Gateshead 2008 - Year of Volunteers
To introduce local people to the benefits of becoming a volunteer, Gateshead Council is organising a whole year of events in 2008 to highlight the existing – and often unseen – voluntary work carried out in their community, and to introduce people to the pleasure and enrichment derived from getting involved in voluntary work.
'Year of the Volunteer' is a year-long Council-backed initiative aimed at encouraging people to make a positive contribution to their community - by doing something for free.
The Year of the Volunteer is a partnership led by Gateshead Council working with the Gateshead Strategic Partnership and Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council (GVOC).
The over-arching aim of the year is to stimulate the idea of volunteering, but ultimately Gateshead Council is aiming to create a culture of volunteering which will help Gateshead to become the volunteering capital of the UK.
It also aims to set a standard for social responsibility by local businesses by encouraging their participation in volunteering, and encourage employers to recognise volunteering as an important factor in career development.
A series of events aimed at encouraging local people and businesses to get involved with volunteering will be rolled out in 2008.
'Gateshead Volunteers' is one of the six 'big ideas' contained in Gateshead's ambitious Sustainable Community Strategy, "Vision 2030|". The strategy is a major statement of intent to make Gateshead the best place to live, work and visit in the north.
By 2015, Gateshead Council is aiming for more than 1 million hours of voluntary work to be carried out in Gateshead each year, with local people, schools and colleges and more than 500 businesses regularly involved in volunteering by 2020.