New Approaches to Volunteering

Katie Taylor

Partnerships Executive, Groop

In my spare time, that ethos still stands. I’m driven by helping others and have been micro-volunteering in my local community for years.

I’m trying to help organisations visualise the importance of reaching out to young people, the opportunity and scale of people willing to help is monumental. There are so many people out there that are desperate to help and don’t know where to start – me being one of them, hence the need to micro-volunteer rather than going via an organisation.

We live in a world driven by communication – I want to help organisations see how they could use this to their benefit with millennials.

Morning Session 2 - Delivering Volunteering in Practice

Volunteering Millennials

12:10 - 12:30

Jenny Betteridge
Strategic Lead Volunteering
Sport England

Jenny leads Sport England’s volunteering team and is responsible for delivering their Volunteering Strategy. The strategy’s ambition is to increase the ‘dual benefit’; where those giving their time benefit, as well as, the people they support into activity, whether this is developing new skills, meeting new friends and improving wellbeing. Sport England is a partner of the #iwill campaign for youth social action, and with the #iwill Fund, has invested £3m into developing youth social action within sport. Prior to joining Sport England, Jenny worked in community and national politics for 13 years, supporting residents and volunteers to create change in their communities, campaign in national elections and stand as candidates at all levels.

Sally Higham
CEO
Groop

Sally volunteers across many different organisations and charities in addition to her full-time commitment as the CEO of Groop and role as Chair of the Inspiring Impact Steering Group. She runs her local County Junior U18 Badminton Team and she is the Founder of the Championing Women network - she also mentors young women in early stages of their careers. Until late 2018, Sally was a Non-Exec Director (NED) on the board of Aster Group; previously a NED at Bromford Housing and a Guardian Professional writer. Sally is a passionate strategist committed to supporting communities, education, youth services, charities, social housing and social enterprises to survive and thrive. In October 2018, she secured a £3 million investment to develop and grow her multi-award winning RunAClub club management platform. In January 2019, this successful technology business rebranded to Groop. Still very much a socially focused business built from knowledge, it is now expanding its offering to customers, providing new and exciting functionality in an all-in-one community management platform. During 2019, this socially focussed business will continue to listen to their customers and develop the technology to make a real difference to communities across the UK. An award-winning social entrepreneur: Winner of Techies Social Impact Award (May 2019) for a product or service driven by technology that is making a difference to its users and the wider community; Shortlisted British Small Business Awards (Nov 2017); Bristol Women in Business 2016 Innovation Award; Next Gen Intelligent Communities Award 2015; Big Venture Challenge Winner 2014 and 2013; Unltd Fast Growth Winner 2013; Sally delivers talks on using technology to create social change in communities, social entrepreneurship, start-ups and social investment, building partnerships and Board roles.

Mr Andy Reed OBE
Director at Saje Impact and The Sports Think Tank
Sports Think Tank

