Volunteer Academy Engagement - South Highland

Volunteering, skills and employability

This autumn, the Volunteer Academy has been out meeting people at the Lochaber High School careers fair, Work Life Highland events in Inverness and Lochcarron, a youth parliament event in Inverness and the UHI freshers’ fair in Fort William. These events have been a chance to talk with young people, students and others about how volunteering can help them explore interests, build skills and confidence, and gain experience that may support their next steps into work or study.

Making volunteering more inclusive

A big thank you to everyone who came along to our recent Volunteer Academy South Highland forums in Inverness and Badenoch and Strathspey. It was lovely to hear people share their experiences and ideas so openly.

In Inverness, we talked about the everyday things that can make volunteering harder to access. Flexible roles can help, but they also need to be realistic for the organisations offering them. We discussed how to reach people who might not usually see volunteering as something for them, remove practical barriers where possible, and create opportunities that feel worthwhile for both volunteers and organisations.

At our Badenoch and Strathspey youth volunteering forum, we explored how schools, young people and local organisations can connect more closely through routes such as DYW, YPI and careers fairs. We also talked about the value of having someone to speak to in person alongside information online. Young people have plenty to offer, from helping shape decisions to bringing their skills to social media, events and fundraising.

These conversations also reflected a wider picture. Volunteer Scotland’s recent research shows that more people are volunteering across Scotland, but opportunities are still easier to access for some than others, and organisations need enough time and resources to support volunteers well. For us in Highland, that makes local conversations like these valuable: they help us think about what would make it easier for people to get involved, and what organisations can realistically offer.

Supporting volunteer involving organisations across Highland (maybe can add any other visits here?)

It’s been great to get out and visit the Grantown Hub, Lochaber Action on Disability, and the Lochcarron Centre recently. Thank you to the staff and volunteers who took the time to show us around and tell us about the work they do. It’s always good to meet people in person, hear what’s happening locally and share how the Volunteer Academy can support organisations across Highland with promoting opportunities and involving volunteers.