News from vinspired
vinspired is trying to change the perception of 16-25 year olds across England by getting them to volunteer in all sorts of projects all over England. We run some projects ourselves, but also match-fund companies like MTV, Nike, The Bank of America and ITV to create projects that offer opportunities for 16-25s to make a difference and develop their skills at the same time.
If that weren’t enough, to put the icing on the cake vinspired have one heck of a sexy website where you can search through all of these projects to find the right opportunity for you, and apply for it online.
To find your big opportunity head to www.vinspired.com
Related posts
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By VJonny 7th July 10
The Big Fix, funded by v, is coming to London with an awesome live TV show in the prestigious X-Factor studios on Wednesday 21st July! For those not in the know The Bix Fix is a platform we fund in association with ITV for young people aged 16-25 to air their views and tackle burning issues that matter to them. On the night will be everything from music to dance, fashion, films, and even surprise celebrity guests!
So, here’s the details you need to know:
Wednesday 21st July 7:30pm – 9.30pm
Please note all tickets to join their audience have now gone! If you would like to be added to the waiting list however please email bigfix@itvfixers.com
Don’t forget to tune in live to watch the show on Wednesday 21st July 7.30pm on itv.com!
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By VJonny 4th July 10
What a day it’s been! The v team arrived last night in sunny Weston-super-Mare for the latest leg of the Summer Of Give… T4 On The Beach!
We arrived just in time for dinner and it was only right we sampled the local delicacy – good old fish and chips, recommended by volunteer coordinator Damien to set us up for what was to be a long, fun-filled day ahead on the bigvbus.
Act Lyk U Kno!, Bass6, Master B-line and DJ Vibes provided the soundtrack to an amazing day on the bigvbus which featured everything from ‘Freestyle Football’ to ‘Ballgowns On The Beach’, balloon modelling, fashion, jewelery workshops and more!
I could tell you all about it but I think it’s only right our volunteers pick up from here! So take it away Dave, Sam and Megan…
T4 On The Beach 2010
Dave and Sam (Miss Bubble’s Balloon Modelling):
So, it’s about 2:30pm and our time volunteering on the bigvbus at T4 On The Beach is coming to an end… Having arrived on Friday we’ve enjoyed a relatively relaxing weekend camping before the festival began on the Sunday, where in our first four hours we were shocked to find the support the festival goers had for both the concept of volunteering and the benefits of being involved.
Our mission was simple: to entertain with balloons and facepaint! Before this I (Dave) didn’t realise that something like this could be done at events and certainly didn’t think it could be done through volunteering. Sam had done similar things before at local events, and I had volunteered quite a lot looking after children and people with disabilities so this was definitely a step up. The application process on the v website was straightforward and so here we are on the bigvbus presenting ourselves as the act “Miss Bubble’s Balloon Modelling” which the masculine part of our act, Dave, is ever so pleased about…!
Balloons and facepainting proved very popular with every person in the audience, but most importantly, it was good fun and spread the word about volunteering and the good it can do!
The beatboxer and the freestyle footballer were incredible to watch and work alongside, accentuating the already fantastic atmosphere that everyone enjoyed. In a nutshell we would really recommend it, not only for the wonderful message being promoted, but because it is just pure good fun!
Now to enjoy the rest of T4!!!
Dave & Sam xx
Megan (Photographer):
Hello, I’m at T4 On The Beach on a big, purple bus.
Today has been an awesome time volunteering as a photographer for the Summer of Give scheme, down in beautiful Weston-super-Mare. I particularly enjoyed waking up at 5am, having only had a few hours sleep the night before (I was really excited you see!) As soon as I arrived at the festival, I was shocked by the mass amount of people here and also a bit scared at the amount of seagulls which seemed to be hovering very close to our heads.
