What is Culture Volunteer?

Culture Volunteer WM was a pilot project that aimed to provide more opportunities for people to volunteer in the arts, creative and cultural sector. The project ran until the end of March 2024 and during that time our aim was to:

Increase the number and range of quality volunteering opportunities in arts and cultural organisations, and make more people aware of them
Open the doors to people who may face barriers to volunteering and make it possible for them to get involved. We have three key groups in the Black Country we’d like to hear from - 18-24-year-olds, D/deaf/hearing impaired communities, and those who are isolated, but we’re happy to hear from anyone interested in volunteering who is 18 years of age or over.
Give Arts and Cultural organisations the knowledge, skills, and resources to manage a quality and engaging volunteer experience now and in the future.

Why volunteer?

There are all sorts of reasons why you might volunteer. Perhaps you’re interested in picking up some new skills. Maybe you want to use skills you already have in a different way. A lifestyle change might give you free time, you might want to meet new people, or it could be that you simply love art and culture and want to get stuck in and have fun.

Why should your organisation take on volunteers?

Volunteers can be beneficial to your organisation; they can help reflect the communities you serve and build a bridge between you and them. A diverse volunteer force can also help you connect with different audiences, and bring a range of qualities, skills, and personal experience that you might not get from your staff. There are practical reasons too. Volunteers can help increase capacity and improve the quality of what you offer.

FOR VOLUNTEERS

So, what kind of opportunities were there? Our focus was on arts and culture. There were openings with theatres and theatre companies, opportunities to support arts events and festivals, help with activities run by artists and craftspeople, and support the work of arts galleries, libraries, and heritage organisations. There were in-person opportunities and some digital ones too. Some of the volunteering was short term and project specific, but if for those with more time to spare there were longer term offers too.

Listen to Fiona’s own Volunteer Story below… and hear how a journey in volunteering can influence a surprising future career.

FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS

Why should I get involved? As we’ve mentioned, volunteers can make a massive difference to your organisation, supporting your staff and helping to make your events and activities run smoothly. Taking on volunteers also means you could be giving someone their first experience of being involved in arts and culture; you might even set them on the road to a new career.

You will get great advice on everything from volunteer recruitment, policies, agreements, and the law by contacting your local volunteer support services. They also hold regular meetings -often on-line - for anyone working with volunteers to share experiences and advice.

Sounds like volunteering could be for me or the organisation I work with - what do I do next? Anyone interested either in volunteering themselves, or looking to take on volunteers can get advice from their local volunteer support services.

Here in the Black Country you can contact one of four different services, depending on the region where you live. There details are:

The four services in the region are:

SCVO - supporting volunteers and organisations who work with them, via Let’s Go Sandwell

Website - LetsGoSandwell

One Walsall - supporting the community, voluntary and charity sector across Walsall.

Website - Homepage onewalsall.org

Dudley CVS - supporting the voluntary and community sector within the Dudley borough.

Website Home - Dudley CVS

Wolverhampton Volunteers – part of Wolverhampton Voluntary & Community Action

Website - Wolverhampton Volunteers – The Volunteer Centre for Wolverhampton. (wtonvolunteers.org)

VOLUNTEER STORIES

Featured

Culture Volunteers WM Report

Culture Volunteers WM was a pilot project that set out to provide more opportunities for people to volunteer in the arts, creative and cultural sector.

Culture Volunteers - Helping out at Wightwick Manor

Transplanting snowdrops. Just one of the things our D/deaf volunteers did at Wightwick Manor today

Culture Volunteers - Some great work now completed at Moseley Old Hall

Some of the fantastic work completed as part of the Culture Volunteers WM project, working with the National Trust and the Refugee and Migrant Centre in Wolverhampton.

Culture Volunteers - Hands-On Action at Moseley Old Hall.

A morning of work in the grounds at Moseley kept our second group of volunteers busy.

BOSTIN NEWS: WHY VOLUNTEER

What do a freelance photographer and filmmaker, the front-of-house manager at a theatre, a touring company general manager, an art gallery visitor assistant supervisor, and a museum outreach manager all have in common?

Culture Volunteers - Sharing Stories at Moseley Old Hall

Visiting Moseley Old Hall, an historic place of refuge.

Culture Volunteers - A special visit to Stourbridge Glass Museum

On Sunday 17th September Stourbridge Glass Museum opened it’s doors for a very special tour. Our partners, Deaf Explorer and Deafscope helped promote the event and bring together a fantastic group of visitors, some of who we will be working with to make the museum and it’s volunteering roles accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Culture Volunteers - Open Day at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre.

Final briefing as the team get ready for the volunteer Open Morning at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton.

Culture Volunteers BSL collaboration with Stourbridge Glass Museum

The Culture Volunteers project is delighted to support Stourbridge Glass Museum with its aim of making volunteering opportunities there more accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Volunteers Make a Difference at 'Same Difference' Festival, Wolverhampton

Some of Wolverhampton’s brightest young creative talent had chance to show off their skills at this year’s Same Difference festival in the city’s West Park.

A special ‘thank you’ for the volunteers at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Wolverhampton Art Gallery volunteers get a special tour of the gallery stores and archive to say ‘thank you’ for everything they do.

Volunteering Futures - at Wightwick Manor, Wolverhampton.

In the Dining Room at Wightwick Manor with today’s deaf and hard of hearing guests finding out about volunteering.

Volunteering Futures - Willing Hands make things happen

Getting crafty at Wolverhampton Art Festival 2023 in Victoria Street in the city centre.

Volunteering Futures - Lighting up Whitmore Reans - Welcome Spring!

After weeks and weeks of preparation the Welcome to Spring Lantern Parade was finally here and lit up Whitmore Reans in style.

Volunteering Futures - Preparing for Gatis Community Lantern Parade

Our great team of volunteers have been pulling out all the stops again, helping out at Gatis Community Space in preparation for the Welcome Spring Lantern Parade on Saturday 25th of March.

Volunteering Futures - What a Team!

The Volunteering Futures project got off to a cracking start in early February when a group of 15 new volunteers helped out at Wolverhampton Literature Festival.

Culture Volunteer is funded by Arts Council England after a successful funding bid made through Culture Central. The project is taking place in Stoke, Birmingham, and the Black Country until the end of March 2024. Creative Black Country, (CBC) is leading on the project in the Black Country area.