Andy Reed is the Director of SajeImpact the Sports Think Tank and Loughborough University Institute for Sport Business. Formerly the MP for Loughborough between 1997-2010, Andy has a strong association with Sport Policy having served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sports Ministers and adviser to various Ministers and Sports bodies during his time in Westminster. He Chaired the Parliamentary Sports Caucus and was secretary of various All-Party Sports Groups including the All Party Sports Group. He introduced the 10 Minute Rule Bill paving the way for the Treasury CASC scheme for Community and Amateur Clubs & was responsible to the Prime Minister for the Labour Party 2010 sports manifesto. He played a vital role in the 2012 Olympic bid and delivery of the Games. As part of the government, he led the case for the increased funding for UK Sport in the lead to 2012 whilst in the Treasury. In his time he became known as the ‘Backbench Voice for Sport’ He was Chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance from 2010 to 2016 – the umbrella body for the 320 National governing bodies and associations of sport and after a spell on the Board until 2018 he is now a Vice-President. He led on sport policy and the Health agenda for the Alliance. He Chaired his local Leicestershire County Sports partnership but after 12 years he stood down when governance term limits were introduced. He also sits on the Boards of Special Olympics GB, British Basketball League Foundation and was with Sports Chaplaincy UK until 2018. He was a Member of the RFU Rugby World Cup Legacy Group for his region. (2013-18) In 2011 he established with other colleagues, the independent Sports Think Tank (www.sportsthinktank.com) to enable the sports sector to have its own policy and evidence-based Think Tank space in Westminster and Whitehall. The Thinktank is highly respected for its thoughtful and challenging approach to sports policy matters. In 2015 he joined the Board of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). He is was interim Chair for 18 months until September 2018 when he also stepped down after ensuring the Body was financially secure, met its governance requirements and recruited a strong replacement as Chair. Outside of sport Andy also served on the Board of the biggest Children's international development agency – Worldvision UK between 20102 and 2018. He still services on his Local Enterprise Partnership Board - Leicestershire LEP and the Governments Sports Business Council. In 2012 Andy was awarded the OBE for services to Sport and the Community in Leicestershire, after Chairing the 2012 Olympic Leicestershire Legacy Group and chairing Leicestershire and Rutland Sport. In 2012 he helped launch the new International Sports Management MBA at Loughborough University Business school and teaches around the world on Sport Policy and development. He was made a visiting professor of Sport Policy and Development in 2014 at Liverpool John Moores University. He also advises the new Institute for Sports Business based at the Loughborough University in London campus on the Olympic park and works closely with the world leading sports University. He is a regular keynote speaker at sports events across the UK and Ireland. His company SajeImpact has helped a variety of sports bodies and brands to communicate their messages to policy makers, having worked with sports charities like Sports Leaders UK, the YST as well as with leading brands like Nike on their Designed to Move Campaign. Other clients have included the ASA, Sporting Equals, Sports Aid, Sports Coach UK, the LTA, the RFU and London Sport. Andy believes sport can be used for social transformation and works with a wide range of sports foundations and charities – School of Hard Knocks, Leicester Tigers Foundation, British Asian Rugby Association, Asian Sports Foundation. Andy supports a number of sports start-up sport and fitness Tech companies and works to encourage new social enterprises in sport. He works with Loughborough University Physical Activity & Public Health Research Group, based in the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences. Andy always had a passion for economic development and regeneration and joined the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership in 2015 to promote the economic impact of sport and to widen the understanding of the health and wellbeing agenda and its economic impact on the economy. In 2015 Andy launched the campaign for a Sport Impact Fund www.sportimpactfund.com to widen the availability of new financing for the sports sector. In 2016 Andy was appointed by the Sports Minister Tracey Crouch to lead the Review of the County Sports partnerships as part of the government's new Sporting Futures Strategy. The report was published in the Summer of 2016 and the role of CSPs and their new performance framework was designed and launched in 2018. He still regularly plays rugby for Birstall RFC and the Commons & Lords XV where he has been Club President and now Hon Vice President. He advises Leicester Tigers Foundation and the British Asian Rugby Association and works closely with the Asian Sports Foundation.

Rebecca Kennelly
Director
Volunteering for Royal Voluntary Service

Rebecca Kennelly is Director of Volunteering for Royal Voluntary Service, one of the country’s largest volunteering organisations. She is responsible for the management of over 20,000 volunteers nationwide, overseeing volunteer recruitment and ongoing relations. Since joining Royal Voluntary Service four years ago, Rebecca has significantly grown the charity’s volunteer-led services, as well as developed a distinct volunteer philosophy and a robust volunteer journey. Prior to joining the charity, Rebecca was CEO of an infrastructure charity for 11 years, working in the areas of community work, homelessness, mental health, older people and youth work. Rebecca enjoys working with communities and people and has a strong passion for championing sustainable community solutions. An advocate of volunteering, Rebecca has held a number of trustee and volunteer positions in the sector and is currently serving as a trustee and chair of grants for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation. Rebecca was also one of the five founding partners that worked with MP Jo Cox on the creation of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness and is currently a Management Group Member on the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Bridget Craigen
Youth Work Commissioner (QA & Learning)
Essex Youth Service, Essex County Council

Essex County Council Youth Service is an excellent informal education, social and personal development service targeted at the most vulnerable young people from those communities that need our support the most. We commission through community capacity building to enable and support young people and partners from within our communities to deliver universally available positive leisure and personal development activities for themselves. Our Outcome Framework gives clear guidance on how these positive activities enable young people to achieve their full potential. We support community groups, partners and interested members of the community to develop good youth provision. These volunteers learn new skills, not only by training but by working alongside professional staff. Jo Adams is a senior commissioner, also responsible for youth work across Essex(including some of the most deprived wards in England). She has years of experience working with young people and volunteers Bridget Craigen is the senior manager responsible for Learning, including volunteers and staff, she also has responsibility for the quality, which includes data and young people’s outcomes.

