SHOUT VOLUNTEERING – This was the clear message of a fantastic project launched on Saturday led by the wonderful Pippa Kirkbride and produced by the equally fantastic Christopher Hall.
Far more than volunteering case studies, the Shout Volunteering project has collated real stories about how volunteering has changed people’s lives.
As High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Pippa has focused her shrieval year on volunteering. In the introduction to the brilliant Shout Volunteering book she writes:
‘volunteering is too often described in modest terms: as “nice”, “helpful”, or “something extra”. The reality is far more profound. Volunteering is part of our social infrastructure. Without it, many services would falter, communities would fragment, and opportunities for connection, purpose and belonging would be lost. At the same time, the way people want to volunteer is changing. Lives are busy, commitment looks different, and barriers – perceived or real – can deter people who would otherwise be willing to give their time. If we care about the future of volunteering, we must both value it properly and adapt how we support it.’
Chris has taken some great photographs and collected some fantastic stories of the impact of volunteering. You can read the stories here: https://christopherjameshall.co.uk/projects/volunteering/
Thank you Pippa and Chris for inviting me to this great event and for being true volunteering kindred spirits.
It was also nice and quietly satisfying that some attendees I met and spoke with were quoting or mentioning facts within my ‘What if everyone stopped volunteering?‘ report to me not realising I had produced it. I didn’t say anything of course but just wholeheartedly agreed with what they were saying 🙂
#ShoutVolunteering #Volunteer #Socialimpact #Community #Buckinghamshire
Dominic Pinkney's World of Volunteering 