The National Youth Agency - North Tyneside VODA Millennium Volunteers

North Tyneside VODA Millennium Volunteers

BASIC INFORMATION

Case study date: September 2006

Local authority in which project based: North Tyneside

Date started: VODA 1993, Millennium Volunteers 1999

Type of organisation: Registered Charity

Brief description:

North Tyneside VODA (Voluntary Organisations Development Agency) provides a range of services to support volunteers, paid staff and management committee members of voluntary and community groups. Services include advice, training and development support, and provision of the Volunteer Centre for North Tyneside.

The Millennium Volunteers (MV) Project is one of two youth volunteering projects delivered through the Volunteer Centre. It works with local voluntary and community groups to develop opportunities for young people aged 16 to 24, including targeted work with young volunteers with disabilities. The separately funded Active Youth Project involves young people aged 13 to 25 who would not normally consider volunteering in short-term, group-based volunteer challenges.

Collaboration:

The MV project works with a wide range of organisations to develop new initiatives and set up placements for young people. It is currently working with North Tyneside YMCA and Global Voice UK to support a young person's internet radio station. It also works closely with Connexions.

Funding:

The MV Project is funded by the Department of Education and Skills, including core funding of £45,456 per annum and an additional £4,500 in 2006-07 to set up an MV buddies scheme administered by Connexions Tyne & Wear. Connexions provides an additional £5,000 p.a. for targeted support for young people with disabilities.

Active Youth Project has funding of £32,695 for 2006/07 from the Office of the Third Sector within the Cabinet Office.

Staffing:

VODA has 19 full time and 8 part time members of staff, including 1 full-time MV co-ordinator and 1 part-time MV project worker. Five regular office volunteers provide additional support to the MV project.

NATURE OF PROVISION

Which groups of young people does the project work with?

Millennium Volunteers is an inclusive project, aimed at young people aged 16 to 24. It currently supports 87 active volunteers. Of these, 18 (20%) have some form of disability - including learning disabilities, autism, Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy. The gender split is even, and most MVs describe themselves as White British.

How was the need for the project identified, and by whom?

The MV Project was introduced to provide more creative, attractive and dynamic volunteering opportunities for young people. Project staff became increasingly aware of the lack of opportunities for young people with disabilities and the difficulties of finding suitable placements, and secured additional funding to provide a more targeted approach.

How do young people become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for?

The project takes referrals through Connexions and other local agencies. It publicises opportunities through workshops and presentations at schools and colleges, promotional material, information on youth websites and radio and word of mouth

The MV project encourages young people to dedicate two to four hours per week to volunteer, arranged around their other commitments. The Active Youth Project organises one-day volunteering activities for young people who have less time to commit, or who want to get a taste of volunteering.

What are the main approaches used and volunteering opportunities offered?

Young people interested in becoming an MV attend an informal interview to establish what they hope to gain from their experience, the qualities they have to offer, how much time they would like to commit, any support needs they might have, and their areas of interest.

MV staff aim to provide young people with volunteering opportunities that reflect their needs and interests. If a suitable opportunity does not exist, then staff will work with local organisations to develop a new placement. Young people are also encouraged and supported to set up their own projects and create their own challenges.

Volunteering opportunities are currently offered by organisations such as Age Concern, Connexions, the youth service, local schools and colleges, and smaller groups such as local stables and the gymnastics club.

The project and its partners provide short preparation courses, covering subjects such as drama, equal opportunities and youth work.

How are young people involved in shaping the project/programme?

Most of VODA's youth volunteering work adopts a youth-led approach. It has supported young people to run a range of community projects including a youth radio station (Youth Voice), a drama project and the North East Millennium Volunteer of the Year event. Young people were also involved in planning an international youth exchange involving 34 young people from six different countries.

The Active Youth project was launched with an event on involving young people in developing new volunteering opportunities.

VODA also plays a leading role in the planning and delivery of consultation events providing opportunities for young people and decision-makers to discuss democracy and local youth issues.

VODA actively seeks the opinion of young people to inform the way it operates and to identify any gaps in its services.

How does the project respond to the specific needs of disabled young people?

The mix of funding has allowed VODA to dedicate staff time to support young people with disabilities and has helped establish placements which meet their particular needs. The Percy Hedley Daycentre provides residential and day services for people with disabilities. At the request of some younger users, volunteering projects have now been set up within the centre, supported by project staff. They include a drama group and a music group involved in organising fundraising discos and providing a meeting place for both able-bodied and disabled young people. The day centre provides meeting space and assistance with transport for those who need it.

The MV Project also involves young disabled volunteers in mainstream, individual placements and is currently developing a buddies scheme to provide peer support to volunteers during placements.

