About Volunteers' Week
Volunteers’ Week is a UK wide campaign that takes place from 1-7 June every year.
It’s a time when volunteering involving organisations and groups are encouraged to thank their volunteers, past and present and celebrate and recognise volunteering efforts.
The Volunteers’ Week campaign started in 1984 making this the 39th year! The campaign is led by a representative organisation in each of the four nations. Volunteer Scotland lead the campaign in Scotland, WCVA in Wales, Volunteer Now in Ireland and NCVO in England.
National Partners
Volunteers week is a UK Campaign working with a lead agency across all 4 Nations. Each lead has responsibility for their own countries campaign working alongside local and national charities, each lead feeds back to the UKVF. Although the campaign is a UK campaign each nation has adapted to fit the need of their own country e.g. Wales and welsh transition and Scotland refers to MSP’s rather than MPs. NEED TEXT THAT REFS TO VOLUNTEERING MATTERS.
NCVO
Campaign lead in England
WCVA
Campaign lead in Wales
Volunteer Now
Campaign lead in Northern Ireland
Volunteer Scotland
Campaign lead in Scotland
Volunteering Matters
Campaign lead on #iwill/Power of Youth
Scotland Partners
In 2017 a sub-group was formed in Scotland with a range of national and locally based organisations to further develop and promote the campaign in Scotland. In 2022, following the launch of Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan, the sub-group was re-named and an agreed re-focus of the group was established. Now called the ‘Recognition and Celebration Action Group’ the collective aim is to recognise and support not only the Volunteers’ Week campaign in Scotland but many other campaigns and initiatives. Current members include:
Related Campaigns and Initiatives
Volunteering Action Plan
The Volunteering Action Plan aims to create a Scotland where everyone can volunteer, more often, and throughout their lives. The Plan builds upon Volunteering for All: The National Framework and provides ‘actions on the ground’ achieved through co-production, learning and a spirit of reciprocity.
The Volunteering Action Plan has been created by co-production across the sector and actions groups, like the Recognition and Celebration Group, have been established to help us ‘live the plan’ over the next 10 years.
As part of the 47 actions the ‘Recognition and Celebration Action Group’ focus on action 20: ‘Co-ordinating national recognition and celebration initiatives and expanding the Volunteers’ Week programme by including other national events relevant to volunteering.’
#iwill movement
#iwill is a movement comprised of over 1000 organisations and 700 young #iwill Ambassadors & Champions from across the UK. They are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.
The #iwill Partnership is made up of leaders of collective action groups working within and across sections and nations of the UK to guide the #iwill movement. The independent #iwill Coordination Hub, hosted by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth, supports the #iwill Partnership, #iwill Ambassadors and broader #iwill movement.
During Volunteers’ Week the Power of Youth Day (6th June) spotlights the achievements of children and young people in the #iwill movement and beyond. More info on Power of Youth Day available here.
The Month of Community
The Month of Community is a UK wide campaign led by Eden Project Communities that includes Volunteers’ Week and several other campaigns and causes from across the UK. It’s an opportunity to bring our neighbourhoods closer, give back, shine a light on the amazing communities we live in and celebrate everything that makes our communities great.
Last year, over 15 million people took part in the first ever Month of Community. So join in, whether you want to say cheers to volunteers, connect with your neighbours, support a cause you care about, or simply say thank you, it’s all part of the Month of Community!
The Big Help Out
Designed by the Shaping the Future with Volunteering and Together coalitions, the Big Help Out is a campaign to showcase how volunteering benefits both communities and the people who take part. The long-term aim is to get more people volunteering who traditionally don’t consider it. The campaign will encourage a national day of volunteering on Monday 8 May, the bank holiday of the coronation weekend.
There are many of ways for Volunteers and Volunteering Involving Organisations to get involved and support The Big Help Out. From advertising volunteer opportunities, promoting services to hosting events and more.
All the ways you can support the campaign in Scotland, including partner toolkit, can be found on the Volunteer Scotland website.
