Ignite Imaginations >> Sheffield Community Makers

SHEFFIELD COMMUNITY MAKERS

Ignite Imaginations is working with Voluntary Action Sheffield and other creative and community partners to jointly develop creative volunteer opportunities in Sheffield

We believe volunteering can be the beginning of many things; whether you seek to make new friends, develop your skills, gain different experiences or purely have time you want to give to make a difference.

Creative and community organisations are often small, part time teams and although want to support volunteering often don’t have the time or staff to do so.

As one of these organisations we saw this gap. So through this project we aim to;

Support creative people interested in volunteering to develop their creative skills and get ready to become volunteers via training, networking and skills development.

Support creative and community organisations to come together as a network to expand the voluntary opportunities for creative people across the city.

We aim to also work with creative people who are interested in volunteering but have so far been unable to access opportunities, whether due to a lack of opportunity available locally, a lack of flexibility in opportunities, or other barriers.

We will be working on the project for the next two years and hope we can create something that lasts well beyond that!

We will:

For interested volunteers:

Create one place for you to search for and apply for creative volunteer opportunities in Sheffield.
Provide free training so you are ready to volunteer.
Provide networking opportunities so you can meet other creative volunteers and organisations in the city.
Provide free creative skills sessions with our professional artists.
Provide buddy and mentoring support to take you through the process if this is your first time volunteering.
Create exciting and accessible creative volunteer opportunities for you.

For host organisations:

Create a joint peer network approach.
Create a shared approach to advertising roles, interview process and advertising opportunities in one place with support via VAS.
Provide free training to support your staff to host volunteers in a safe, accessible and meaningful way.
Provide expenses for volunteers to reduce any barriers to engagement covering example; travel and refreshments.
Create a network of hosts to look at a joint approach to support one another, provide great flexible, accessible volunteering opportunities and engage with volunteers who are less represented in the sector.

How do I get involved?:

Interested Volunteer:

Click here for all the roles available at the moment

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact; Tammy on communitymakers@vas.org.uk.

Steering Group and hosts:

We have recruited a steering group for this programme because we want to be accountable and ensure we are representing what the city needs to develop its creative volunteering offer. The below 12 organisations in bold support and direct the strategic development of the programme. The other organisations listed are our host organisations (as well as the steering group). All volunteer roles will come from these host organisations.

Community Organisations

Arts Organisations

This project is funded by “Volunteering Futures”, funding from Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, delivered by Arts Council England.

The project nationally has invested nearly £4,700,000 to support high quality volunteering opportunities for people who experience barriers to participation. We are one of a cohort of 19 projects working to create more and better volunteering opportunities.

A partnership project by :

Funders include:

Earl Fitzwilliam Charitable Trust

"I have so much respect for Ignite Imaginations. They keep art alive and kicking in the communities in our city of Sheffield. I always feel they treat their amazing artists with respect, personally and financially. Feel so lucky to work with them from time to time." Kate, Ignite Imaginations Artist