Everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive.
So we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering.
We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunity and making sure young people can lead change. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact.
In 2020 we launched a new strategy – Volunteering Matters Strategy 2020. Based on the impact our volunteers and programmes have in communities across the UK, we are bringing people together through volunteering to build stronger communities so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive.
Our place-based approach, which is shaped by local knowledge, energy and understanding, is designed to support people in their local communities to overcome the challenges they may face and to unlock their potential. We provide a platform for volunteers, young people, and communities to challenge existing structures and work with decision-makers to overcome barriers and inequalities.
Across the Volunteering Matters family – including ProjectScotland, Get The Gen, Volunteering Works and #iwill – we turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.
About ProjectScotland
ProjectScotland helps young people in Scotland to get on in life through volunteering.
We’re passionate about young people and their ability to positively transform both their own lives and those of the people around them. But the problems faced by Scotland’s young people are becoming more and more complex. They often have a range of barriers stopping them from realising their potential.
That’s why, since 2005, we have been supporting young people to develop their confidence and skills and move into employment, training or education. ProjectScotland – part of Volunteering Matters – creates a detailed, personal plan for each young person. This includes a volunteer placement with a local charity and one-to-one mentoring, as well as ongoing support from a member of our team.
When we say ‘ongoing support’, we mean it! We’re there for our young people, every step of the way, even after a volunteer placement comes to an end. Because of that, 78% of our volunteers continue on to something better.
Our charity partners get additional skills, talents and enthusiasm and we enable young people to be a stronger part of their local communities and give something back.
Get in touch at projectscotland.co.uk.
About Get The Gen
Get the Gen; the go-to people to support businesses seeking to improve engagement and productivity across every generation in the workforce.
By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. Organisations are still grappling with this challenge and the ones getting it right are gaining a significant advantage.
Get the Gen is a social enterprise consulting business created to help businesses through these challenges. They have already worked with over 70 businesses and their employees across the world. Get the Gen draw upon decades of experience within the team around how to create, and harness, the opportunities presented by delivering an outstanding business environment in which true intergenerational working can thrive.
Their approach allows for meaningful engagement and the delivery of practical solutions. It’s not simply training but help to make sustainable, lasting change. As a social enterprise, their profits go towards supporting the work of Volunteering Matters to change young people’s lives for the better.
Get The Gen utilises Volunteering Matters’ and ProjectScotlands’ combined experience of successfully working with young people; providing mentoring and support to help them develop the skills and confidence required to get into, and succeed within, the world of work.
About Volunteering Works
We create nationally managed and locally delivered employee volunteering opportunities for your staff. Whether you’re looking for a one-off team building day or a long-term partnership we work with the causes that matter to your workforce – and we make it happen on a UK wide scale.
Volunteering Works pride ourselves on delivering high-quality employee volunteering programmes – from an initial idea right through to impact measurement and evaluation.
By combining our expert knowledge of local communities and understanding of business needs, we engage with companies in more than 400 community settings. Some of our partners include KPMG, Barclays, Aviva, Discovery, Deutsche Bank and National Grid.
Our employee volunteering services include:
• Both one-off and ongoing employee volunteering opportunities
• Team-based or individual opportunities
• School partnerships
• Practical, interactive or skill sharing activities
• In-person or online services
• Dedicated account manager for your programme
• Training and support for setting up and managing your employee volunteering programme
We’re constantly looking for new opportunities to support local communities. If you’re interested in supporting our work or partnering with us we’d like to hear from you. Find out more.
About #iwill
Why wait until tomorrow?
Young people aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow, they have the energy, skills and ideas to improve society and our environment today.
The #iwill movement, coordinated by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth, brings together over 1,000 organisations from across the UK to make participation in social action the norm for young people under 20.
Currently, 4 in 10 young people participate in meaningful social action – volunteering, campaigning, fundraising and supporting others. Those from less affluent communities are much less likely to take part than their wealthier peers.
The #iwill movement partners with and challenges organisations across the UK to embed support for youth social action into their culture and practice.
Join the #iwill movement at iwill.org.uk
