Make Your Mark Volunteer Managers Conference 2025
Thursday 27 February 2025, 9.00 - 16.30
Hybrid at The Engine Shed, Stirling and on Microsoft Teams
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When |
What |
Where |
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9.00 - 9.45 |
Registration and refreshments If you are joining us on Teams, the session will be open from 9:30 am. Please log on by 9:40 am at the latest. |
Engine Shed Main Shed
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9.45 - 10.00 |
Setting the scene & Slido warm up Throughout each session Slido will be used for audience interactivity. Please come with a charged phone or device. Details of how to access Slido will be given on the day. |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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10.00 - 10.05 |
Opening remarks Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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10.05 - 10.20 |
Keynote: Positive cultures in leadership to support inclusive volunteering Adele Patrick, Co-Founder and Director, Creative Development, Delivery and Engagement, Glasgow Women's Library |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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10.20 - 10.40
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Exercise: Bringing the Make Your Mark Inclusion Toolkit to life In 2023, we collaborated with the University of Strathclyde to publish the Make Your Mark Inclusive Volunteering Toolkit. Inclusive practice is ever evolving, so the toolkit was designed to be a living document that was regularly updated to reflect best practice. In early 2025, we published version 2.0 of our toolkit. This session will introduce an interactive toolkit mind map, with the aim of inspiring delegates to finish the day with tangible actions, ideas and new connections. |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams
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10.40 - 10.55
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Talk: trends and challenges in culture and heritage volunteering Volunteer Scotland Research and Policy Team |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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10.55 - 11.20 |
Talk: When older volunteers have to stop volunteering – volunteer experience and volunteer management challenge Hear about the Cessation of Volunteering project, which explores the point when older volunteers find that they have to stop volunteering due to age-related issues. This can be a difficult moment both for the volunteers and the staff that manage or support them and one which is not well addressed by existing guidelines. The project has been exploring these issues to understand the experiences of both groups. Speakers will present findings from a prior pilot study and the first part of the project, where they worked with several heritage organisations as case studies.
Dr Bruce Davenport, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University Dr Yang Wang, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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11.20 - 11.40 |
Break Move to the first workshop session; comfort/screen break. |
Main Shed & Teams |
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11.40 - 12.10
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Workshop block 1 |
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HYBRID: The National Lottery Heritage Fund Take part in a talk and Q&A with the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Scotland Engagement Team. Hear about best practice to inform how to build an application to fund an inclusive volunteer programme. Take away a summary of top tips and common pitfalls for writing effective proposals that cover what funders what to see. |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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IN-PERSON: Managing the cessation of volunteering – challenges and possible solutions The workshop builds directly on the preceding talk by Davenport & Yang. Participants will be invited to share their experiences of managing older volunteers as they stop volunteering. We will consider the practices observed in the research as well as encouraging participants to share how they have handled this issue. We will also discuss the practical steps that might need to be taken to better manage these situations.
Dr Bruce Davenport, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University Dr Yang Wang, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University |
Seminar room 1 |
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ONLINE: TBD Scottish Refugee Council |
Teams breakout room 1 |
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12.10 - 12.20 |
Break Return from workshop sessions; comfort/screen break. |
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12.20 -12.45 |
Talk: Nature Connections – Impactful Group Volunteering Learn all about the origins and ongoing development of the Supported Group Volunteer Programme delivered at Highland Wildlife Park. Every week we open our doors to a local group of volunteers who all have additional support needs. This weekly programme provides a meaningful volunteer opportunity for this group to connect with nature and make a difference to their environment. This talk will share the lessons we have learnt, and ongoing changes we are making to improve our programme and support our volunteers.
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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12.45 - 13.45 |
Lunch Lunch will be provided for delegates at The Engine Shed. Please indicate any dietary requirements at the time of booking. |
Main Shed & Teams |
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13.45 - 14.10 |
Volunteering Newsroom A quick fire open mic session for anyone who would like to share projects, initiatives, achievements or even just your views. We'd particularly like to hear from volunteer managers who attended last year's conference and what actions they've taken in the last year to improve the inclusiveness of their volunteer programme. To participate, please sign up in advance.
Facilitated by the Volunteer Organisers Network |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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14.10 - 15.00 |
Panel discussion: ‘My experience of trying out volunteering in heritage’ This year’s panel will kick off with a short presentation on the Make Your Mark co-creation volunteer taster session project, which saw new audiences co-design volunteer taster sessions with Make Your Mark members. We will then hear from taster session participants about their experience of volunteering in Scotland’s heritage sector: what they like, where we can do better and hopefully things we have not thought of!
The panel will be Chaired by Gabrielle Macbeth, Volunteer Co-ordinator with Glasgow Woman’s Library and working group member with the Volunteer Organisers Network. |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams
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15.00 - 15.25 |
Talk: TBD Scottish Refugee Council |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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15.25 - 15.45 |
Break Move to the second workshop session; comfort/screen break. |
Main Shed & Teams |
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15.45 - 16.15 |
Workshop block 2 |
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HYBRID: Group Volunteering for those with additional support needs Join RZSS Discovery and Learning staff to participate in our very own Nature Connections Workshop developed for Make Your Mark Conference. We will be running a nature-based group volunteer activity. Then we will have a further discussion about the methods you can use to include and support a wide range of volunteers with different support needs. This workshop aims to spark ideas to create meaningful and impactful opportunities for volunteers wanting to connect with nature in new and innovative ways.
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland |
Engine Shed Auditorium & Teams |
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IN-PERSON: TBD Scottish Refugee Council |
Seminar room 1 |
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ONLINE: Managing the cessation of volunteering – challenges and possible solutions The workshop builds directly on the preceding talk by Davenport & Yang. Participants will be invited to share their experiences of managing older volunteers as they stop volunteering. We will consider the practices observed in the research as well as encouraging participants to share how they have handled this issue. We will also discuss the practical steps that might need to be taken to better manage these situations.
Dr Bruce Davenport, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University Dr Yang Wang, School of Arts & Cultures, Newcastle University |
Teams breakout room 1 |
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16.15 - 16.20 |
Break Return from workshop sessions; comfort/screen break. |
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16.20 - 16.30 |
Conference close |
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