Environmental volunteering projects can be widely varied. They include habitat management/restoration, wildlife monitoring, green space clearance, creation of flower beds or raised beds for food growing, community clearance days, green art projects and many other activities.
Food Growing Project at Waterworks Estate, , Birmingham
One of the main aims of volunteering projects is involving local residents in safeguarding their local environment while increasing their spiritual, physical, social, mental and well being.
The benefits of involving local residents in environmental volunteering include:
- Increased skills and experience to develop employability, self-confidence and provide opportunities to try something new
- The opportunity to meet other local residents developing interpersonal skills, and a collaborative interest in the outdoors
- Participation in physical activity helping to improve the health and wellbeing of participants, including mental wellbeing
- Better ownership of local green spaces, developed by and used by local people creating a greater sense of satisfaction and achievement in a local area
- Help provide stronger links between social landlords and residents
- Provide links for residents to have a greater impact on decision making in their local area
- Providing a common language for all, regardless of background, physical ability, socioeconomic status or previous experience
- Increased levels of community cohesion through residents working together jointly on a project for the benefit of the wider community
- Providing a route for people to share knowledge and expertise to benefit the wider community.To further develop your organisations profile in a local area, and being positively acknowledged by local residents
Ways to provide volunteering opportunities for a wide range of volunteers:
- Taster sessions for residents who have never volunteered before
- Parent-children activities
- Provide outdoor volunteering opportunities
- Involve residents in setting up volunteering opportunities
- Keep the activities flexible and providing options of days and times to volunteers
Download Groundwork's toolkit for more information on volunteering in communities.
European Year of Volunteering
2011 is the European Year of Volunteering (EYV11) which aims to both celebrate the work volunteers are already doing across Europe, and to encourage more people to get involved and make a difference. During the year, a number of themes – Young People and Children, The Environment, Sport, Culture and the Arts and Health and Social Care will be highlighted.
Local children from Hawbush in Dudley helping to clean up an alleyway
Groundwork West Midlands have lead on the Environment Theme during the months of May and June, for which they were successful in securing £37,000 from the Office of Civil Society. The project included a calendar of varied volunteering opportunities delivered by Groundwork and partner organisations, all relating to the local environment and improving the places we live.
During that period, Groundwork West Midlands delivered:
- 47 volunteer events,
- providing 357 volunteer opportunities
- equating to 157 hours of volunteer time.
Click here for more details on the project.
As part of the EYV11, Groundwork West Midlands teamed up with housing associations including Midland Heart, who manage over 32,000 properties across the Midlands, providing rented housing, homes for sale and care and support services , to put up a number of volunteer events across the Midlands.
Click here to download the full case study and find below the Midland Heart video for further information.