Power of Volunteering

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Power of Volunteering

Project Details

Project Partners

University of Kent

Royal Voluntary Service

DCMS

The Belong Network is the lead agency for an exciting new project funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is a partnership project drawing on expertise in social psychology research and data from the Beyond Us and Them research project via the Centre for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Kent and drawing on volunteer knowledge, practice and expertise from the Shaping the Future coalition and one of the local authorities that piloted the Integration Area programme (Bradford).

A toolkit was launched in July 2023, containing guidance and best practice examples on how volunteering can best strengthen social cohesion at a local level. It draws on the latest research and evidence on volunteering and social cohesion using a bespoke theory of change developed for the purpose. We are hosting a number of free workshops across the year to demonstrate how to use this innovative resource to build volunteer programmes to bring about longer-term change within communities. Find out more here. The toolkit is also a resource for businesses and workplaces who want to foster stronger connections and trust with the local area in which they are located through workforce volunteering schemes.

Check out the toolkit.

If you would like to find out more on this project please contact Jeni Vine, our Research and Development Manager – jeni@belongnetwork.co.uk

Project Resources

You can access resources relating to the Power of Volunteering project below.

Causal Connections: Secondary Data Analyses of the Links Between Volunteering and Social Cohesion in the UK

04/07/23

Author: Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network by Professor Dominic Abrams, Dr Ben Davies, and Ms Zoe Horsham, University of Kent

This report presents findings from analyses of three large-scale surveys assessing the relationship between social cohesion and volunteering, and the factors that may encourage or hinder them. The three surveys cover a combined total of approximately 77,000 respondents and cover time periods from 2014-2021.

Literature Review – Linking Volunteering and Social Cohesion: Causal Evidence in the UK and Beyond

05/04/24

Author: Produced with Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network by Professor Dominic Abrams, Dr Ben Davies, and Ms Zoe Horsham, University of Kent.

Literature review documents focussed on Linking Volunteering and Social Cohesion.

The Power of Connection Academic Launch Paper Presentations

05/04/24

Author: Dominic Abrams, Zoe Horsham and Ben Davies, Centre for the Study of Group Processes, University of Kent

Power of Volunteering