Generations Together – Gateshead

Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council (GVOC) provides support to voluntary organisations in Gateshead.  Gateshead Volunteer Centre is part of a national network of organisations that are working to encourage people from all sections of the community to get involved in volunteering.  The role of the Volunteer Centre Gateshead in the Generations Together project is to support the other projects through volunteer recruitment and brokerage and also to provide advice and resources where required in good volunteering practice.

The Volunteer Centre Gateshead encourages people of all ages to volunteer.  Volunteering can be extremely beneficial to the individual as well as their community; whether someone volunteers to learn new skills, meet new people or just to give their time to a cause that they fell passionate about the wider community benefits should not be underestimated.  The Generations Together volunteer opportunities have real potential for promotion community cohesion and empowering individuals to become active participants within the Gateshead community.

As the Generations Together project has developed so have the roles and opportunities for volunteers.  After the initial stage of setting up opportunities and recruiting volunteers into the projects we are now at the stage where we want to record and celebrate the achievements of Generations Together and demonstrate its effectiveness.

The Generations Together Volunteer Steering Group is a volunteer led project where younger and older volunteers have the opportunity to influence decision making regarding the future direction of the Generations Together project, plan, and implement a new media strategy for the project.  The importance of the volunteer-led aspect of this strand of Generations Together is to improve and test the potential legacy of the project.  By giving volunteers a greater stake in decision making and increasing their level of responsibility it may encourage and give confidence to communities to continue intergenerational activities after March 2011 (the projected end of Generations Together – Gateshead).  The Steering Group and the event planning activities they will undertake will facilitate the transition period where full ownership of intergenerational community activity can be adopted by the people of Gateshead.

For more information, please contact:

Lucy Pickard

lucypickard@gvoc.org.uk

0191 4784103