Women
Women and Volunteering
Nationally women volunteer more than men, and York and North Yorkshire are no exception, with Volunteer Centres reporting that that they get many more enquiries about volunteering from women.
It isn’t clear why this is the case, but for many women, volunteering offers a range of positive benefits:-
· Women may be more likely to work part-time, and therefore have more spare time to volunteer, giving them the opportunity to meet other people, support their local community, gain new skills, and spend their spare time doing something they enjoy.
· Women are more likely to take time off work to bring up a family, and may volunteer as a route back into paid work. Volunteering is a way to meet new friends, take part in interesting activities, gain new experiences, and to improve career prospects.
· Women may me more comfortable than men in taking up some volunteering opportunities, for example, caring, support, and people-focused roles. Since there are lots of opportunities like this, women may find it easier to find an opportunity that suits them. That isn’t to say men don’t take up these opportunities too – but it is felt that for some men, particularly those who want more practical, manual-skill-based opportunities, these roles are not suitable.
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Men Only?
In the past Volunteer Centres have found it difficult to find opportunities that suit men who are looking for practical tasks that they can get involved in, particularly building, plumbing, electrical work etc. Often men are offering their skills because they have been made redundant, or have retired, and are looking to share their skills while they have spare time on their hands. Of course, there are increasing numbers of women, too, who may be employed in these types of skilled and practical trades, and who, for the same reasons, might want to share the skills they have.
If you have practical skills that you’d like to share with others, let your local Volunteer Centre know. |
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Men, Women, and Sport
Research into volunteering in Wales suggests that in Sport, more men volunteer as coaches, whereas more women volunteer in the administration and catering side of sport. Follow the link below to read the report:
http://www.sportwales.org.uk/research-
Of course, both women and men are needed to help with a wide range of volunteering tasks. Volunteer Centres can help to put you in touch with local sports groups that may need your skills for lots of different roles, including:
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Women Only!
Some organisations recruit specifically for roles that are only, or mainly, open to female volunteers, for example, working with female survivors of domestic violence, offering counselling, or working with other groups that aim some or all of their services specifically at women.
If you are interested in working specifically with women, contact your local Volunteer Centre to see what is available.
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Manual tasks, trades, and skills
Volunteer Centres have often received enquiries from people who are looking to volunteer, and who want to share the skills they have gained as heating engineers, electricians, gardeners and landscapers, or in the building trade.
Some people want to share these skills because they are retired or semi-
In the past there haven’t been many opportunities to suit this type of enquiry, but Volunteer Centres are working hard to ensure that potential volunteers find the right opportunities, and that organisations are able to tap into the skills and assistance on offer.
Volunteer Centres are writing to local organisations to encourage them to register their practical volunteering opportunities with them, so that in future everyone who has skills to share can find the right volunteering opportunity for them.
If you want to volunteer your practical skills, contact your local Volunteer Centre to let them know what you are able to offer by filling out one of the below forms
Form – name – contact details – what I can offer
If you are an organisation that wants help on a specific project, or needs help from time to time with practical maintenance tasks, let your local Volunteer Centre know.
Organisation name – contact details – what my organisation needs
Volunteer Centres will match skilled volunteers to the organisations that need their help.
Tell us what you think!
As a volunteer you should be treated with respect and dignity. Usually volunteers have
a great experience, but that isn’t always the case. Whether you have a positive experience to share, or would like to raise a concern, your Volunteer Centre would be delighted to hear from you.
Alternatively, you might have ideas about how barriers to volunteering could be overcome, how organisations can involve volunteers from all sections of the community in their work, or how Volunteer Centres can deliver their services more effectively.
If you’d like to give Volunteer Centres some feedback, please fill in one of these forms giving as much detail as you feel comfortable with.
Please note that this is not a complaints procedure. To complain about an organisation you should ask for a copy of their complaints procedure. Volunteer Centres are not generally able to raise issues your behalf.
Volunteer Centres will use the information you provide to develop better advice, guidance, and training resources.
Volunteer Centres may wish to speak to you, or organisations you refer to, in order to gain more information, so please indicate whether you are happy for them to share and discuss your information with others.