The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Volunteers Day boost for community groups

05/12/2001

Marking International Volunteers Day and the last day of the UN International Year of Volunteering 2001, Minister for Social Justice, Iain Gray has announced additional funding of over £40,000 for 87 small community groups in Scotland.

Speaking in advance of a reception to be attended by representatives of many volunteering organisations and young volunteers from the Millennium Volunteer programme, the Minister said:

"I want to thank all the volunteers, project workers and members of the various voluntary organisations who have worked so hard to make this year such a success. I am delighted that some 1,000 young people have taken part in the Millennium Volunteer programme of which 300 have completed over 200 hours of voluntary work.

"Young people have an important contribution to make, not only in the world of volunteering, but in the wider community. They can contribute to many other Government initiatives, such as social inclusion, active communities and lifelong learning.

"The Scottish Executive has supported a wide range of activities in this International Year to promote volunteering. These include the establishment of a small grants programme. So far this year we have awarded £150,000 in 300 small grants, to voluntary and community groups throughout Scotland.

"Following the tremendous success and uptake of this scheme, I am delighted to be able to announce that we are making a further £40,000 available to another 87 small groups this year.

"I have also been thrilled by the success of the Schools project. Over 14,000 Primary 7 pupils in more than 400 schools in Scotland have taken part in the International Year by producing illustrations of volunteering in their communities. They will shortly be receiving certificates of recognition for their efforts from the First Minister.

"One of our key government policies is the Active Communities Initiative. This is aimed at raising the potential of the voluntary sector and ensuring local groups have the skills, information, and resources they need to make decisions and influence others. Next year we have put an additional £1 million into the Active Communities budget to bring about a step change in the promotion of volunteering and active communities.

"The Scottish Executive is committed to social justice - a Scotland without poverty, disadvantage and exclusion. But if we are to succeed, it will be because ordinary Scots take up the challenge too, and volunteering is a crucial part of this."

Below are details of the 87 groups who will benefit:

Aberdeen, Mental Health Aberdeen, £500, To provide travel and out of pocket expenses for volunteer counsellors.

Aberdeenshire, Home Start Garioch, £500, To purchase books and videos as a resource for volunteers.

Aberdeenshire, Strathdon Day Centre, £300, For volunteer drivers expenses to transport and escort older people to hospital appointments.

Aberdeenshire, Home Start North East Aberdeenshire, £500, To develop a resource library for volunteers use in work supporting young families under stress.

Argyll and Bute, Rothesay Playgroup, £400, To fund a dinner to acknowledge the role of volunteers and thereby encourage more to come forward.

Borders, Alzheimer Scotland, Borders, £500, To provide volunteer befrienders expenses to expand the range of activities available to people with dementia.

Borders, Borders Talking Newspaper, £475, For travel and related costs for volunteers to interview and tape interesting people and listeners and develop outreach endeavours.

Borders, Scottish Borders Volunteering Dev Agency, £500, To print and post 1,000 leaflets to distribute to organisations using volunteers to encourage good practice and procedures.

Borders, Galashiels Action for Teenage Enablement, £500, Recruitment drive for adult volunteers.

Clackmannanshire, Clackmannanshire Ranger Service, £500, To purchase uniforms, equipment and transportation costs for the volunteer ranger service.

Dumfries and Galloway, South West Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Centre, £500, For volunteers travelling expenses and childcare costs to allow volunteers to provide support across the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

Dumfries and Galloway, British Red Cross, £490, To purchase projective jackets for outdoor events for first-aid volunteers.

Dumfries and Galloway, Upper Nithsdale Wheels Appeal, £450, For waterproof clothing for volunteer drivers and attendants of minibus service with wheel chair access for people with disabilities to protect and improve comfort of 9 volunteers.

Dundee, Mill O'Mains Residence Assoc, £500, To encourage residents to take active part in community activities and thereby recruit volunteers.

Dundee, Alternatives, £330, For promotional display unit to raise profile of organisation, and thereby to recruit volunteers.