When I finally found the bigvbus I got stuck into taking photos right away. The atmosphere was buzzing with many festival goers who seemed to b
e particularly interested in Dave and Sam’s balloon modelling. I attempted to get amongst the crowd and take a few shots of the live acts – this proved difficult, only being 5ft 2, but I did the best I could!
The definite highlight of the festival so far has been watching Jedward on stage. Not for their talents but when one of them (I don’t know which one – they’re both the same to me) fell on stage and injured his foot! He then proceeded to continue the act on one foot, hopping around the stage, before jumping into the crowd. Truly hilarious, poor guy…
When I applied for volunteering with vinspired, I had no idea volunteering could involve absolutely anything you wanted. I didn’t even think they would consider my application, but here I am, at T4 on the Beach for free, doing something I really enjoy and I would highly recommend it!Love Megan
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So, there we have it, another festival done and dusted but the Summer Of Give is far from over – we’ve got loads more still to come so keep your eyes peeled to our Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on all our festival antics and don’t forget to check out more of Megan’s awesome photos from T4OTB HERE!
To find out more about the Summer Of Give and other festivals you’ll be able to catch our bigvbus at this summer have a peek HERE.
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By VJonny 24th June 10
It’s that time of year…The sun’s finally come out to play and the summer holidays are right around the corner – at last! With loads of sunshine (fingers crossed!) and lots of new found free time on your hands the big question now is what to do with it? Well, this is where v can help…We’ve got tons of fantastic outdoor opportunities to sink your teeth into this summer! Catch some rays, enjoy the great weather and make a real difference in your community.
With recent figures showing youth unemployment to be up by a shocking 11,000 since January not only is this the perfect opportunity to get out and keep active through the lazy summer months but also a chance to really boost up your CV and increase your chances of beating the crunch. James Caan from Dragon’s Den explains,
“Getting involved in volunteering over the summer and throughout the year can be a real asset to any young person’s progression. Volunteering can help you build vital skills, whilst doing something you enjoy, and is considered a huge asset when applying for higher education or work. By getting involved in volunteering you are taking a step in forging your own future, whilst giving something back to the community. It is something I believe every young person should look into.”
Whether helping out at a summer camp, abseiling or football coaching there’s no reason now to waste your summer away at home!
So go on, find an outdoor opportunity to suit you here – we suggest you move quick though as they’ll be filling fast!
Last but not least with only a few days left to apply for the Summer Of Give we’ve just launched our fantastic Summer Of Give playlist on Spotify (with the help of your track suggestions!) which should provide the perfect soundtrack for your summer – have a listen HERE! Don’t worry if your tunes weren’t selected the first time round we’ll constantly be updating so keep emailing over your requests to summerofgive@vinspired.com to get them featured!
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By Jemima Jordan 13th June 10
So after another great night at the festival, Summer of Give is kicking off for the final day of Isle of Wight. We have got all sorts of performers doing their thing from basketball freestylers to aerobics instructors. Check out our Facebook page for pics. For now though, here is a blog from one of our volunteers, Dan. today he has been chatting to volunteers about their attitudes to volunteering. here’s what he found:Isle of Wight Festival 2010
Dan’s Blog: Sunday 13th June.
It’s the last day with the bigvbus at the Isle of Wight and it’s the last day of the festival. So I thought it was the perfect time to get off the bus and out amongst the festival go-ers to find out their thoughts and opinions about volunteering and about the Summer of Give project. I was unsure about people’s views towards volunteering, but was quickly overwhelmed by the positive attitudes everybody had about doing it.
I expected most people wouldn’t be interested in volunteering and would
think it wasn’t for them. I wasn’t alone in thinking that. Most people I spoke with thought volunteering was unpopular, despite being interested in it themselves.Ellie, from Newport, told me she’d like to volunteer with kids to gain work experience, but said most people can’t be bothered and think ‘why give up your time for nothing’. Another previous volunteer said “Some people think you don’t get anything out of it, but I like it.”
