voluntary work with local organisations. Jane has been volunteering at Craigard Day Centre and at OFTTI Benbecula for over a year. Her hard work was recognised in the form of a certificate signed by First Minister Alex Salmond. Jane received her certificate from Nikki Morrison, Youth Development Worker with the Volunteer Centre Western Isles. Nikki said, ‘Jane has shown a great deal of commitment to her voluntary work, both with Craigard and OFTTI, and is a good example of how volunteers can help an organisation and improve their own skills and knowledge through their placements.’ If you would like to find out more about MV Awards or volunteering in your community, please contact your local VC office. |
Youth Scotland Board member named Volunteer of the Year
On Monday 2nd March Youth Scotland Board Director Neil Macarthur was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award at the prestigious annual Youthlink Scotland Youth Work Awards Dinner. The Youth Scotland Board Director and current chair of Lewis and Harris Youth Club Association was presented the award at the ceremony at Dunblane Hydro, which was hosted by broadcasting star Shereen Nanjiani and John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. Neil Macarthur, known to friends and colleagues as Fallon, has been involved with Youth Scotland and the voluntary youth work sector for over twenty years. His voluntary roles have included volunteer youth worker for Breasclette Youth Club, committee member and chair for Lewis and Harris Youth Club Association and project leader for the development of the Scaladale Activity Centre on the Isle of Harris. Neil has directly impacted on youth provision in the Western Isles through numerous projects including supporting 185 young people to become safe and responsible | road users through the Momentum programme, managing the Drinkaware Challenges programme in Lewis and Harris to support young people to gain accredited recognition for tackling youth alcohol issues and significantly increasing the number of activity opportunities for young people in the region. His key role in the delivery of multiple youth exchange projects to Poland, Denmark and France, highlights his talent, vision and commitment to young people in Scotland and internationally. Carol Downie, Chief Executive of Youth Scotland, commented: “Fallon is an extremely deserving winner of this award. He has directly and dramatically impacted on the opportunities that are now available to young people and those who support them, and is a valued member of the Youth Scotland board. “Volunteering is a vital aspect of the work Youth Scotland delivers through a network of almost 600 youth groups and organisations throughout Scotland. I believe Fallon embodies the spirit and dedication of the organisation and the sector in general. His commitment to young people is truly inspiring.” |
Duke of Edinburgh Awards
| On the 9th October at the Award Ceremony in the Town Hall, Stornoway, the above girls received their awards. These awards were well deserved as they worked extremely hard. They undertook a volunteering section, skill section, physical section and an expedition. | (Photograph shows Rhona McKellar (Full Silver Award), Mairi McKellar (Full Bronze Award), Catriona MacDonald (3 Silver Certificates) and Shona Campbell (Full Silver Award). Missing from the photograph is Mairi Latham who took a Full Silver Award.) |
Stacey receives her 200, 100 and 50 hour MV awards.
 | Stacey Smith has been volunteering with Community Education as the Vice Chair of the Youth Voice and as a committee member of the youth council since August 2006. Stacey started volunteering because she wanted to get more involved in the community and hopes to go on to a career in community education in the future. Pictured left, Stacey Smith and Erica Campbell from Community Education. |
Young Volunteers at UCRS
| On Saturday 31st January, young volunteers from UCRS received their WAVE awards from Volunteer Centre Western Isles. WAVE stands for Western Isles Award for Volunteering Excellence, and is awarded to volunteers under 16 for their contribution through volunteering. The young people at UCRS have shown great commitment, reflected by 9 of the 11 volunteers receiving their 100 hour Outstanding Achievement Award. The fact that they only signed up for the scheme during September and October, shows just how many hours of their own time they do give up to help at the stables. |  |
An update on stewart's trip to Peru
We told you in the Autumn that Stewart Johnson from North Uist would be
undertaking some volunteering in Peru. Some of you have asked how he got on, so
when I saw him recently I asked for a brief update. Here’s what Stewart had to say:
‘From September to December last year I was in Peru, volunteering at the Colegio San Andres (a Free Church mission school) in Lima. At the school, I taught English to classes ranging from primary 3 to S5 and was assisting in PE classes from nursery to S5. The experience was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The most enjoyable part of the trip was getting to know the children of the school,
and encountering an altogether different culture. Being there also gave me an opportunity to learn Spanish which was excellent. Although I missed family and friends and found the huge city life of Lima difficult at times, I am planning on going out to Peru again in March till the beginning of May.’
We all wish Stewart continued good luck with his volunteering.
Protection of vulnerable groups scheme
Here is a link to the latest progress bulletin which provides an update on plans to implement the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme).
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/children-families/pvglegislation/pvgupdate-march2009
| Volunteers Week was marked with music and dance, as organisations came together in a day-long celebration of all things volunteering on Tuesday 2nd June. The town Hall was decked out for the day with balloons, banners and colourful stalls featuring just some of the numerous local organisations which use volunteers. And to add further interest to the day, there were sessions laid on by other groups by way of entertainment: Tong Primary School Eco Rap, The Nicholson Institute Jazz Band, Isle Dance Salsa Dance class – which had stall holders up trying out their footwork! – and to bring the day to an enjoyable close, the cheerleaders workout from a group of energetic youngsters, performing for the first time in public. There was a steady flow of interested visitors to the event, and most of the stall holders had new volunteers signing up to get involved: at least 12 people decided to take the first step towards new experiences. Free refreshments were on offer all day, and the donations received are to be shared among the groups taking part in the event. “The day has been very upbeat and fun,” said joint manager of the Volunteer Centre western Isles, Kirsty Macdonald. “It is always great to see a collection of the groups we have locally – there is just so much you can do here, and so much achieved by volunteers in the islands, it really is inspiring. “The event has been a great success, and we would like to thanks everyone who helped out, giving their time and enthusiasm to mark Volunteers Week.”
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| Working together for the future of the voluntary sector, the voluntary sector support groups in the Western Isles met together to plan and co-ordinate future work in the face of major changes to structures and funding expected to be in place by 2011 throughout Scotland. At the meeting were Alasdair Nicolson, Third Sector Hebrides; Kirsty Macdonald and Terri Davies, Volunteer Centre Western Isles; Gillian Scott-Forest and Morag Munro, Harris Voluntary Service; Helena Coxshall, Uist Council for Voluntary Organisations and Jessie Macneil, Voluntary Action Barra and Vatersay. |  |
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