Volunteer Forum 2022
On Saturday 3 December we held our first volunteer forum in Birmingham. It was held at the Aston Conference Centre at Aston University. This was an exciting time for us as it was the first time we have undertaken an in-person event like this.
The volunteer forum was a hybrid event so we could be joined by our volunteers whether they were ambassadors or champions and from other parts of the world, as well as areas closer to home. We were also able to welcome people who were wanting to volunteer with Fifth Sense and those that wanted to know more about what they could do in the future.
It was fantastic to see so many people either virtually or in person. All our champions and ambassadors meeting online really enjoyed their conversations and the feedback we have had reflects the importance of hybrid events for Fifth Sense volunteers.
Duncan started the event by welcoming everyone and outlining the day. There were some last-minute changes to the running of the day but that didn’t stop the discussions. We also had the Chair of the Board of Trustees there to explain his role and that of his fellow Trustees within a charity as volunteers.
We asked people to talk about their volunteering experiences with Fifth Sense and what they might like to see in terms of volunteering at Fifth Sense in the future. One of our leads, based in Scotland and who joined online, said she ‘didn’t realise that there were so many other volunteers in Fifth Sense and the event made her feel really valued’. This is so good to hear and important to us at Fifth Sense. We want to plan in ways that keep you, our volunteers and members, at the heart of what we do. We aim to do this by taking some of the great ideas from this day and to realise them moving into 2023.
