Charity Launches 'Volunteer Passport'From the Community Newswire
A Sussex charity has launched a new qualification called the
Volunteer Passport, to recognise the skills and reward the
achivements of its volunteers.Furniture Now!, a re-use, recycling and training charity, has
set up the Volunteer Passport to help volunteers in the area
gain a nationally recognised qualification.It hopes the Volunteer Passport, which leads to the
NVQ-equivalent Community Volunteering Qualification (CVQ), will
particular benefit those who are unemployed, helping them to
develop their skills and improve their job prospects.It will be officially launched in January, with a YouTube video
in which all three levels of the Volunteer Passport will be
featured. The video will show how those who wish to be
accredited for their volunteering achievements can go about it.Leanne Cleaveley, Furniture Now!'s assessor and head of the
Volunteer Passport project, said: "I am aiming to make the
qualification interesting, fun and focused. Volunteers will gain
so much from meeting like-minded individuals who are also
volunteering within similar environments."My role is to help them achieve a recognised qualification with
as much guidance and help as they need."Leanne said one of the most exciting aspects of the Volunteer
Passport was that volunteers could learn and develop skills they
didn't know they even had.She added: "We can show them how they can build up a whole new
world of learning and education through the simplicity of just
being a volunteer."The Volunteer Passport is being launched in conjunction with
Eastbourne Association for Voluntary Services and Sussex Downs
College in Eastbourne, Lewes and surrounding districts.
For more information, or to sign up for the Volunteer Passport contact Leanne on 01273 471101, or email vol.passport@furniturenow.org.uk
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Comments
Sounds a good idea, though volunteers should be able to get credit for skills they learn on the job, while carrying out their voluntary assignments.
However, somewhere along the line it needs to be paid for.
How much will it cost the charity ?
How much will the college charge ?
Is this being done anywhere else ?
I approached Leanne about the CVQ (Community Volunteering
Qualification) and was accepted on a course at Furniture Now! There is a Candidate Achievement Record workbook to complete. We went through this at Furniture Now! but I am working on extra units to get the Certificate rather than the Award. This is at level 2. We have to get witness statements in respect of our volunteering, and I have requested these from several colleagues. Leanne has been providing a lot of support, and I haven't had to pay money, which is just as well, because volunteering does not produce any monetary income that could be used to pay for qualifications.
Having acquired the witness statements that I needed, I finished the CVQ Level 2 Candidate Achievement Record on 1st December 2010 and submitted it electronically. The assessor has seen it and is to be forwarded for moderation in February 2011. This has encouraged me to enquire about level 3. Apparently I can offer that, too, as long as I can submit it for the same February 2011 batch. I have been working on it for the last few days and covered enough units for the Level 3 award, but need to do one more for the Level 3 certificate.
On 19th January I submitted my CVQ Level 3 Candidate Achievement Record for the certificate.
Yesterday (16th June 2011) I was delighted to receive the two certificates for ASDAN Community Volunteering Qualification levels 2 and 3.
Congratulations @David_Botibol - this is really cool, would you be willing to write a quick blog about the experience? I'm sure other members would be interested
Hi @JamieT. I thought my four previous comments from November to June did constitute a blog about the experience! One thing I didn't previously mention was the celebration event last February at Lewes Town Hall, where we enjoyed refreshments and were presented with certificates to recognise our participation. What is missing?
Hi @David_Botibol as this is quite an old news post - 2009 - chances are people will not be following it so will have been unlikely to see your progress. I've only seen it as comments on NewsHound articles are accessible to me. Be great if you could write a fresh post abut the experience - this would be on the homepage and would mean it would be seen by lots of people, if you'd like it to.
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