However, as I went round and spoke to more and more people I found that almost everyone was interested, and either had volunteered before, or would like to in the future. I spoke to some Oxfam volunteers who said they’d had the same experience. They were going round the festival trying to get people to sign up for their newsletter, but found lots of people interested in volunteering itself and asking ‘how do you get into it?’
One volunteer, Lucy, told me she volunteers in the Oxfam shop at home in Brighton, and for Oxfam at festivals. She’s taking full advantage of the benefits of volunteering at festivals, the Isle of Wight being the first of many festivals she’s getting free entry for this summer. She said if you have the spare time, then why not volunteer – “It’s fun, it makes you feel good, and it looks great on the CV.
Young people were especially interested when we spoke to them about v, the Summer of Give, and the opportunity to volunteer doing some they’re passionate about. v is unique because everybody volunteering for them, including at the Isle of Wight, is doing something they’re passionate about and they chose to do, making volunteering not just enjoyable, but also valuable. A festival-goer I spoke with said she’s interested in photography as a career and would love to volunteer for v, not just for the experience, but also to benefit a future Uni application.It’s v’s mission over the summer to make volunteering something unmissable, something that everyone wants to do. Certainly from my experience volunteering for v at the Isle of Wight, it’s something everybody should try.
Dan xx
To apply for Summer of Give, head to the website.
For more pictures and updates from the Summer of Give project, go to the Facebook page.
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By Jemima Jordan 12th June 10
Hey guys! So here we are still at the Isle of Wight festival 2010 for Summer of Give! We had an awesome day of volunteering madness on the bigvbus yesterday, and we all headed off to see Florence and the Machine and Jay Z, but today’s a new day, and with a new day, comes a new load of volunteers and a new blog! Woop woop! Today we have got Dan telling us his impressions of volunteering after spending 2 days with the Summer of Give team.Isle of Wight Festival 2010.
Dan’s blog. Saturday 12th June.
I was originally roped into volunteering for v by my friend, and in all honesty was apprehensive. I had all sorts of expectations and preconceptions about volunteering, that were immediately extinguished the moment I arrived. It doesn’t have to involve anything you’re uncomfortable with, or breaking your back picking up litter. Volunteering can be interesting, it can be completely personable and suited to each individuals skills and interests, and most importantly, it can be surprisingly rewarding!
Personally, my passion is writing and I’m lucky to have been given the chance to volunteer and write about vinspired. But the wide range of skills on show prove how inspiring and involving it can be. From Sam and
Sam performing their unique acoustic versions of S-Club’s ‘Don’t Stop Moving’ and George Harrison’s ‘Here Comes the Sun’ to the vinspired Climate Squad, helping raise awareness about climate change by encouraging festival-goers to power light bulbs, laptops and mobile phones by cycling their specially adapted exercise bike. Their aim is to recruit 16-25 year old volunteers and train them up to run carbon-cutting projects in their own communities.On the other side of the bus The Physics Busters Claire and Fliss were amazing everyone, particularly the ever enthusiastic Theone with the physics of non-Newtonian fluids, or, the custard trick to laymen!
The star of the day was the enigmatic beat boxer Bass6. Performing in front of the bigvbus he amazed crowds with his versions of hits such as Benny Benassi’s ‘Satisfaction’ before he and Theon, a DJ, got the crowd going with ‘No Woman No Cry’.
Joined by Skinny Lister, an acoustic folk band from Greenwich. They attracted a crowd with their performance, culminating in a rousing sing-a-long rendition of iconic folk song ‘South Australia’. I spoke to Lorna, vocalist and Ukulele player for the band. She said they wanted to come and perform at the bigvbus after seeing it at a previous event, and, having volunteered herself in the past, she understands “how inspiring it can be.”
I spoke to v20 member Chris, who has been with v since it b
egan back in 2006. He told me he started volunteering as a way of gaining work experience while at university, and didn’t imagine he’d still be doing it 5 years later! In his own words, after he’d joined v he didn’t want to leave; “because it’s so rewarding”.It’s only June and it’s only the beginning of the Summer of Give. Have a look at the upcoming opporunities and get involved. Head to www.vinspired.com.
