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HISTORY Quaker Voluntary Action began life in 1999 in response to the decision by Britain Yearly Meeting (Friends national body in the UK) to discontinue the work of Quaker International Social Projects (QISP), successor to Quaker Workcamps. For more than 50 years, Quakers had operated short-term, international workcamps in environmental work, construction, renovation and social projects. This was to come to an end when the work of QISP was wound up ('laid down' in Quaker speak). As we approached the new Millennium, some Friends had a concern that Quakers' contribution in the field of volunteering, at an organisational level, would be lost without a body to promote and support it. They acknowledged the value of volunteering to both the individuals, to communities and also to The Religious Society of Friends itself. Rather than reducing it, these Friends wished to extend the opportunity to develop good quality volunteering projects. In addition, they wanted to offer support to those Friends, across Europe, who wish to put their faith in action in response to specific community needs but for various reasons, including lack of financial resources or time, small or ageing meetings, or geographical isolation, are unable to develop Quaker volunteering initiatives independently. Many Friends first came into contact with Quakers through volunteering or hearing about workcamps. Volunteering on a Quaker project provided Young Friends (and prospective Friends), from different countries an opportunity to meet up, work together and to develop lasting friendships and mutual support for Friends from different nations. In 2000, when other faith groups were developing their volunteering, when the government was encouraging community building through new volunteering initiatives and the UN was promoting 2001 as the International Year of Volunteering, it seemed the right time for Quakers to explore new ways of volunteering. A committee was formed to take ideas forward for a new organisation: one that would take Quaker volunteering into the 21st century - QVA was born! |
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During its first six years QVA was involved in a variety of projects such as - workcamps in the UK and Ireland. - It supported a succession of volunteers at the New Barracks project in Salford - It researched and piloted the Agents for Change Project - It organised a “plant a tree” campaign for the Tent of Nations project in Palestine - It recruited volunteers to work on a reconstruction project in Sri Lanka after the tsunami - It found volunteer opportunities for a number of individuals - It developed the idea of working retreats |
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 QVA committee members and the Executive Secretary at the residential meeting in Wooldale, West Yorkshire. March 2006. |
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| QVA COMMITTEE QVA is a registered charity. No. 1083412 and a Company limited by Guarantee no. 3908675. The Trustees are Quakers from UK and mainland Europe who represent a wide range of skills and experience. Link to Companies House website for Memorandum and Articles of Association and Accounts. www.companies-house.gov.uk Link to Charity Commission website www.charitycommission.gov.uk The Committee members are Martin Smith (Clerk), Adrian Barritt, Aidan McCartney, Connor Jerram, and Julian Hodgkin. |
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| QVA OFFICE AND STAFF The QVA office is based at Holmfirth and is run on a voluntary basis by the Clerk of Trustees: Martin Smith. Jasmine Piercy is the Working Retreats Co-ordinator. For contact details, click here |
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| VOLUNTEERS Most of QVA’s work is done by Volunteers! There are some local office volunteers who occasionally help with tasks such as newsletter distribution, data input, preparation of exhibition materials etc. There are always opportunities, please contact the office. The Committee are all volunteers. QVA Correspondents are volunteers in local Quaker Meetings who undertake to hold information about QVA, promote QVA and its opportunities to members of their meeting and, if they wish, to help to fundraise for QVA. Agents for Change are volunteers who have been specially trained to support Meetings or groups within Meetings to develop their own projects. This could include, facilitating a workshop, advising on fundraising, talking it through, signposting to other information and advice. Please contact the office for more information or to volunteer! QVA can also put volunteers in touch with national and international volunteering organisations. |
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