Ignite Imaginations, a participatory arts charity, have partnered with VAS and 23 other arts and community organisations to create Sheffield Community Makers, a network of partners that work towards making creative volunteering opportunities better in Sheffield.
One of the key features of the programme is that it aims to reach people who are brand new to volunteering, those that might not have considered creative volunteering before or those that feel they are not well represented in the arts. And to support this, a free programme of training and networking for our hosts and volunteers will be offered throughout to create long lasting skills, experiences and connections.
Through this programme, which launches this month, Ignite Imaginations and VAS aim to allow people to find a broad range of exciting opportunities to volunteer in creative and community organisations, in Sheffield. Initially, there are 18 roles in a range of host organisations available, ranging from a Handy Person for the Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre to a Volunteer Community Coach at Sheffield Wednesday FC Community Programme, with more roles in the pipeline.
This collaborative programme brings together 12 community organisations and 13 arts organisations, working together to steer the project and help maximise the programme reach, and in doing so forging new connections within the city, enabling organisations to learn from one another, listen and develop our offer as a collective.
Luisa Golob, CEO of Ignite Imaginations said “It has been a wonderful journey to bring together the creative sector in Sheffield to make this dream a reality. Whatever stage of life you are at, this programme is here to create flexible and meaningful opportunities for people who have not volunteered before or need that extra support to start to engage in an opportunity like this”.
This project is largely funded by “Volunteering Futures”, funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, delivered by Arts Council England.
The project nationally has invested nearly £4,700,000 to support high quality volunteering opportunities for people who experience barriers to participation. We are one of a cohort of 19 projects working to create more and better volunteering opportunities.
A variety of 'Creative Volunteering' roles are available now and can be found via www.igniteimaginations.org.uk/scm and we hope people will feel inspired to get in touch and give volunteering a go!