Dundee, Hearing Voices Network Dundee, £500, For travelling expenses for volunteers to allow members of self help groups volunteer to run the network and promote understanding in the general community.

East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock Credit Union Ltd, £500, A social event to celebrate International Year of Volunteers, thereby encouraging new volunteers.

East Dunbartonshire, Dunbartonshire Deaf Children's Assoc, £400, To purchase materials for use in schools to promote understanding of deafness.

East Dunbartonshire, Woodhill Evangelical Church, £380, For food hygiene friendly workwear for lunch club volunteers: low priority.

East Lothian, Countess Youth and Community Centre, £300, For a celebration of volunteering in Dunbar, publicity, hospitality and a prize.

East Lothian, Hollies Centre for the Elderly, £450, For a day away to thank volunteers and encourage continued involvement.

Edinburgh, Pilton Elderly Project, £500, To facilitate the establishment of an information network for volunteer visitors to use when visiting older people.

Edinburgh, Chase Expedition Support Group, £500, For travel expenses, specialist equipment and activities to develop a volunteer community of leaders who support disadvantaged young people and groups through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Edinburgh, Birth Resource Centre, £200, To provide travel expenses and childcare for volunteers to enable them to provide information and advice to prospective parents and health professionals.

Edinburgh, Volunteer to Help Children, £250, To increase the number of volunteers by publishing a leaflet and training for volunteers which is not a priority - organisation is a consortium of childcare voluntary organisations and could find funds for leaflet.

Edinburgh, Edinburgh Women's Aid, £500, Request for £500 to set up and support volunteer programme but no plan, just a statement of intent.

Edinburgh, Bethany Christian Trust, £500, Funding towards bus passes for voounteers, including those on low incomes, who work with homeless people, to provide support.

Edinburgh, Victim Support Edinburgh, £500, For outreach development to increase scope and extent of volunteers activities, for example, a fuller involvement of disabled volunteers.

Edinburgh, Care and Repair (Age Concern Scotland) Ltd, £500, For advertising and recruiting more volunteers for a free handy person service for over 60's residents of Edinburgh.

Falkirk, Home Start Denny, £500, For recruitment, travel expenses, support and activities to build self-esteem and confidence in volunteers who provide a befriending service to young families experiencing difficulties.

Fife, Drug and Alcohol Project (Levenmouth, £500, To provide group supervision for volunteers who counsel users and others affected by substance misuse.

Fife, Radio West Fife, £470, To fund outside broadcast equipment to enable home matches of Dunfermline Athletic to be broadcast to hospital patients.

Fife, Fife Chinese Cultural Society, £500, To provide childcare and volunteers travel expenses plus equipment for activities.

Fife, Regeneration X, £360, To launch "Ali G" which involves young people in making Lochgelly better.

Fife, Home Start Kirkcaldy, £500, To recruit volunteers for management committee and home visiting, using local newspapers.

Fife, MacDuff Trust, £500, To kit out volunteers to regenerate the ancient grazing ground.

Fife, "this" Group - The Heart is Strong, £500, For travel expenses and publicity costs for a volunteer campaign to raise awareness of chest and heart illness in primary and secondary schools.

Fife, Fife Day Care Services, £300, To hold an awards party and present sweatshirts with logo to volunteers, thereby promoting volunteering.

Fife, Portmoak Community Woodland Steering Group, £450, To identify resident bats and trial a range of bat boxes by involving volunteers in surveying, constructing and locating boxes.

Glasgow, Grandparents Support Group, £500, To fund telephone and travelling expenses for volunteers who offer support to grandparents who bring up children of parents who have additional problems.

Glasgow, Samaritans of Glasgow, £500, For an access ramp at the rear of the building to assist 2 volunteers in wheelchairs and callers with disabilities.

Glasgow, Possil and Milton Youth Forum on Disability, £500, For volunteers expenses to assist with activities and personal care to encourage young people with disabilities to live as independently as possible and try new and challenging activities.

Glasgow, Sunny Govan Community Media Group, £500, For volunteers travel and telephone expenses, promotional materials, stationery, mini discs, portable audio equipment, posters, etc.

