AGCAS Heads of Service Conference 2009: Community engagement and volunteering

Transcription

1 AGCAS Heads of Service Conference 2009: Community engagement and volunteering Andrea Grace Rannard Senior Student Volunteering Manager, Volunteering England 08 January 2009

2 Volunteering England National volunteering development organisation for England Strategic partner of the Cabinet Office Work across private, public and third sectors to improve the capacity of volunteering infrastructure Commitment to promoting and supporting the development of student volunteering within FE and HE 2

3 HE student volunteering expertise Student Volunteering Team with HE and FE expertise Support student volunteering infrastructure Research / Campaigns / Advice / Publications / Awards Events (Student Volunteering Week / NSV Conference) Stakeholders (inc DIUS, HEFCE, VC, academics, Careers Services, SV and CE practitioners, UUK, NUS, students, community organisations, etc) 3

4 Volunteering England s contribution 1. Highlight the role of student volunteering and community engagement within Careers Services and HE; 2. Raise awareness of the impact of funding changes to SV, including impact on wider volunteering infrastructure; 3. Highlight Higher Education student volunteering developments 4

5 Definitions Community/Public Engagement (in relation to HE): partnerships between universities and members of the public, schools and the wider community which take place locally, nationally and internationally, complementing universities primary contribution to society their teaching and research (HE Community Engagement Hub, www2.warwick.ac.uk/about/community/communityhub) Student volunteering visible form of CE 5

6 Definitions Volunteering: any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives (Volunteering England) Volunteering MUST be optional, a choice freely made by each individual (Compact Volunteering Code of Practice, 2000, 2005) 6

7 Definitions Community-Based Learning (CBL): learning in HE, which takes place outside of the institution, and draws on student experiences and encounters with members of the surrounding community (C-SAP, experiential education in which students participate in service in the community and reflect on their involvement in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content and of the discipline (Hatcher and Bringle.1997:1) CBL through student volunteering (SV) 7

8 HE student volunteering landscape m Active Community Fund Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) Outputs: ,000 students volunteer via HEIs Contributing 42m UK GDP New stream of HE volunteering provision and practitioners established Outcomes: Increased awareness of value of student volunteering and role within HE 8

9 HEFCE consultation, August 2008 Teaching Enhancement and Student Success (TESS): by adding this funding to the block grant, we increase institutional flexibility in resource distribution (p3) The formulae would no longer identify distinct support for staff and student volunteering, as we currently do in TQEF. (p5) 9

10 Projected landscape post July 09 Workers in Student Community Volunteering (WiSCV), Autumn 2008: 30% respondents solely funded by TQEF overall, 80% respondents rely on TQEF for at least half of their funding Unless institutions value SV enough to fund from block grant / source alternative funding streams as a matter of urgency: Departure of SV/CE practitioners from sector (2004 example) Loss of knowledge and community links generated since 2002 Reduction of opportunities for SV, CBL, CE/PE and V&CS links Conflict with HE and wider consensus -SV and V&CS career paths 10

11 Reaching Out Student volunteering provision impacts on: 1. Careers Service / HEI; 2. Student; 3. Community; 4. Business; 5. Wider volunteering infrastructure 11

12 Careers Service / HEI Quality of your service Employability Teaching & Learning Widening Access Retention / Student Satisfaction Studentification Social Responsibility 12

13 Student Expectations of HE services and volunteering provision Meeting diverse needs / Career choices Employability Social Capital Active Citizenship / Civic Engagement 13

14 Community University engagement Knowledge exchange Graduate recruiters 14

15 Business Employable students / graduates Employee Supported Volunteering / CSR Community engagement 15

16 Wider volunteering infrastructure Volunteer Centres Capacity? Expertise? Funding? 16

17 Continuing the growth? Block grant Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) Internal income generation: charging departments, Alumni funding, students/staff fundraising External funding streams: National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), Volunteering England, V, Corporate sponsorship, FunderFinder Social enterprise model: Explore suitable models, charge external organisations/businesses for your volunteering provision and training

18 The Beacons for Public Engagement This initiative aims to create a culture within UK Higher Education where public engagement is formalised and embedded as a valued and recognised activity for staff at all levels, and for students. 18

19 National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement Sharing learning about effective practice Providing an evidence base Better resourcing practitioners in HE Working with key people who influence how HE works Acting as a contact point with the HE sector for organisations that care about engaging with the public 19

20 Where does public engagement sit in Higher Education? Teaching & research Student services Knowledge Exchange Lifelong Learning & WP Public Engagement Volunteering PR Public events & activities Outreach Policy making

21 National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement: v project To galvanise a step change in the quality, quantity and diversity of student volunteering; In the process, to deliver high quality engagement activity, which enriches universities, their communities and the lives of the students involved. 21

22 Phase 1 (2008/9): partnership building and evidence gathering Map current activity and impact Scope the delivery of national campaigns Run a dynamic consultation process. Identify gaps, opportunities and barriers to tackle Develop a pilot learning framework Promote the findings of the research key stakeholders, and secure their buy in to phase 2 22

23 Phase 2 (2009/10): consolidation and innovation Launch a pilot fund to consolidate best practice Refine the engaged learning and evaluation framework Develop a manifesto for student volunteering Work with funders to align ongoing funding with the new framework, and seek to establish new funding streams Develop an online resource base 23

24 Phase 3 (2011): advocacy and strategic implementation Launch the manifesto, resource base, learning framework and funding framework Sophie.Duncan@uwe.ac.uk 24

25 Consider 1. The role student volunteering plays within your Careers Service and wider institution; 2. The future role of student volunteering in HE; 3. If your service delivers student volunteering/community engagement, have you discussed funding implications with staff? 25

26 Thank you Andrea Grace Rannard