OUTCOMES OF WORK

How do young people benefit from their involvement in the project?

MVs gain opportunities to:

Achieve national and local recognition;
Experience new areas of work that may otherwise not be accessible;
Meet new people - both disabled and able-bodied;
Develop their confidence and sense of 'usefulness' by getting involved in the community;
Develop transferable skills, including decision-making, leadership, teamwork and effective communication;
Support other young people to volunteer by building on their own experiences; and
Improve their CV

How does your organisation benefit from involving/supporting young disabled people as volunteers?

The help, support and advice provided by young disabled volunteers allows the organisation to work with a more diverse range of volunteers and develop new placement opportunities.

How do other young people, organisations or the wider community benefit from the project?

Making more visible, and celebrating, young people's positive contributions to the community improves images of young people in the media and the local community.
Showcasing young people's achievements challenges assumptions about young people's capabilities.
Young people help deliver vital services and improve provision in the community.
Youth provision is more effective, based on young people's feedback and suggestions for change.

How are young people's progress and achievements celebrated, measured and recorded?

Young people's progress is demonstrated through:

Logging their volunteer hours, rewarded through national MV awards for 50 hours, 100 hours and 200 hours of volunteering.
The use of Youth Achievement Awards.
Recording the skills young people develop through volunteering, through review meetings, case studies and personal profiles, and group evaluations.
Collecting video, audio and photographic evidence of young people's activities - showing before and after images, young people in action and the community response to volunteering.

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

How is the project evaluated?

The MV Project provides monthly management information and quarterly progress reports to Connexions Tyne and Wear. It reports to VODA's Board and the Youth Volunteering Sub Group. It works to a national MV Self Assessment Framework and has contributed to VODA's completion of PQASSO Level 3.

MV contract managers visit the project on a six monthly basis to carry out a comprehensive review which informs future funding decisions.

What are the findings of any evaluations to date?

MV contract reviews have highlighted the inclusiveness of the project and its emphasis on youth-led action.

What changes/developments have occurred - or are planned - as a result of evaluation?

The project plans to build on its work with young disabled people, through making short films to demonstrate the potential of their involvement and challenge the belief that people with disabilities necessarily require more supervision than other volunteers.

What are the main barriers you experience when involving/supporting disabled young people as volunteers?

Placement providers unwilling to take on young people with disabilities because they feel they do not have the capacity to offer required support and supervision;
costs of transport - especially for volunteers who need to use taxis; and
young people who rely on carers to make appointments for them and accompany them on their volunteering

How far has your organisation been able to overcome these barriers?

Advocacy and showcasing young people's achievement - demonstrating their capabilities and independence;
providing peer support through the MV buddies scheme; and
budgeting for extra transport costs when writing funding bids for specific projects

Are there any that still remain, if so, why?

Project staff recognise that there is still a lot of work to done with placement providers to help develop their capacity to involve volunteers with disabilities.

PARTNERSHIP/MULTI-DISCIPLINARY WORKING

When working in partnership, what is the distinctive contribution of your organisation/project?

The project leads on developing a local strategy for increasing youth engagement, through forums such as the Youth Volunteering Sub Group.

Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners?

Various new projects have been developed in partnership with other agencies. During the Youth Voice FM Project a number of MVs made good links with YMCA staff and were able to access services such as youth clubs, strategic groups and gym entry. After this, VODA and the YMCA developed a new project to enable young people with disabilities to access multi media equipment such as video cameras.

STRATEGIC IMPACT

Do you consider this project to be innovative?

VODA's MV Project differs from other initiatives because of its strong focus on inclusiveness and youth led action. Not only does it create volunteering opportunities for young people with disabilities, it also strives to put them in a leadership role and give them the support they need to develop and run their own activities.

How do you disseminate the learning from the project?

The MV Project promotes its activities widely through publications such as VODA's Annual Report, VODA News, Connexions website, newsletters, press releases, regional volunteer events and other outreach activities.

Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies?

It has encouraged other organisations to value youth led work and the capabilities of young people with disabilities.

What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?

VODA has recently applied to v to host two new youth volunteering posts. It hopes to be able to further develop its work with this funding, in addition to continuing its existing volunteering programmes.

The Active Youth Project has secured funding from the Home Office to continue to provide one-off opportunities and spread good practice by organising conferences, guides and a website. One of the main good practice areas will be youth-led activities and working with people with disabilities.

CONTACT

Robin Fry, VODA, Shiremoor Centre, Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, Tyne & Wear NE27 0HJ. Tel. 0191 2008568 / 07946226454. E-mail. robin.fry@voda.org.uk