Dear colleague,

NIACE^definition would like to invite you to take part in research to identify and disseminate effective practice in developing the role of volunteers and volunteering in local Community Learning partnerships.

Have you developed new and successful approaches to integrating volunteers and volunteering into the work of your Community Learning partnership? This might include initiatives such as developing Community Learning Champions, building partnerships with voluntary and community sector organisations, supporting local authority community consultations, encouraging self-organised learning groups or involving classroom volunteers to support learners in different subject areas. If so, we would like to hear from you.

Our aim is to work with a number of Community Learning providers to develop case studies which show how volunteers and volunteering are being embedded into the work of local CL partnerships, the value and benefits this brings, and how issues and challenges have been addressed. The case studies will be shared with the sector, to promote and strengthen innovation and effective practice in this area.

To develop the case studies, we will carry out in-depth interviews with the staff who plan and co-ordinate your volunteering, and work with you to use a simple framework to collect impact evidence directly from your volunteers. As well as showcasing your achievements to the sector, this will provide you with intelligence to inform service development.

If you would like to take part, or if you have any queries about this project, please get in touch by Friday 13th March.

Kind regards

Alistair Lockhart-Smith

NIACE Project Officer

[email protected]