What’s Next? - Reflections on International Volunteer Managers Day
A few days ago I submitted the last assignment in my Master of Health and International Development.
In my final topic, Public Health Practice Development I explored the role of volunteering in community health and wellbeing and how we can demonstrate our impact. This International Volunteer Manager’s Day I’ve reflected on my learnings from this semester and What’s Next for me in my professional and practice development journey.
What I discovered:
As part of my study I looked at the literature on volunteering and health and wellbeing. Volunteering has many benefits for mental health and social wellbeing which have been shown in studies however there is less evidence on the role of volunteering in building community level health and wellbeing. There is also some really exciting research in the works that will explore the role of volunteering in building social cohesion.
To demonstrate the impact of volunteering on community health and wellbeing we need to develop evaluation frameworks which capture measures of health and wellbeing, volunteering confidence and community linkages. We are funded to report on different measures so we need to find alternative ways to capture these outcomes, linkages with academia may provide opportunities to do this
Through this final semester I have had incredibly powerful conversations with professionals across the volunteering sector. They have encouraged me to continue building my voice and sharing my ideas. There is an opportunity for us to work collaboratively to build a stronger voice and evidence base for the work we do. I’m excited to continue these conversations and see where they lead.
So what’s next for me?
Public Health Practice Development is a life-long commitment and completing my master’s doesn’t mean I’ll stop exploring these ideas. There is still so much to explore so along with continuing formal professional development opportunities I commit to:
Explore the ways volunteering benefits our community and share those stories;
Build networks and work collaboratively to develop the evidence;
Increase linkages with academia focussing on practice-based research;
Be proud of where my skills and experience fit in volunteer management and continue to share my ideas and stories