JVN 2nd regional forum gets innovative

Twenty-four participants from across 17 communal organisations based in the regions, including from Manchester and Birmingham attended JVN's 2nd Regional Forum which took place in Leeds on March 2nd.

Warmly welcomed by Hilton Lorie, President of the Leeds Jewish Representative Council to the Marjorie & Arnold Ziff Community Centre, the JVN Regional Forum was treated to an excellent presentation by the Chief Executive of the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board, Rebecca Weinberg.

Rebecca provided a "warts and all" assessment of the Board's considerable successes in volunteering recruitment and highlighted the considerable challenges facing the organisation and this service in the future.

Rebecca stated: "Those responsible for the organisational development of Jewish communal life are not strangers to the concept of the Big Society - we have been doing it for over two thousand years" But in today's difficult economic environment the challenges of managing volunteers to obtain the best results for both volunteers and organisations are now becoming intense.

"The ethic of Volunteering remains strong in Leeds and our services have worked fantastically for many years but we need to raise our game. Volunteers are the ambassadors of the community but they need our ongoing support, training and continuous investment."

Lia Bogod, former volunteer coordinator with World Jewish Relief encouraged the concept of organisations - even the smallest ones - to provide a clear induction process for volunteers and detailed how other volunteer support methods can be introduced. Lia's presentation provided the catalyst for a considerable discussion with participants sharing good practice, ideas and experiences from managing and working with volunteers. Participants talked about how providing training opportunities, ongoing support and constant communication is crucial to maintaining a good relationship with volunteers, recognising the importance of volunteers keeping their communities together.
Leonie Lewis, Director of JVN, further energized the group by proposing innovative ideas amongst which was a volunteering fair where charities would showcase what they can offer volunteers and was a creative and innovative way of bringing people together.

JVN regional Development Manager Es Rosen summed up the event noting that ideas raised prove the value of a network of people coming together to share information and experiences.

"We learnt a lot from each other today and, whilst we know each community is different, they all have institutions and services requiring volunteers meaning that a volunteering forum to discuss and share these opportunities becomes a valuable investment of time and resources."

For more information about JVN, contact Leonie Lewis or Joanne Bell on 020 7443 5100 or email joanne@jvn.org.uk