Supporting Active Communities in Scotland

Annex 2 Demonstration Projects

The Scottish Executive has funded six projects to provide lessons for the future on how best to involve people from particular excluded groups in volunteering and community action, and what the barriers are to involvement. The knowledge gained from these projects will contribute to the forward plan for the Active Communities initiative.

The projects will report by the end of March 2000 and are as follows:

1. Minority Ethnic Volunteering - Dundee International Women's Centre

The project aims to:

• recruit a panel of volunteers to explore volunteering activity among minority ethnic communities in Dundee;
• investigate barriers to volunteering;
• and investigate factors that might help in increasing motivation of people from minority ethnic communities to volunteer.

2. Rural Volunteering - Voluntary Action Lewis

The projects aims to:

• recruit a panel of volunteers to undertake a background audit of volunteering in two areas in the islands - one "at the edge" and one in a more populated area;
• to identify example of good practice in recruitment and retention of volunteers;
• identify differences in perceptions and experiences amongst islanders; and
• identify barriers and motivations to volunteering in the two different rural areas.

3. North Aberdeenshire Volunteer Network

The projects aims to:

• work in the Boddam area of North Aberdeenshire where there appears to be less volunteering than elsewhere;
• recruit a panel of volunteers;
• identify who volunteers and where and when; and
• identify ways to overcome barriers to involvement.

4. Physical Disability Volunteering - Gordon Volunteer Centre and Gordon Disability Action

The project aims to:

• recruit a panel or working group of volunteers (including those with physical disabilities); and
• identify barriers and motivations to volunteering and community involvement among people with physical disabilities.

5. Central Co-ordinator - Volunteer Development Scotland/John Ithell

The project aims to:

• work with the "themed" demonstration projects (listed above) to assist them with planning and delivering their projects, including panel recruitment; and
• write a final report, drawing together, for the benefit of other organisation, the good practice lessons about how best to help people from minority ethnic communities, rural communities and people with physical disabilities get involved in their communities that are demonstrated in the projects.