Volunteers are at the heart of the WEA’s activity and vital to our work. Individuals, local communities and the Association all benefit from the networking and influence that arises out of volunteering with the WEA. All volunteers contribute to the WEA charitable mission by giving their time freely and making a difference in their communities. I would therefore like to send a big thank you to all of our volunteers as part of recognising that 1st to 7th June is volunteer week in England. This celebratory week is organised by Volunteering England and you can find out more about events taking place in your area.
Volunteers contribute to the work of the WEA in a staggering variety of roles including:
• Acting as Community Learning Champions to promote the value of adult learning, particularly in disadvantaged communities
• Acting as a conduit for feedback from students as Class Secretaries and Learner Representatives
• Arranging and promoting local courses through WEA branches
• Voluntary Education Advisers (VEAs) working on the WEA/ Unison Return to Learn courses.
• Running promotional and fundraising events
• Providing classroom support by helping with skills development such as literacy, language, numeracy and IT
• Supporting individuals with specific physical or learning difficulties
• Working in offices to help with administration and publicity
• Leading self-organised study circles
• Sitting on branch, regional and national committees, up to trustee level, in formal roles such as chairs, secretaries and treasurers.
All these activities enable volunteers to develop their own skills and interests, and can lead to long standing friendships, more active social participation and, for some volunteers, employment. If you are interested in developing your skills whilst supporting the work of the WEA then please get in touch via volunteering@wea.org.uk