a tale of honey bees
Carol Stobie
Vo
l
Voluntary Arts Ambassadors
Co-ordinator,
Voluntary Arts Scotland
Voluntary Arts Facts
53% of the adult population are active arts and crafts participants.
Some figures describing the voluntary arts sector in Scotland:
• 2 million active participants estimated in the adult population (5 million is
the population total)
• 9,400 groups
• 18.8% of the voluntary sector (the arts, sports, culture grouping is 40% the largest grouping in the voluntary sector in Scotland – but the one that
attracts the least funding!)
• 263,400 estimated number of cultural volunteers
• 7,620,000 estimated number of volunteer hours
• £44 million worth if these volunteer hours were paid for (calculated at a
very modest rate of pay!)
Why do people volunteer in the arts and
crafts?
Main purpose of group – top 10
• 1. social/enjoyment
• 2. participation
• 3. entertainment
• 4. artistic development
• 5. education
• 6. training/skills development
• 7. preservation/conservation
• 8. information
• 9. promotion
• 10. friends group
Benefits to the community
The Voluntary Sector Input Survey found that the voluntary
arts sector was:
• providing activity that would not otherwise exist including the
traditional skills of Scottish culture and preservation of
national and local heritage
• providing venues that would not otherwise exist including
valuable community venues that support the sustainability of
communities
• providing opportunities for children and young people that
exist outwith the formal education system and therefore
offer young people a broader range of experiences than those
offered in the curriculum and potentially attract young people
alienated from education and other formal structures
• supporting other artists, organisations and cultural institutions
as well as general charitable fundraising.
Background to the ‘Crafting the Arts’
project:
Aim:
• to strengthen the capacity of Voluntary Arts (VA), particularly
to work more efficiently and effectively, and engage better
with other voluntary and equalities sector networks in
Scotland through Voluntary Arts Scotland.
• Allow us to offer art and craft form umbrella bodies and local,
frontline voluntary groups more consistent and widerreaching services of advocacy, training and information.
3 things Voluntary Arts Ambassadors do
• Connect (groups with VA Scotland, with each other, with CVS/
Single Interface, with local arts teams, with Community
Planning Partnerships...)
• Develop (offer opportunities to extend membership, look for
training and funding, promote their activities, improve
access...)
• Influence (local decision-making through Community
Planning, VA Scotland’s resources provision, local awareness
of benefits…)
3 facts
• funding? Big Lottery Fund
• timing? Five years (2009-2014)
• targets? A VAA in each of 32 Scottish local
authority … with a future
stages of set-up
• recruit through our networks and interview
with help of local voluntary sector key contact
• train together on VA, Community Planning
and confident presentation
• set up key meetings to plug into local
structures
the first harvest
what’s happening?
• four rounds of recruitment + four training
courses so far – currently recruiting again
• 16 local authorities covered so far by 20 VAAs
(some job-share an area)
• 18 months to go of this funding – hopes for
future sustainability
some case studies…
• Aberdeen – Mari learning about and reaching out to local arts scene with
strong TSI help, prospect of radio slot and further publicity through this
route…
• Angus – Issy is meeting movers and shakers, using council knowledge,
contributes to Community Capacity Building forum
• Argyll & Bute - Nikki’s our Facebook queen, with energetic networking,
both online and face to face - starting from strong involvement in Bute
community projects and arts activities
• City of Edinburgh – Fiona does serious networking to spread the word at
strategic events like Access to Culture and Sport
• Falkirk – Craig has taken on an empty High St building and put on highly
successful exhibitions, is developing an arts zine to cover the area and
setting up in all social media forms!
• Fife – Stuart and Chloe are connecting with arts officers, participating in
Cultural Commission Roadshows to identify groups who can benefit from
our resources, heightening awareness of benefits of Facebook pages for
groups…
challenges?
• shake-ups and cuts throughout the land
• dauntingly complex structures to link into,
often in flux
• supporting volunteers at a distance!
benefits?
• local presence, a known face
• promoting new awareness of VA Scotland
resources
• creating new relationships between voluntary
agencies, arts groups and local authorities
transferable skills developed…
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Networking – appropriately to clients
Community development
Public advocacy
Lobbying and campaigning
Public speaking/presentation skills
Negotiation and diplomacy
Brokering and bridge-building
Profile-building, marketing, promotion
hopes?
• more gatherings and training for VAAs
• developing stronger social networking and
online community to keep voluntary arts
community (and each other) update
• Extend our links with TSIs, often the key to our
success…. and move onto the next frontiers!
Swarm in here…
Carol Stobie
Voluntary Arts Ambassadors’
Co-ordinator
Voluntary Arts Scotland
carol@vascotland.org.uk
Tel. 0131 225 9790