Tessa Jowell Talks About The Work Of JVN In The London Jewish Manifesto Breakfast

At the London Jewish Forum breakfast meeting, Tessa Jowell referred to the London Jewish Manifesto and specifically mentioned the work of JVN.

This is what she said:

Volunteering, as you rightly say, is the 'tour de force' of Jewish community life.

Your manifesto mentions, in particular, the work of the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN), which matches individuals to volunteering opportunities.

Organisations like JVN are important, as they help people to get the most from volunteering by helping them to find opportunities that meets their skills and motivation.

This is a priority for Government and I should mention the, national volunteering database, do-it.org.uk, which provides on line access to nearly 1 million volunteering opportunities. The database is funded by the Cabinet Office and I hope that links between it and the work of JVN can be made.
The economic downturn will present particular challenges to organisations like JVN. There is anecdotal evidence that many individuals are seeking to volunteer as a way to gain skills and stay close to the labour market.

This is positive, but volunteers need support and management.

The Department for Work and Pensions has also created a new brokerage scheme, to find volunteering opportunities for people that have been unemployed for longer than six months.