Without volunteers, the last few years would have been a lot more challenging for the voluntary sector and for the wider community. However those challenges have put a strain on the ability of local voluntary organisations to recruit and retain volunteers. As a result, we spend a significant amount of time supporting voluntary organisations to ensure they can recruit new volunteers as well as retain their existing ones.  

An example of this is our work with MCR Pathways, a national organisation who provide mentoring for young people in or on the edge of the care system. Through mentoring relationships, MCR Pathways helps young people to find, grow and use their talent. Young people explore what they enjoy, find out what they are or could be good at and think about what they want to do when they leave school. The mentor helps the young person to build their confidence and belief that they can find their talent and reach their potential, and to be a champion for that young person. MCR Pathways use volunteers as their mentors and have worked with W3RT CVS over the last few months receiving a range of support. This has included:

- Attending W3RT CVS’ Volunteers’ Fair held in June 2023. As an attendee, they were able to speak to around 250 members of the public who attended the event as well as key local stakeholders such as local councillors, the local MP and other voluntary organisations.

After the event, we received the following feedback from Ernest Moses, Mentor Recruitment Manager at MCR Pathways; ‘I spoke to about 18 people who expressed interest in becoming volunteer mentors. ‘I would like to thank W3RT CVS for organising the volunteer fair. I would also like to thank Alex for his support.’  

- In addition to attending the Volunteers’ Fair, MCR Pathways have also signed up to Golden Volunteer, W3RT’s online volunteer recruitment platform. Launched last year, the platform allows local groups to place adverts for their volunteering roles online and with the support of W3RT and key stakeholders, these roles are then seen across the community. As a result of advertising on the platform, MCR Pathways were able to secure a new volunteer.

Thanking W3RT CVS for their support, Peter Hopkins, Mentor Recruitment Manager for MCR Pathways said ‘I am delighted that we have been able to secure our first volunteer mentor through Golden Volunteer. Even though they won't be able to start until the new year, I would like to thank W3RT CVS for providing the platform and to help us recruit a new volunteer.’

We look forward to working with MCR Pathways over the coming months, helping them continue to support children and young people through mentoring. You can find out more about them by visiting their website here.

W3RT CVS provides a range of free support to voluntary and community organisations in the Watford and Three Rivers area thanks to funding from Watford Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council. You can find out more about our services by clicking here and if you or your organisation would like support, get in touch by emailing [email protected]