As Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) connects ever-growing numbers of volunteers to charities across Greater Manchester, its local coordinator, Rebecca Mickler, speaks to JLife about its role in the community.
How long have you been involved with the Manchester Jewish community?
I’ve been connected to the community all my life. I grew up in Bury and settled in south Manchester with my husband after returning from university. As a teenager, I attended various Jewish youth groups and I now enjoy taking my children to the many different family events on offer in the community. I am now also a proud graduate of the 2018/19 UJIA Leadership Programme, having completed the course in March.
What attracted you to your role at JVN?
JVN does what no other organisation in the community does. Every charity needs volunteers, but they worry about attracting the ‘right people’ – so we try to match the right person to the right role in the right organisation.
I get to focus on real people in my role and to talk to them as individuals and this is what I love. When a person is successfully matched with a charity it is a triple win: the charity, the volunteer and the beneficiary of the volunteering are all happy.
So how can prospective volunteers get involved?
The first thing you can do is search through loads of great opportunities on our website. Secondly, we have our mobile app, which focuses on one-off and short-term opportunities for busy people! Finally, people can visit our office in Prestwich and see me to work through their options one-to-one.
Tell us about your recent event.
We recently held an evening event during national Volunteers Week called Be Inspired. Speakers included Jewish Action for Mental Health’s Kate Lurie, CEO of JVN, Nicky Goldman and Marc Levy from the Jewish Leadership Council, who revealed the results of his recent briefing with the world’s first appointed volunteering and loneliness minister and the positive impact the Jewish community is making. It was great to see so many attendees who had never volunteered before come along to learn more about what volunteering is all about and what they could do.
What’s the benefit of a one-to-one meeting?
It’s nice to talk to someone in person. Some people also prefer not to use a website or app. It’s difficult to know where to begin with volunteering, especially if you haven’t volunteered before. If an opportunity that we have is attractive but not quite right for you, I can work with the charity to change some aspects of the role. If I tell them that this person would be the ‘right person’ for them in a slightly different role, they are usually willing to adapt.
What sort of volunteering opportunities are available?
One of the best elements of my job is encouraging people to think outside the box about the skills they have that could apply in a voluntary role. We have long-established charities in the Jewish community, including Chai Cancer Care, Langdon College and The Fed; smaller Jewish organisations, such as the Paperweight Trust, JSense and Mavar; and small and large organisations in wider society, such as Outreach, Beanstalk and the NSPCC. They all have a huge variety of roles that need filling from facilitators, web support, Shabbat hosts, educators, meeting and greeting and much more.
What about people who don’t have the time?
Everyone has some time – even just a little bit very occasionally. We have lots of people who volunteer and have a full-time job. Joining our Ad Hoc Squad means you will be informed first about one-off events coming up, most of which are on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. It’s a chance to make a difference even when you don’t have a lot of time to give on a regular basis.
Why should people give up their time to volunteer?
Volunteering can be easy and it can be fun, but most importantly, it changes lives – not just of the people that the work affects, but of the volunteers themselves. I know people who volunteer every day of the week for a different charity, and others who just do the occasional one-off events – the thing they have in common is that they do it because they enjoy it and they are making a tremendous difference.
For more information about volunteering opportunities, visit Jvn.org.uk.
