February 2010: Issue 154

Welcome to February's Volunteering magazine

More than 100 people gathered in Westminster in central London for Volunteering England's first ever hustings meeting on Tuesday 2nd March to hear from the Third Sector Minister Angela Smith and Shadow Ministers Nick Hurd and Jenny Willott

Student Volunteering Week, which takes place from 22-28 February 2010, is a national celebration that raises the profile of Further and Higher Education student volunteering

This month Volunteering England's Higher and Further Education team Andrea Grace Rannard and Amanda Duggan question David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education, as we celebrate Student Volunteering Week

Volunteering England welcomed delegates to the fourth in its series of policy seminars at the St Bride Institute in central London on 17th February

Employee volunteering improves the performance of individuals in the workplace, according to Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Cabinet Office

Two thirds of volunteering organisations don’t fully understand who must register with the Vetting and Barring Scheme, according to a survey by Volunteering England

Hot on the heels of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December, Volunteering England held a 'green' policy event in central London on Thursday 4th February

This month we bring you news about Volunteering England’s Gold Award and the Matt Spencer Award as we mark the contribution of student volunteers across the country

Christianne Carrick, Senior Manager CSR & Community Relations at Santander, tells us why supporting volunteering is crucial at the global banking group

This month we talk to Martyn Lewis CBE, Chair of the main committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, about the launch of a new toolkit to raise awareness about the MBE for volunteers

At least £100 million a year is to be invested across England by the BIG Lottery Fund in a new improved version of its flagship Reaching Communities programme and applications for The Media Trust's Community Voices grants are now open

Amy New, Head of Volunteer Management at Volunteering England, explains why it's worth investing resources into volunteer management and volunteer programmes
Head of Volunteer Management

The Charity Awards 2010 is now open for entries

The Institute for Volunteering Research is organising a research conference on volunteering - ‘Volunteering Counts’ will explore how we measure, record and count volunteers and volunteering

Volunteering England's NSS Senior Operations Officer Edie Fassnidge explores the role of social networking in volunteering and volunteer management

We bring you a round-up of events taking place in the voluntary sector diary this month

We would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who have given their permission for us to use their logos, photos and pictures in Volunteering magazine this month

This month we hear from Caroline Aldiss who gives a panel member's perspective on the Volunteer Rights Inquiry

This month to coincide with Student Volunteering Week we hear from Pam Holbrook, Community Volunteer Manager at the University of Lincoln

This month we hear from Chris Reed, the outgoing Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Westminster, as the VC has seen its enquiry figures surge in the past year from 3,554 to 5,676

Interviewing is the number one means of assessing volunteer suitability so far as the vast majority of volunteer-involving bodies are concerned, but is it really a good idea to put so much weight upon this as a means of assessment, and how can you use interviews to better effect? Adam May takes a closer look…

Penny Gee, Volunteering magazine Editor, went along with Barbara Moody and Nick Grieve from VE's Grants Team to Balham in South London to meet Fabio Gomes, Manager of the Beyond Prison project and Genevieve MacCarthy, Peer Volunteer Co-ordinator

In our Good Practice spot this month Tracy Saunders, Senior Policy and Information Officer at Volunteering England, explains what Volunteer Centres and Councils for Voluntary Service can do to support organisations that work with offenders and ex-offenders

This month Dr Stuart answers a question about nominating for awards

This month we hear from AVM Director Nikki Squelch

Jamie Darwen, vinspired students Project Manager at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, asks can students be good citizens?

Hayley Chandler, Student Development Co-ordinator
Goldsmiths Students' Union, ponders the question is social action community building or free labour as we head towards a General Election in May

Student Rosie Martin, from the University of Birmingham, reflects this month for us on her volunteering experiences with a children's charity and its relevance to the case of two boys in Edlington who were recently convicted of an attack on two other youngsters which shocked the nation

This month we review 'Beyond the Lecture Hall: Universities and community engagement from the middle ages to the present day'