Launched during Volunteers’ Week in 2023, Barnet’s first-ever Volunteering Strategy was co-created by Barnet Together and Barnet Council as a bold, collaborative vision to strengthen volunteering across the borough.
Designed by and for the community, the strategy sets out practical steps for organisations, partners and stakeholders across all sectors to create a more inclusive, accessible and thriving volunteering ecosystem. It also aims to recognise and celebrate volunteers’ contributions, whilst making the system more effective, accessible, and diverse.
In June this year, two years on since the launch, Volunteering Barnet and Barnet Council came together to review progress across the strategy’s seven priority areas. We are proud to share highlights where significant strides have been made, to make volunteering more open and inclusive:
- Creating Easy Read documents and simplified information videos for volunteers to make volunteering more accessible
- Introducing many of the borough’s Sanctuary Seekers to the concept of volunteering and supporting to find volunteering opportunities
- Launching new sections on the Volunteering Barnet website signposting people to roles suitable for under-18s, and to free training opportunities for volunteers
- Delivering targeted training sessions for Barnet Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) on topics including: flexible and accessible volunteering; the asylum system in the UK; the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS); supporting young people into volunteering; supporting people who have previously offended into volunteering
- Piloting a ‘Time Credits’ initiative to reward and recognising volunteering contribution
- Strengthening Volunteering Barnet’s collaboration with BOOST, the Economy and Skills team at Barnet Council, and local JobCentre Plus teams, to open up pathways to employment
- Refreshing online resources for VIOs to support best practice including guidance on volunteer expenses policies and celebrating Volunteers’ Week
Volunteering is a powerful force, a vehicle for improving lives, wellbeing and prospects, whilst enabling people to give back to their local community, or to support a cause close to their heart. It was therefore imperative that the strategy development, led by Volunteering Barnet from the Barnet Together Partnership, was shaped with over 200 volunteers and a wide range of Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations.
As one local volunteer, supporting some of the borough’s Sanctuary Seekers, told us:
“The most rewarding aspect of this role was seeing the positive impact of my support on the lives of asylum seekers. Providing them with the information and assistance they needed to start their new lives with confidence was deeply fulfilling.”
“Find your passion, and identify causes or issues that you are passionate about. Volunteering in an area that resonates with you; will make the experience more fulfilling and enjoyable.”– Volunteer; New Citizen’s Gateway
The co-created strategy sets out a bold collective vision, underpinned by shared values and priorities required to develop, support and recognise volunteering. At its core are seven priority areas, each with clear actions for Barnet Council and partners, and Volunteering Barnet and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector to deliver:
- Embracing Diversity
- Raising the Profile of Volunteering
- Volunteering for All
- Recruitment and Retention
- Rewarding and Recognising Volunteers
- Ensuring Quality in Volunteer Management
- Investing in our Volunteers
Now, two years into this ambitious 2023–2026 plan, the strategy continues to make a meaningful impact, helping to grow and diversify volunteering, whilst enhancing the support offer from the Barnet Together Partnership to Barnet’s VCFSE sector. It also ensures that volunteers feel recognised, supported and celebrated.
These successes and accomplishments are a testament to the power of partnerships. The Volunteering Barnet team is committed to ensuring these successes become part of everyday practices for all organisations supporting volunteering.
Looking forward we are turning our attention to some of the areas in the strategy that still require more attention, including:
- Collaborating with council teams and external organisations to support more young people who have offended to get into volunteering
- Visiting more contingency hotels to support more Sanctuary Seekers to volunteer
- Promoting more local, one-off volunteering opportunities e.g. litter picking, river clean-ups
- Expanding access to free, accessible training opportunities to support volunteers with upskilling and personal development and where appropriate, into employment
We are excited at what the next year will bring, and look forward to sharing another update in 2026, when we plan to refresh and relaunch the Borough’s volunteering strategy, keeping it inspiring, inclusive and fit for the future of volunteering in Barnet.