Joanne Adams
North Senior Youth and Community Commissioner
Essex Youth Service, Essex County Council

Essex County Council Youth Service is an excellent informal education, social and personal development service targeted at the most vulnerable young people from those communities that need our support the most. We commission through community capacity building to enable and support young people and partners from within our communities to deliver universally available positive leisure and personal development activities for themselves. Our Outcome Framework gives clear guidance on how these positive activities enable young people to achieve their full potential. We support community groups, partners and interested members of the community to develop good youth provision. These volunteers learn new skills, not only by training but by working alongside professional staff. Jo Adams is a senior commissioner, also responsible for youth work across Essex(including some of the most deprived wards in England). She has years of experience working with young people and volunteers Bridget Craigen is the senior manager responsible for Learning, including volunteers and staff, she also has responsibility for quality, which includes data and young people’s outcomes.

Maria Imran
Trustee
Creative Youth Network

My name is Maria, my journey to becoming such an advocate for volunteering began in 2017 when I found my passion for it as well as experienced its benefits. I began volunteering for the Creative Youth Network (CYN), initially working with refugees and asylum seekers. Alongside this I joined a youth forum called Unity; this is a group discussing the issues that young Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) people may face and how to resolve and overcome these issues. Elected to become the representative for this group, I held the position of a co-opted on the Bristol City Youth Council, representing all 30,000 young BAME people in Bristol, for 2 years. During this time I also completed a 2 week City Leadership Programme developed by the Mayor of Bristol; I became a young trustee for CYN representing the voices of young people and I was nominated for a Bristol Young Heroes awards under the category ‘Action Hero’ for my work in the community. Alongside these past three years, I completed my A levels and am now studying Medicine at the University of Bristol. Other volunteering opportunities I have committed to include volunteering for the Health Foundation; for over one year I have been part of an ongoing project called the ‘Young people’s inquiry’, helping larger organisations understand the problems that young people are facing today. Other organisations I have worked with include Islamic relief, Muslim Charity and more. As I progress in my career I hope to always be in touch with volunteering as I have flourished from its benefits and gained opportunities I would not have gained otherwise. For as long as I stay young, I hope to be able to help the younger generations in reaching their potential and improving their future; a factor that really motivates me in the work that I do.

Katie Taylor
Partnerships Executive
Groop

I’ve never worked for a business that has an overall social purpose and is so community-driven. My job role allows me to be involved in organisations that have volunteers working alongside them. Community is of the highest value to me – the whole reason I took up the position with Groop. In my spare time, that ethos still stands. I’m driven by helping others and have been micro-volunteering in my local community for years. I’m trying to help organisations visualise the importance of reaching out to young people, the opportunity and scale of people willing to help is monumental. There are so many people out there that are desperate to help and don’t know where to start – me being one of them, hence the need to micro-volunteer rather than going via an organisation. We live in a world driven by communication – I want to help organisations see how they could use this to their benefit with millennials.