Glasgow, The Dance House, £500, For volunteers travel expenses for assisting with administration and support for programme of dance and movement based activities for promoting health awareness and developing confidence.

Glasgow, Knightswood CA Wednesday Club, £355, To provide a thank you lunch and presentation to volunteers and encourage more to volunteer.

Glasgow, Arden Community Hall, £500, For scales for the fruit and vegetable barrow.

Glasgow, West Glasgow Against Poverty, £500, To fund a series of volunteer events including a day out and exchange visits to other groups.

Glasgow, Glasgow YWCA, £445, To hold a volunteer social event to re-establish involvement of former volunteers.

Highland, Lochcarron and District Business Assoc, £500, To fund volunteers involvement in updating a new community website and to encourage better use of the local IT facilities; to introduce a new community leaflet, only possible with the help of volunteers.

Highland, Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society, £500, For a computer, scanner and printer for use by volunteers participating in project, especially volunteers with mental health problems.

Highland, Lochcarron Camanachd, £494, To recognise the role of volunteers in the Lochcarron Shinty Club and award service with promotional sweaters.

Highland, Victim Support Highland, £500, For advertising costs, training material and printing a leaflet to increase public awareness of Victim Support.

North Ayrshire, Befriending and Respite Services Ltd, £500, To show volunteers they are valued and sustain volunteering with an awards ceremony and social event.

North Ayrshire, North Ayrshire Forum on Disability, £470, To hold an "Open Day" at the project base to promote organisations and services of Access Ability and to celebrate and promote volunteering.

North Lanarkshire, Craigneuk Lifelong Learning Assoc, £500, For a team building exercise for a voluntary management committee to help sustain ability of the project.

North Lanarkshire, Care and Repair (Age Concern Scotland) Ltd, £500, Publicity to recruit volunteers to provide free handy person service to older people.

North Lanarkshire, Christian Outreach Centre Wishaw, £500, Volunteers expenses and subsistence for thrift shop to sustain volunteers involvement.

North Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire Youth Council, £500, To support young people become volunteers and be more active in community activities and youth forums.

North Lanarkshire, Coatbridge Area Youth Group, £500, For a recruitment fair and award scheme to raise awareness and recruit young volunteers.

Perth and Kinross, Horseways (North Tayside), £448, To help open a key link route for riders (avoiding a main road) with a day of action for clearing overgrown paths, publicity display boards to encourage membership and t-shirts to reward participating volunteers.

Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire Assoc for Mental Health, £500, Recruitment campaigns and publicity materials to involve volunteers in range of support services.

Scotland, Manic Depression Fellowship Scotland, £500, To provide volunteers expenses for a network of self help groups, helpline and self-management training.

Scotland, BTCV Scotland, £383, Display board and literature holders to publicise volunteer opportunities in libraries, events, community halls, universities, etc.

Scotland, Scottish Cyclists' Union, £500, To purchase protective image clothing for volunteers who run events to demonstrate appreciation of volunteers, sustain their support and attract others through advertising.

Scotland, Royal Yachting Association Scotland, £500, For travel expenses as a means of recognising the contribution of volunteers.

Scotland, The Scottish Tree Trust, £460, For volunteers transport costs for schemes such as creating nature reserves, setting up educational projects for schools and being involved in community projects for disadvantaged groups.

Scotland, The Girls Brigade Scotland, £500, To publicise "Operation Pick-up" as part of 'Challenges for Youth' aimed at encouraging increased voluntary involvement.

Scotland, Children 1st, £500, To positively promote volunteering to men (currently under represented) and recruit them for helpline and administration roles.

Scotland, Scottish Railway Preservation Society, £500, To produce a marketing leaflet to encourage new volunteers.

Scotland, Shared Care Scotland, £410, To publicise and circulate widely a report on volunteering, highlighting roles of volunteers in local respite care projects and fundraising, particularly the cycle ride though Turkey, with the aim of attracting volunteers and demonstrating good practice in involving volunteers.

