millennium volunteers :: dalelane.co.uk

I am a member of the Steering Group for my local Millennium Volunteers project - a UK-wide initiative which aims to encourage and support young people to volunteer and to be a part of their local community.

This has allowed me to build on my own experience as a Millennium Volunteer, as well as what I learnt while being responsible for the Training, Development and Volunteer Centre at University.

Background : The national scheme

What is Millennium Volunteers?

Through MV, young people gain experience and skills at the same time as making a positive contribution to their communities. The aim is to provide some nationally accepted recognition for the volunteer work done by young people across the country, with an Award Of Excellence presented to volunteers who complete 200 hours of volunteering in a year (signed by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment).

Who runs Millennium Volunteers projects?

Organisations from the voluntary sector, local government and further and higher education run MV projects on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) who fund the projects. There are 160 projects up and running in England. Young people are encouraged to be equal stakeholders in the design and delivery of the voluntary activity and a Youth Forum has been set up to advise on all its aspects.

What sort of activities are offered by MV projects?

They offer a range of opportunities - for example helping with reading in schools, conservation and environmental work, working with homeless projects and peer group mentoring in order to prevent alcohol or drug abuse.