About the event
As universities and colleges move forward in a competitive funding environment, we need to invest in our talented and bright students to develop our volunteer workforce and empower students to take on real responsibility. One Step Ahead is a response to demand for more support for student leaders in the student volunteering sector and provides an opportunity to harness and develop students with potential to become real assets to their volunteering projects.
Developing students’ skills to become leaders enables them to energise and develop others and fosters student ownership of projects. This increases capacity of volunteer projects, increasing community impact and strengthening university and college volunteer programmes.
We have gathered together some of the most inspirational leaders from the third sector to deliver the programme. It is an unmissable opportunity for students to work alongside inspirational voluntary sector leaders to develop leadership skills to become the future leaders of the voluntary sector.
Last year the training was a huge success, with delegates describing the training as ‘life changing’ and the trainers as ‘inspirational’. For a full report on last years training please download the document below.
This year One Step Ahead will be a 5 day leadership training programme for student volunteers. It is split into two parts, the first taking place from the 31st March to 2nd April 2008 and the second from the 23rd to 24th June 2008.
Programme outline
Day One: What is leadership? - Monday 31 March 2008 (half day)
- Develop perceptions of leadership, identify leadership styles and a vision for delegate’s community volunteering projects
Day Two: Change and Risk - Tuesday 1st April 2008
- Guest Trainer Fiona Dawe (Chief Executive of Youthnet UK) will teach delegates how to challenge personal and group comfort zones to create change
- Learn about change management and assessing and mitigating risk
- Develop skills in Social Entrepreneurship with Robert Wilson from READ International
- Learn problem solving techniques and resolve real life problems faced by volunteer projects
- Learn how to influence behaviours of large groups of people through Anti-Apathy’s ‘Behaviour Change’ model
Day Three: Better Communication Skills - Wednesday 2nd April 2008
- How to network successfully
- Showing the motivation behind and benefit of partnerships
- Identify partnership opportunities and building positive partnerships
- Good communication skills and personal confidence are the key to community life and our ability to make a difference. Delegates will develop powerful skills in public speaking from leading trainer Jennifer Mackay at Speakerbank.
Day 4: Power and Influence - Monday 23rd June 2008
- Hosted at the Houses of Parliament and led by Lord Redesdale and Kelly Drake
- Discover how politics affects us, our society and the voluntary sector
- Learn how to influence decision making through lobbying and campaigning
- Create action plans to campaign and lobby for issues important to the future of delegates volunteer projects
- Delegates will also come to understand the role of the media in power and influence and how to manipulate the media to a volunteer projects advantage
Day 5: Creating your own path - Tuesday 24th June 2008
- Address issues around the changing world of student life in the 21st century and how we can equip others to face the technological, sociological and economic challenges our society faces in the context of wider local and global challenges.
- Developing reflective learning skills
- Create plans for implementation of learning
- Identify future development needs and find out where to go to get support
- Develop important links and networks to continue to further the work of volunteer projects and identify areas for expansion
Who Can Attend?
One Step Ahead is open to all student volunteers at universities or colleges around England. Students must be over 18 and currently studying at university or college.
We suggest it is best to send students who are not in their final year of college or university so your institution can get the full benefit of their new skills at your institution. There are no limits on how many students each university or college can send, however there are only 25 places so we suggest you get all your bookings in as soon as possible.
Cost
The training cost £290 per delegate.
This price includes all training, accommodation in London, breakfast and lunch each day and training resources and booklets.
Students can pay an extra £17.50 per night to have their own room.
Please note: The cost does not include transport to London, travel within London or evening meals.
Booking
Places will only be confirmed once we have received payment and a delegate details form. If you require an invoice please download the link below and send this to svevents@volunteeringengland.org
If you do not require an invoice please send cheques payable to Volunteering England to:
One Step Ahead Payments,
Student Volunteering Team,
Volunteering England,
Regents’ Wharf,
8 All Saints St
London N1 9RL
For further information on the programme please contact jenny at jenny.lowthrop@volunteeringengland.org or call 020 7520 8934
