08/07/2021 Rethinking Wales: Volunteering in a Pandemic

Institute of Welsh Affairs

This event discusses the surge in volunteering during the Covid-19 pandemic, and explores the challenges the sector has faced as well as whether there has been a shift in policy over the past 15 months.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, interest in volunteering in Wales has seen a significant increase. It has played a crucial role in supporting communities and helping people meet their basic needs.
In this last edition of our Rethinking Wales series we explore the reasons behind this surge and examine how Covid-19 has changed what volunteering looks like. We also discuss the role of infrastructure and public services in Wales to ensure the long-term engagement in volunteering post-pandemic.
Panellists:

• Sue Leonard, Chief Officer, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services
• Sue Husband, Director, Business in the Community Cymru
• Kerry Marlow, Coordinator, Porthcawl Covid-19 Strategy Group
• Judith Stone, Assistant Director of Volunteering, Wales Council for Voluntary Action

This is an hour long panel discussion on Zoom chaired by the IWA Director, Auriol Miller.
An open, politically independent and inclusive space for discussion and debate is the best way to identify the challenges we face in Wales because of Covid-19, and work out where the opportunities for real change are.
We are well placed to bring those voices together, and the IWA’s #RethinkingWales series (supported by the National Lottery Community Fund) will explore how various sectors need to respond to this crisis and how we need to start thinking differently.