One of the highlights of Dr Luks’ ‘tour’ of the community was JVN’s annual invite only semi-public lecture, held on Tuesday 15th March, at the London School of Jewish Studies in Hendon. Dr Luks was in conversation with Karl Wilding, Director of Public Policy at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). 
Over 40 people were in attendance to listen to the talk, entitled The Healing Power of Doing Good. Dr Luks highlighted the scientific studies which have proven that those who help others, live longer and that the “Helper’s High” – the feel-good factor from volunteering – was necessary for social progression. In summary, he said, “Volunteers are keeping society healthy.”
Wilding agreed that arranging for Dr Luks to speak was a great coup for the community. “The Jewish community in many respects sets a great example in the contribution its volunteers make to society,” he noted.
“At the same time, however, it is very important we learn from the experiences of colleagues in different contexts. We are at a point when the voluntary sector is very much in a state of flux and it is important to come together and think about how to improve society.”
Dr Luks also gave a talk to Volunteer Managers about how they can help maximise the feel-good factor of volunteering. Nicola Judd from Groundwork commented: "The Healing Power of Doing Good seminar encouraged us to look at the health benefits of volunteering and how we could communicate these to potential volunteers. The Helper's High is evidenced in research, and I could relate to how this is a natural human response that encourages us to connect with others - it's like a sugar rush but far healthier and free! An interesting piece of research showed the health benefits to volunteer befrienders were greater than the health benefits to those who were befriended. The feel good factor in volunteering is something to be celebrated! There was also a challenge - to respond in creative ways to the social justice issues that our volunteering programmes bring to our attention. The message was: Volunteers can change the world!.. And their own world at the same time."
JVN Director Leonie Lewis said: “We are truly fortunate to have a speaker of Dr Luks’ calibre join us for this lecture and other events throughout the week. We have a fantastic opportunity to learn a great deal about our sector from experts from home and abroad. We are very grateful to Allan for taking the time out of his busy schedule to educate and inspire us with his vast knowledge of the field.”
