Out of social exclusion and into volunteering

The Active Futures project, led by OSW, in partnership with 4 London Volunteer Centres (Westminster, Southwark, Wandsworth and Kensington & Chelsea), aimed to support and encourage socially excluded people into meaningful volunteer roles, providing the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally.

The Delivery Model

Volunteers received one-to-one support to find the right volunteering role for them, be it a one off activity, or a long-term placement.

“I felt like I was reborn again. You get up in the morning, have a shower, have a shave, get changed, and get the bus with everyone else” - Active Futures participant

The project engaged voluntary workers in four Central London Volunteer Centres to:

• Create links with local homelessness agencies - promoting volunteering, ensuring staff are giving the correct advice and information on volunteering, and setting up referral routes;
• Work with homeless individuals to place them in appropriate volunteer roles;
• Run training for local volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) to tackle some of the prejudices and assumptions commonly held about homeless people;
• Work with local homelessness agencies to encourage them to take on their own service users as volunteers.

By the end of December 2007, over 165 of homeless people have taken up a volunteering opportunity as a result of the project.

Feedback from participants highlight the benefit of volunteering as:

• Something meaningful and interesting to do with their time
• The chance to be part of society again
• The chance to increase their self-esteem and confidence
• The chance to increase their employability

Toolkit and Good Practice

• Download OSW Volunteering Guide (88 Kb)
• Download Gaining Experience, Giving Time (386 Kb), a report into homeless people's experiences of volunteering
• More about volunteering