European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYOV) in Leeds was a celebration of the amazing work being done by volunteers across Leeds and an opportunity to promote volunteering and encourage more people to get involved. It followed on from the 2010 Leeds Year of Volunteering.

What Happened for EYOV in Leeds

Getting Involved in Leeds

During The European Year of Volunteering 2011 there were six themes: Poverty and Homelessness; Children and Young People; Environment; Sport; Culture and Arts and Health and Wellbeing. Each theme ran throughout the year and provided a focus for the events and activities.

Poverty and Homelessness

This theme was led by Unity in Poverty Action. Unity in Poverty Action works to bring together Christians working with the most impoverished people in Leeds.

Theme Events

Poverty and Homelessness Volunteering Marketplace - Took place on Saturday 24 September in Leeds City Centre.

Sponsored Sleepout - Thursday 29 September. Over £12,000 was raised for Simon on the Streets with over 100 people sleeping rough for the night in the grounds of Leeds Parish Church.

Poverty and Homelessness Volunteering Awards
On 3 November there was a ceremony to celebrate the contributions of long-term volunteers who have worked for five years or more for a voluntary organisation in the Poverty and Homelessness field in Leeds. Tom Riordan, the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, was the guest speaker. The awards were sponsored by waste recycling company HW Martin, and Declan Northcliffe from the company presented the awards.

Awards were given to the following people and their organisations for the volunteering to help those in poverty in Leeds:
• Big Issue in the North | Ed Cook, Steve Whittington, Tracy Mapp
• Canopy | Gilbert
• Kidz Klub | Anne Ocsko, Alex Joiner
• RETAS | Adwan Adwan, N'sira Camara, Mamadou Bah
• LASSN | Justine Barry, Carol Hey
• Space youth group | Jo and Helen Birch, Tim Ocsko, William Hird
• St Vincents | Keith Dodsworth, Iris Leite and Jean Loudon
• The Leeds Summat team
• Leeds City of Sanctuary | Rhiannon Grant, Pippa Brook, Tendai Gakanje
• Urban Sprawl | Brian Bird, Nigel Walker and Sophie Macwhannell
• St Georges Crypt | Jim Cairns, Vicki Bilbie, Steve Thompson, Robert Blizard

Children and Young People

This theme was led by VAL with Learning Partnerships, a Leeds based education charity.

The theme produced the Young Volunteers Toolkit aimed at helping organisations who wished to take on young volunteers.

Environment

This theme was led by Groundwork Leeds.
Groundwork Leeds help people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects, and to live and work in a greener way.

The Environment theme spotlight was during May and June. For details of activities that took place as part of Environment theme download the Theme Leaflet (.pdf) or visit: www.leedsgreenvol.co.uk

An awards ceremony rounded off the environment themed months of May and June, green volunteers across Leeds were presented with Leeds Environmental Volunteer Awards (LEVAs) at an awards ceremony on 30 June.

Sport

This theme was led by Sport Leeds.
Sport Leeds is the strategic partnership for people and organisations with an interest in the provision and development of sport and active recreation in Leeds.

Sport Leeds hosted a Sports Volunteering Marketplace event on Saturday 23 July in Leeds City Centre.

To see footage from the Sports Maker Conference held on 8 October at the John Charles Centre for Sport visit our news page.

Culture and the Arts

This theme was led by a Leeds arts organisation Space2, a Leeds-based charity that takes a creative approach to building healthy communities and supporting young people.

The activities under this theme included:

Arts Alive - a spectacular celebration of arts volunteering -
On 7 October a visual, dancing and singing spectacular was held along Briggate in Leeds City Centre to celebrate European Year of Volunteering. RJC Dance and Mango Creative Arts brough the spirit of Carnival to the street with ‘Mas Movement,' 40 young people danced with vibrant, Olympic-coloured, sport-inspired costumes; Voices of the Day Choir from Seacroft created an unforgettable atmosphere with their heartfelt, uplifting music and large, white lanterns added to the magical landscape. At least 100 volunteers were involved in bringing these performances together working alongside professional artists and communities.

Love Arts Festival 2011: took place between 27 September and 16 November

Introduction to developing a volunteering programme training courses took place in September and October.

Leeds Arts Volunteers - in their own words
Leeds arts and culture is a vibrant sector, involving volunteers in diverse roles across a range of organisations and activities. A number of short films have been made featuring volunteers in the sector. Watch them on the Leeds Arts Volunteers YouTube channel.

Health and Wellbeing

The theme group includes Skyline, NHS Leeds, Leeds Libraries, Sue Ryder/Wheatfields hospice and is being led by Healthy Living Network Leeds

Health and Wellbeing Marketplace Event - Tuesday 1 November
The event was attended by 50 people from a range of health and wellbeing organisations. Speakers included the Doula Project and Volunteer Leeds. David Pryke from NHS in London spoke about the new "Vision for Volunteering" strategy - this mentions the work being done in Leeds. Several other case studies of volunteering. 12 organisations exhibited. Music was provided by Sam Moore (flamenco guitar). Food was donated by St Vincents.

Leeds Healthy Living Projects
Three projects now underway in Leeds to encourage people to live more healthily. These are at Wetherby (Children's Centre), Leeds Pakistan Muslim Centre in Harehills and Trinity University in Horsforth.

Other European Year of Volunteering events

European Union Relay event
Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, London Sat 29 October 11-4pm
Leeds and Bradford were both represented at this event in London sponsored by the European Union to mark the European Year of Volunteering in the UK. Steve Crocker (Leeds City Council) and Mick Charlton (Bradford MBC) led a seminar on developing city based partnership volunteering and active citizenship campaigns, using the example of Leeds Year of Volunteering 2010, Leeds European Year of Volunteering 2011 and the Bradford Active Citizen campaign 2011.

View a video clip of an interview with Steve Crocker.

Getting Involved conference, 7 December 2011
Photos from the conference are available on the VAL Facebook page

Inner North East Area Committee's 7th annual Volunteer Thank You Event - 15 December
A celebration of the work of volunteers and community groups in Chapel Allerton, Moortown and Roundhay wards at Meanwood Working Men's Club, 35 Stonegate Road, LS6 4HZ