Dan x
To apply for Summer of Give, head to the website.
For more pictures and updates from the Summer of Give project, go to the Facebook page.
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By Jemima Jordan 11th June 10
So for those of you that think today is just about the start of The World Cup, I am afraid to tell you that you are sorely mistaken! Today is also the very day that we kick off official day one of Summer of Give, where we go to five festivals across England, and showcase young volunteers’ skills. This weekend we are at Isle of Wight Festival, and we have got some lovely cameo bloggers who will be letting you know how we get on!Our first fantastic festival blog comes courtesy of Claire and Fliss! Don’t forget you can check out more of our crazy antics and photos over at our Facebook fan page.
Claire and Fliss’ festival blog
Friday 11th June – First day of the Isle of Wight festival
After a rainy start and some already aromatic toilets, we make our way to the vinspired bus…
Lisa is an expert in origami and is teaching members of the public how to make animals; we take the
opportunity to make some leopard print and zebra print frogs – and they actually hop. Lisa subscribed to the vinspired website but was ignorant of the Summer of Give project until she was sent an email about it; now she’s here with 67000 festival revelers, a group of cheerleaders, some physics busters (that’s us) and some major superstars! Quite a way to start the summer. Lisa’s first few customers make a dinosaur and a bird – caw caw! As Lisa says, she is proof that “volunteering is not just picking up rubbish.”Meanwhile, outside the bus the cheerleaders are wowing the crowds, performing lifts and throws for the public in their brand new shiny vinspired uniforms. After an easy Backwards Pitch, Amy is launched into a Twist-cradle, and a cheer erupts from the surrounding crowd.
Accosting members of the public, the cheerleaders grab a festival birthday boy and before he knows what is happening, he’s thrown into the air and purple and silver pom-poms are thrust into his hands. Afterwards he says that he’s “Never felt so scared in my life,” but the huge grin across his face would imply that he secretly enjoyed it.
Whilst the cheerleaders take a well earnt break, Charlotte the football freestyler takes over; that girl has got skills – the ball seems to be magnetically attracted to her feet. “I always played football when I was younger,” she says, “I played in midfield and I always liked the technical stuff…my agency got me the gig here at the Isle of Wight festival.” As for her opinion of vinspired? “It’s good because people can see that it’s fun to volunteer.”
Emma and Lucy are beavering away making Critters. They found out about vinspired’s Summer of Give through an advertisement in a creative magazine, and being creative types, they jumped at the opportunity to share their passion: “I expected the festival to be fun, and to interact with the public” says Emma, “it’s good to make people more aware of vinspired.”
The Cheerleaders are at it again, manic grins on their faces and impossible high kicks performed. Having been picked up and thrown about, one festival goer said that he loved the experience: “its a great thing you’re doing here” he spluttered when he returned to the ground “
…and the cheerleaders are great!”A quick wander round the festival site gets us all excited for the performances tonight – Jay Z is headlining and the roadies are testing out the equipment – not a bad place to be considering our ticket was provided by vinspired for our efforts. Tomorrow the physics busting begins!
Fliss and Claire xxx
To apply for Summer of Give, head to the website.
For more pictures and updates from the Summer of Give project, go to the Facebook page.
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By VJonny 9th June 10
It’s that time of year, summer is upon us and festival fever is set to sweep the country once again…
Want to join in the action on this summers hottest festivals for free? v have the solution! We’ve got a whole heap of great opportunities and all we require is a little of your time and skills! Just in case you haven’t already heard about them (where have you been?!) here’s a catch up of some of the great festival projects we have on this summer!
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Whether your talent lies in music, art, dance, photography, presenting or just lending a hand – we are looking for a team of young, dynamic volunteers to get involved and give.
