JVN Conference 2023: Engaging the Next Generation in Volunteering

Alex Atherton

Alex Atherton is an experienced educator, executive coach and leadership team coach. He worked in education for 25 years, over half of which was spent as a secondary school headteacher in large inner-London comprehensives. On appointment, he was the youngest secondary school head in the country.

He now runs a leadership development consultancy that supports individual clients and executive teams from a range of industries. He is highly passionate about the value of professional development and in empowering others to overcome their leadership challenges.

His focus on Generation Z came from two sources. The first is from clients who presented a range of frustrations in being able to recruit, retain and motivate the youngest generation in the workplace and wanted to call upon his expertise. The second was the negative stereotypes in the media about the generation he had worked with in schools. In short, he heard one ‘snowflake’ comment too many and decided his own generation needed to do some listening. He also supports organisations in thinking differently about Generation Z and managing their development as multi-generational institutions.

www.alexatherton.com

Mushka Cohen-Gluck

Mushka Cohen-Gluck is a dynamic individual who has made a name for herself in the world of volunteering. With a passion for helping charities engage with the next generation of volunteers, we are delighted to have her as a panelist. 

Mushka's journey started when she worked at Jewish Care, where she was responsible for recruiting, onboarding, and engaging volunteers. It was during this time that she saw a demo of Volunteero (volunteer management platform) and realized that this was the future of volunteering. She was so impressed that she asked for a job and soon found herself working with charities all over the country.

Today, Mushka is a leading expert in the field of volunteer engagement, introducing technology to charities to help them engage their volunteers more effectively. She has worked with numerous organizations and is known for her ability to connect with people and inspire them to get involved.

Mushka is excited to be part of the conversation around engaging the next generation of volunteers. She recognizes that charities are currently focused on retaining their current volunteers and need to start thinking about the future. With her expertise and passion, she is helping to shape the future of volunteering and making a difference in the lives of countless people.

Dr Rei Kanemura

Rei leads on Time Well Spent, NCVO's research into volunteers and volunteer experience. She is a mixed-method researcher combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Rei joined NCVO in February 2022 from nfpSynergy, a research consultancy specialised in the voluntary sector, where she was senior researcher working with various charities in the UK. Prior to that she was a lecturer at Queen's University Belfast. She has authored and published several articles and chapters on charity fundraising and volunteering.

At NCVO, she leads on a range of projects on volunteering and volunteers, and she is particularly interested in the role of volunteers in community engagement and the changing landscape of charity engagement in the UK.

Rei is passionate about diversity and inclusion and serves as one of the leads for Rainbow Network, NCVO's first community for LGBT+ colleagues and their allies.

Danielle Jeffries

Danielle’s appointment as the Next Generation Project Coordinator for The Fed was a natural next step for her. Danielle’s passion for representing her peers began in her teens when she became head girl at King David High School Manchester. She acted as the conduit to senior management and implemented pupil led programmes within the school.

After school, she went on to study Psychology at Bristol University, being an active member of JSoc and engaging in various multi faith conversations. Danielle feels that this gave her the opportunity to educate herself further, strengthening her knowledge and identity.

After university, she worked for Aish, running social events for students on campuses across the UK, encouraging young people to explore their religion and culture whilst having fun.

“When I was given the opportunity at The Fed (the largest Jewish social care charity outside of London) as the Next Gen Project Coordinator, I seized the chance to use this platform to motivate and engage the under 40s to take more responsibility towards their local and wider community. I believe that it is so important to empower young people to be proud and feel responsible for helping their community thrive.”

Danielle has found the best way to do attract and retain Gen Z is through developing smaller projects which are appealing and flexible to their lifestyle and skills. The Fed are investing in the next generation, to empower young people to feel a connection and stay involved for years to come.