Volunteering magazine, March 2005, Issue 105
www.volunteering.org.uk/magazine
Ask practically any volunteer involving organisation if it has an equal opportunities policy and the answer will undoubtedly be yes. But ask them if they will take someone with a mental health problem or a dodgy past and the answer in practice is often no.
Ann Brogan from Exeter Volunteer Bureau describes how they've been promoting inclusion through an innovative photography project.
Exeter Volunteer Bureau has a strong tradition of working with a diverse range of volunteers - those with learning difficulties, people with mental health problems, non-traditional learners, young people, older people, ex-offenders, people from BME communities - basically all those who are less likely to come forward to volunteer and less likely to be accepted as a volunteer.
We believe that everyone who chooses to has a right to volunteer and that everyone has potential to be a valuable, respected and active member of his or her community.
But our challenge is twofold, on one hand getting to people who are considered hard to reach and on the other convincing volunteer involving organisations that everyone has something to contribute.
Many assumptions are made about people from marginalised groups but here in Exeter we have adopted a pro-active and some times challenging approach. If an organisation says they don't think they could take a certain person on we start by simply asking them "why not?"
Often they do not know why they have said no, apart from the assumptions they make which are often based on very limited fact. So we offer to work with them, deliver training to their staff and trustees or just talk through the issues, and advise them how they can become an organisation that has a diverse workforce, especially in relation to volunteers.
Last summer we launched a new initiative called Driving Images which came out of the DRIVE (Diversity Racial Inclusion in Volunteering in Exeter) Project (funded by Volunteering England) which aims to support members of the BME community to become active citizens through voluntary work.
The project came about because we recognised that there was a shortage of positive images of people from the BME community. We decided to train volunteers to take good quality pictures of black and minority ethnic people in their roles as volunteers.
Originally it was envisaged that the photographers (volunteers) would be from the communities photographed. However what emerged was quite different. As word got around about the idea, there was a great deal of interest from volunteers from our other supported projects. So Driving Images became a truly integrated initiative -one volunteer had autism, one had mental health problems, one was only 15, another had a learning disability and others were from a range of BME groups.
The training was delivered using a range of teach methods to try and cater for all the participants. A basic skills tutor was also involved and used practical exercises to engage people in improving their literacy and numeracy (to some extent this part of the course was heavily disguised in order to be sensitive to each volunteer). As the training and practical exercises were rolled out the project began to expand in a way we had not expected. Friends, family and carers started to turn up to demonstrate support and be part of the initiative. The interaction of all the people involved became a key part of the project, and also proved to be a learning experience for many of the participants over and above the photography aspect.
Photographs were taken around the city of BME volunteers in action and the first display of the work was an exhibition during the annual Respect Festival. Following on from this event the exhibition was in great demand and it has since been to several venues, including Devon County Council, Plymouth University and The South West Islamic Centre. Devon Racial Equality Council have also used the display to demonstrate contributions made by BME volunteers to the local community in Exeter.
An unexpected outcome of this project was a cultural exchange of issues affecting the different volunteers and a coming together of individuals who at some time are likely to face discrimination. The team not only bonded but also became a very supportive and strong group. And they are now keen photographers - one has started a course at Exeter College, another is taking pictures for DRIVE and Devon's Refugee Support Group, and a third has held an exhibition of his own. All the volunteers have progressed since completing Driving Images - the experience has increased their confidence and given them the ongoing desire to learn and develop their skills. And in turn, their passion and drive has had a huge impact on everyone they've come into contact with.
I think this is a good example of the importance of allowing people to take responsibility for their own learning and development. If individuals are given opportunities, which are relevant to their interests, delivered in a flexible and non-threatening manner, then we will see a whole range of learning take place. Most people want to improve their skills and learn new things. If we support them in order to overcome any barriers that they may face and allow their inner desires to surface, then we will see many more active citizens within our communities.