Scotland, Partners in Advocacy, £500, To develop and exhibition and information display about volunteer advocacy to take to libraries, etc.

Scotland, Scottish Human Rights Centre, £500, For postcards/display for increasing awareness of volunteering opportunities: needs more information to assess value for money.

South Ayrshire, Ayrshire Independent Living, £500, For volunteers travel and transport expenses to maintain office and information service which promotes advice and support for people with disabilities to live independently.

South Ayrshire, Counselling Ayrshire, £500, Travel expenses for volunteers.

South Ayrshire, Victim Support South Ayrshire, £500, For a social event to show appreciation and present awards with spin-off media coverage that will generate interest in volunteering.

South Lanarkshire, DIAL East Kilbride, £500, For travel expenses to enable volunteers to provide information and advice from the DIAL Office.

South Lanarkshire, Victim Support South Lanarkshire, £500, Travel expenses to allow volunteers to visit victims of crime in their own homes.

South Lanarkshire, Scottish Wildlife Trust, £500, Travel and out of pocket expenses: core activity low priority.

South Lanarkshire, East Kilbride Voluntary Organisations Council, £500, To mount an open day in conjunction with SOLVE, meet primary costs and volunteers expenses for a volunteers recruitment drive: core activities already funded.

South Lanarkshire, Assoc of Friends of Crawfordjohn Heritage Venture Trust, £475, For volunteers' expenses for conservation and promoting a local museum.

South Lanarkshire, Hamilton Outdoor Group, £400, To promote group and recruit new members for award scheme which includes period of volunteering work: not a priority when over subscribed.

South Lanarkshire, Cambuslang and Rutherglen Sports Council, £500, To attract and train more volunteers by mounting volunteer awareness and support evenings.

Stirling, Braendam Family House, £500, To upgrade computer to provide e-mail access for international volunteer staff who spend 6 months to a year supporting families.

West Dunbartonshire, Knowetop Community Farm, £500, For wellingtons and protective clothing for volunteers.

West Lothian, Survivor Support, £500, For volunteers expenses to support victims of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse in a safe environment: core activity, low priority.

West Lothian, Workers Benefit Advice Project, £500, To pay volunteers expenses to develop an outreach service to community locations and clients who are house bound.

Western Isles, Voluntary Action Barra and Vatersay, £450, To support volunteers at Barra Youth Café.

The United Nations declared 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers (IYV2001). Kofi Annan officially launched IYV2001 in New York on 28 November 2000.

The Scottish launch took place on 5 December 2000 at the Armadillo in Glasgow. The Deputy Minister for Social Justice gave the main address to over 1500 delegates who were in attendance.

Millennium Volunteers was a 1997 manifesto commitment. It aims to promote a sense of community involvement for young people between the ages of 16 and 24. In Scotland, MV is part of the Social Inclusion Strategy. It aims to be inclusive by attracting young people from a wide variety of backgrounds. It is designed to involve young people in their communities in a way that is meaningful for them and so to include young people who may feel excluded from more established award schemes.

A target was set in Programme for Government of 1,000 young people participating in Millennium Volunteer projects by the end of 2001. Funding of £1.5m was made available over 3 years, from 1998-99 to 1999-2000, to support the programme in Scotland. An additional £695,000 was made available for 2001-02.

There are three categories of grant: one for organisations providing opportunities; one for organisations which act as brokers; and a separate category for young people led projects. Grants are small normally no more than £25,000 over two years. There are currently over 70 projects running providing almost 1,600 placements. Almost 2,000 young people have now signed up.

Active Communities Initiative (ACI) is designed to bring about: (1) positive attitude change towards community activity; (2) increase number of volunteers; (3) draw people from excluded backgrounds, and (4) act with other initiatives to promote community empowerment approach. Ministers endorsed Scottish strategy in Statement on 29 June 2000. £650k funding in 2000-01; £1.65 million in 2001-02. Funding includes £100k pa for Active Community Development Unit at Volunteer Development Scotland. Active Communities Forum set up to promote and monitor the ACI.