Volunteer Speed matching returns after six years and hopes to attract Bournemouth citizens interested in volunteering after the good response it had in 2007 at Bournemouth University.
The initiative, launched by The Bournemouth and Poole Volunteer Centre and sponsored by Bournemouth Borough Council, will take place on 14 February at the Henry Brown Youth Centre and it will be opened to anybody who might be interested in volunteering.
Gill Harris, Poole Volunteer Centre Broker, said: “This idea came out from the trend of speed-dating, and it wants to be an original way to invite people who would like to get involved in volunteering and to know which volunteering opportunities are available.”
Martha Searle, Development Officer – West Howe, said: “There will be two sessions running, one in the morning from 10.00 to 12.00 am and one in the afternoon from 1.00 to 3.00 pm, and it will be possible to meet about 20 charity organisations from Bournemouth and other parts around Dorset who are looking for volunteers. Each organisation will have three minutes face- to- face to explain: What do they offer and whether they might be good for people who are interested”.
Ms. Harris said that the Bournemouth and Poole Volunteer Centre decided to try this experiment four years ago at Bournemouth University after it had been successful in other parts of the country. It turned out to be interesting and fun for students who gave positive feedback about the experience, so this year they decided to extend it to everybody.
She said: “Unfortunately, we are getting slow. Last time was in 2007 and I guess one of the main reason is that the information we have been able to provide was limited since we haven’t done this on a regular basis,and these events take time to organise”.
Ms Searle said: “Maybe people may be a little bit cautious or worried because they think about “speed-dating”, but this is really designed to be fun and to effectively enable both organisations and people who want to get involved in volunteering to find the right match.
Main picture: Nicolas Nova
