Wales: the active community

Cymraeg

Wales: the Active Community initiative is the Welsh Assembly Government scheme, managed by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), which has funded 27 projects supporting volunteering and community involvement across Wales. WCVA is the voice of the voluntary sector in Wales, with more than 1,800 members, including a wide range of organisations working on issues such as housing, economic regeneration, childcare, community development, transport, the environment and health.

Continyou Cymru has been successful in gaining funding for a three-year project (2007–2010)  to develop volunteering through community focused schools and out-of-school-hours learning activities. Volunteers will also be able to gain a valuable new qualification, in conjunction with Glyndwr University, Wrexham (formerly the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education – NEWI), in ‘informal learning’.

Hubs

Currently there are three ‘hubs’ up and running (sites where the programme is operating). These are in Monmouthshire, Carmarthenshire, and Wrexham. Torfaen will have a hub hosted by Co-Star in late 2008. All hubs have received initial training. Each hub offers volunteering opportunities, support and training for its volunteers.

Support for hubs

ContinYou Cymru provides national support, additional training, awareness-raising and resources. These include a guide for hub co-ordinators which can be downloaded from the link below. Further supporting materials are being prepared and will shortly be available on this website. Glyndwr University will also provide an impact evaluation, so that the findings from the project can be shared with others wishing to develop such provision.

We are still keen to find other hubs – if you are interested, do get in touch.

To find out more, contact ian.bottrill@continyou.org.uk