Fellowships
The Fellowship initiative is designed to gather valuable insights and learning from outside the Highland region, bringing them back to strengthen our local approach and framework. The primary intention of the Fellowship is to foster innovation and rethink volunteer practices by facilitating learning visits and research.
By encouraging individuals involved in volunteer participation and community work to embrace new approaches, the Fellowship seeks to cultivate a more robust and effective volunteering ecosystem within Highland.
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This initiative is inspired by the need to revitalise the culture and infrastructure of volunteering, promoting continuous improvement and meaningful change.
Fellowship Values:
The work in and around this pathway of learning and innovation is grounded in a set of four principles:
Learning reinforces our actions
Exchange and sharing are crucial for development and relationships.
Improvement is a continuous process.
Challenge is essential for change and enhancement.
What is Involved in Being a Fellow?:
At the application stage, a future Fellow will be asked to submit a Learning Outline Plan where they explain the issues they want to address, their planned leaning experience and objectives. You will also have to provide a detailed outline of your budget and costs.
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Applications will be assessed in two phases, the second will required applicants to take part in an in person presentation and a chance to chat through their proposal with the committee.
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Once selected and offered a Fellowship, an individual will have six months to complete the learning experience, any desk based research and the final report. The report is a key aspect of recording and method of sharing the learning which has come from the Fellowship experience. All Fellow Reports are to be published on the HTSI/Volunteer Academy website.
Fellows may also be asked to contribute to the Volunteer Academy Lecture Series in the Autumn or Spring
Who can become a Fellow?:
There are some basic eligibility criteria below, which each Fellow must meet, but beyond this, a Fellow needs to be someone who is invested and understands volunteering. They need to be passionate about the difference volunteers make and the importance of their work in relation to society, community and the wider world.
The most important thing is someone who is in a position where they can leverage change.
They must be willing to be open about the need for change, and this is why we ask if they have the support of their organisation, where presumably the changes may take place. They must also meet the following criteria:
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Must be over 18 years of age.
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Currently in a voluntary or paid employment role within the Third Sector in Highland.
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Intend to continue being in their post, or similar, within Highland, for a minimum of 12 months.
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Must be physically based in Highland.
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Must have written support from their organisations that confirms they are open to adopting the learning developed as part of the Fellowship.
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Paid staff and volunteers within HTSI are not eligible to apply.
Applicants will also have to provide confirmation of their right to work/volunteer in the UK separately to the initial application. They will also have to provide details of a UK bank account in their name should they progress to stage two.