Cormac Whelan
Programmes Manager
Positive Youth Foundation

Cormac has over 10 years’ experience in the sport and voluntary sector. He has always been an advocate for Youth Voice, supporting young people to be decision-makers in their communities through volunteering, leadership programmes and social action. His role at the Positive Youth Foundation focuses on creating pathways for young people, especially those who find themselves in challenging circumstances. Working with over 3,000 young people per year, Cormac and his team have a wealth of experience in creating exciting and sustainable volunteering initiatives that inspire young people to become leaders and social activists within their communities. As honorary partners, Positive Youth Foundation was instrumental in Coventry's successful bid for the UK City of Culture 2021, by creating platforms for youth voices to be heard. Statistically, Coventry is the youngest city in the UK which was a key element to their successful bid. In 2016, Positive Youth Foundation was awarded the Gold Standard for Investors In People and in 2018, the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Jacqueline Sebire
Assistant Chief Constable
Bedfordshire Police

Jacqueline joined Bedfordshire Police in February 2016 as Assistant Chief Constable and was previously employed by the Metropolitan Police. Jacqueline is the NPCC Serious Violence Co-ordinator and works extensively with the Government regards legislation change, funding and multiagency prevention strategies. Whilst serving in the Metropolitan Police, Jacqueline had a number of roles: Temporary Borough Commander for Waltham Forest, Senior Investigating Officer, a Detective in Homicide and Serious Crime and Investigations and was involved in a number of high profile cases including 'Spy in the bag' and 'Britain's youngest hitman', and worked in a number of London Boroughs, namely Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest before taking up the ACC role in Bedfordshire Police. With a PhD in Forensic Psychology, Jacqueline was appointed as 'Visiting Scholar' at the University of Cambridge in January 2016. Jacqueline has published a number of articles in relation to domestic abuse and risk management and has lectured nationally and internationally regarding her research. Jacqueline co-presented a 6 part TV series "Born to Kill" and is the Force Lead for the current Garden Productions "24 Hours in Police Custody." In March 2019 Jacqueline was invited to speak at the United Nations, New York Commission on the status of women regarding community cohesion and women's access to justice.

Tris Lumley
Director of Innovation and Development
NPC

Tris leads NPC's development of new strategies, partnerships and initiatives to help transform the social sector to focus on and deliver greater impact, working with partners both in the UK and internationally. All of this is fundamentally based on collective action, as the challenges, we face require systems change, not organisational success - our dysfunctional funding and investment markets that drive the structural dysfunction of the social sector. He helped initiate the Inspiring Impact programme which aims to embed good impact practice across the UK charity sector by 2022 and is also engaged in international efforts to advance an impact focus in the social sector, as a member of the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community, former trustee of Social Value International, and as a speaker at international conferences in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Tony Jameson-Allen
Co-Founder & Director
Sporting Memories Network CIC & The Sporting Memories Foundation

Tony has been directly involved in health and social care service improvement, using collaborative methodologies for 15 years. Central to this has been the ability to creatively communicate via a variety of media to multiple organisations and groups and to manage and share the knowledge and learning from these groups. He co-founded Sporting Memories with fellow director Chris Wilkins which he describes as the most rewarding moment of his career. The impact that inclusive, volunteer-led, community based, intergenerational sporting memories activities have on participants & carers, when planned & delivered appropriately is truly uplifting. In November 2014 the network was voted Best Football Community Scheme at the national Football Business Awards. May 2014 the network was named Best National Dementia Friendly Initiative by Alzheimer's Society and was listed in Britain's top 50 New Radicals. In 2016 it was shortlisted in the Older People's Mental Health category of the National Positive Practice in Mental Health awards. In June 2018 we received the Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister for our work in tackling loneliness and supporting people living with dementia. He is a Visiting Fellow at Leeds Beckett University and enjoys delivering an annual lecture on sport, memories and older people to FIFA Masters MA students at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Monfort University

James Ogundare
Youth Advisory Board Member
Positive Youth Foundation

James 19, is a University Student and part-time youth worker with over 3 years of volunteering experience within the youth sector, using sport, culture and good energy as a way of engaging today's generation. He currently sits as a member on Positive Youth Foundations youth advisory board. This voluntary youth board gives guidance and advice to the practices of PYF and gives young people a voice in the decision-making process. James also had an influential role as a youth advocate during Coventry's successful bid for City of Culture 2021. His involvement has led him to a voluntary position on the City of Culture small grants commissioning board, giving a youth-focused perspective on each proposal submitted. As a young person himself, James is passionate about inspiring his peers on ways to broaden their perspectives and horizons, using Sport and Volunteering as his tools to shape this view.

Speaker Profiles

Katie Taylor

Partnerships Executive, Groop