Association of Colleges

East Midlands FE Leadership & Volunteering Programme Wins 2012 Inspire Mark

A Leadership & Volunteering Programme developed for Further Education students in the East Midlands has been awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark.

The 'Championing the East Midlands' East Midlands FE Volunteering & Leadership programme developed in partnership between the Association of Colleges East Midlands Sportshub and East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is aimed at supporting, rewarding and promoting the benefits of volunteering and leadership within Further Education, targeting students aged between 16 and 19 years of age.

The programme has been rolled out to 26 AoC East Midlands Colleges throughout the region, with 10 volunteers from each institution taking part in the programme.

The main objectives of the programme are:

• To drive awareness and build the profile of the benefits of the Leadership & Volunteering Programme to FE students.
• To help establish a system whereby volunteering is structured, recognised and rewarded.
• To provide regional volunteering opportunities.
• To develop and create a strong image through key strap lines and messages which appeal to young people.

The programme is designed to work alongside current Step into Sport, Leadership Academies and other voluntary schemes. These programmes have systems in place to help record students’ voluntary hours and also provide students with suitable placements, so the brand acts to provide additional opportunities and resources.

The brand will provide an individual identity for FE but will not replace existing schemes that are currently in place, it will simply maximise the opportunities that are available for students in terms of linking with additional agencies and offering both more, varied and out of county placements. The brand will also provide a resource for those that are in the early stages of developing leadership and volunteering, offering support and resources to colleges where volunteering is in its’ infancy.

Posters and leaflets have been provided to advertise the scheme and local opportunities that are unique to individual institutions. Students that are selected to be part of the programme will receive ‘Championing the East Midlands’ branded apparel (water bottles, t-shirts and rucksacks) as rewards for achieving set numbers of hours.

Through the programme, the leaders will also have the opportunity to volunteer at National and International sporting events held across the region via emda and regional 2012 projects, adding more incentives and prestige to the voluntary opportunities students are already accessing.

An 'AoC (East Midlands) FE Regional Leader of the Year’award will be awarded at the end of the academic year. The current holder of this award, Chris Graves from Grantham College has since also been awarded the Yonex Badminton UK Young Volunteer 2009 with an award at the All England Finals - a tough act to follow. This year’s hopefuls will be selected via an application form nominating process and we will look to reward a volunteer who has shown Olympic/ Paralympic qualities of excellence, respect and friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

The programme was delighted to receive the Inspire Mark which is available to non-commercial organisations delivering projects and events genuinely inspired by the London 2012 Games.

Only the most accessible, participative, inspiring and stimulating projects and events achieve the mark – across sport, culture, education, environment, volunteering and business skills. Therefore we are extremely honoured for the work in the region to be recognised in this way.

Projects and events recognised through the Inspire programme will be awarded the Inspire mark, part of London 2012’s brand family and can, subject to licence and approval of artwork, use the Inspire mark on a range of marketing collateral. This will be something that will strengthen the messages of our brand further.