Descripción de la organización:

Volunteering Matters Suffolk is part of Volunteering Matters (previously CSV Community Service Volunteers), a UK registered charity and not for profit organisation, founded in 1962. Volunteering Matters creates volunteering and social action opportunities that enable people to have a positive stake in society. For over 50 years we have worked across England, Wales and Scotland promoting volunteering activities in a variety of fields including social care, health, criminal justice and community initiatives. Working locally, nationally and internationally, we involved 29,661 volunteers and supported 102,721 beneficiaries in 2016/2017.

Volunteering Matters' vision is of a society where everyone can participate to build strong and inclusive communities. Our mission is to enable people to take an active role in their communities. Through volunteering with us, people of all ages and backgrounds are enabled to reap the benefits of putting something back. In partnership with organisations across the UK and Europe, we help people come together to build stronger communities through better services and more fulfilling lives.

Volunteering Matters believes in the integrity of volunteering and that it is a valuable activity in its own right. We believe that volunteering enriches public services and the lives of people who volunteer. We believe that volunteering plays an essential role in areas such as exclusion, education, crime reduction and community care. We believe volunteering is a powerful force in society which brings social change, promotes social inclusion and can make a positive impact on social policy. We provide consistently high quality, highly respected volunteering opportunities, contributing to the growing public understanding of the value of volunteering. We believe that everyone has something to give and to gain from volunteering. We value the energy and commitment that volunteers bring and we believe that young people are part of the solution, not the problem. Our experience is that volunteers can be part of delivering services, strengthening communities and enhancing the quality of individual lives. They can offer flexibility, creativity, and a fresh approach. Volunteers are there because they want to be and they reflect the diversity of any community bringing a wealth of experience and strengths.

Volunteering Matters Suffolk is based at a hub in Ipswich, but runs projects throughout Suffolk including Babergh and Mid Suffolk, Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Costal District and Waveney, which aim to benefit volunteers, beneficiaries and communities. The project has a long history of organising a wide and diverse range of volunteering projects. Some of the main aims of the project are to run a number of initiatives supporting children and young people including young people leaving the care system, supporting families to access additional support services and improving the health and wellbeing of beneficiaries. Through these projects and other projects, Volunteering Matters Suffolk creates initiatives and volunteering opportunities for children, young people, families, older people, people with learning disabilities, people with sensory disabilities, people with physical disabilities, people with mental health issues and homeless people.

Volunteering Matters Suffolk works with Volunteering Matters' Full Time Volunteering team, formerly based in Birmingham but now spread across the UK which has been involved in promoting international, intercultural volunteering and hosting volunteers from around the world for over 15 years. Staff at Volunteering Matters Suffolk have experience of working with international and European volunteers from a variety of countries.