The more spectacular, the more exciting, the more creative your volunteering idea, the more chance you’ve got of joining us! Here are some of the Festivals we’re still recruiting for:
Relentless Boardmasters on 4th – 8th August
V Festival on 20th – 22nd August
Creamfields on 28th – 29th August
For more info on Summer Of Give and how you can get involved click HERE.
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v team up with Coca-Cola to give all you creative, eco conscious volunteers the opportunity to help build amazing festival gardens created purely from recycled waste! Help build sculptures by encouraging festival-goers to recycle their drinks cans/bottles for Coke giveaways and spread the great word of volunteering in exchange for FREE tickets. We’re still recruiting for the following festivals now, so get in there quick:
Sonisphere 30th July – 1st August
Bloodstock 13th – 15th August
V Festival 20th – 22nd August
Creamfields 28th – 29th August
With festival season almost in full swing we suggest you jump in now before it’s too late! Find out more about Live Positively and how you can join in HERE.
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If you fancy checking out the sort of things you will be getting up to if you join us, why not catch up with vJemima and the volunteers who will be tweeting, Facebooking and Blogging from the Isle of Wight this weekend! See ya there!
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By VJonny 2nd June 10
As many of you may be aware this week is officially national Volunteers’ Week!
Volunteers’ week is an annual event founded by Volunteer England to highlight the amazing contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK and encourage more people to get involved. During the week (1st – 7th June) loads of award ceremonies and parties will be held to celebrate the contribution of volunteers around the country and it’s also a great opportunity for those of you who haven’t tried it yet to find out more about volunteering and perhaps even give it a go!
Volunteers’ Week kicked off to a fantastic start yesterday with a ten minute feature on GMTV. Today, many of may have seen the double page spread that popped up in the Metro speaking to various members of the v team to find out about the benefits of volunteering and highlighting examples of some of the great opportunities that we promote – everything from Cyber Counselling to radio DJing!
For more information on Volunteers’ Week have a peek at the official website here.
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By VJonny 26th May 10
Believe it or not a recent study by npower found that children on average spend spend nearly ten hours a day (almost three days a week) on their mobile phones or playing computer games and nineteen hours per week infront of the telly. Whilst we love computers here at v, we also think it’s important that young children are encouraged to find alternative, fun ways to spend their time, particularly during the sunny summer months – promoting good health and in turn saving energy!
This is where you come in! Npower are giving 16-25 year olds in Birmingham, Nottingham, Newcastle and Leeds the opportunity to get involved in a range of activities in local primary schools inspiring young children to find alternative, eco-friendly ways to have fun; activites range from urban cricket (pictured below) to designing posters.
This is the perfect opportunity to work with young children and take part in a range of exciting, creative and outdoor activities!
For more information on how you can get involved with No Power Hour click HERE.
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By VJonny 25th May 10
Thanks Jemima for such a warm introduction! Although I’ll be taking over Jemima’s role, I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of her
So before I jump in and start giving you all the latest news and gossip I guess you’d like to know who on earth I am and how I got here?!
Aside from my love of all things digital I also have a passion for art, a hobby that first drew me into the world of volunteering…
When I wasn’t living off baked beans and watching re-runs of Jeremy Kyle, like many students, much of my time at University was spent volunteering at my local youth centre. For the first time I had the chance to share my passion with others and get my work out into the community, helping brighten up the town through murals and arts projects. Some of my best experiences were spent volunteering and I had the opportunity to meet a wide range of really interesting, creative people – many of whom became close friends.
Fast forward to 2010 and it’s great to now be working in a company that opens up this great world to others and it’s amazing to see how many opportunities and activities there are out there to do! There’s literally something for everyone, so take a peak through our range of opportunities to see what inspires you…
I’ll be the person you contact with any techy/web questions and also the voice of the blog, Facebook and Twitter so if you haven’t yet ‘follow’ us, ‘like’ us and stay tuned for lots of exciting inside news from the world of v!
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