Volunteering project supports 6,000 people in six weeks Monday, February 13, 2012 - 12:09

Team v - managed by NIACE, vInspired, Charities Aid Foundation and The Rank Foundation - is a national network of 41 young adult leaders, tasked with running three social action projects in 2011 - 2012. Their first project tackled food poverty in their communities by creating food collection hubs. Team v volunteers recruited 308 young adults to local teams, who collected and distributed food to more than 6,000 people via local charities before Christmas.

Their next project which was rolled out this month will tackle loneliness and isolation amongst older people in their communities through social activities and awareness-raising, and the third will be rolled out in May. In June 2012, participants will be invited to attend a graduation ceremony where they can reflect on their skills, experiences and achievements. Programme graduates will also be able to apply for a Team v scholarship of up to £1,000 to support their progression and personal development.

To prepare them for their current role in coordinating local projects and managing volunteers, the young leaders undertook training and also learned how to manage small budgets.