Manchester Museum

Kate Glynn

Volunteer Coordinator

The Manchester Museum / Whitworth Art Gallery

Manchester Museum

• University museum• Over 4.5 million objects• Collections include Ancient Egypt,

Live Animals, Pre Historic Life and Living cultures

• Bring fresh enthusiasm and motivation to a variety of roles and projects

• Contribute to the goals, aims and objectives of its work

• Complement the skills of paid staff

• Bring new perspectives into the organisation

• Help build links with local communities

• Provide opportunities for staff to develop new skills

Volunteer Programme: In numbers

• Between 2012-2013, the Museum worked with 132 volunteers

• Volunteers contributed : 8426 hours

• Receive on average 40-60 volunteer enquiries per month

Volunteer Programme

Volunteer RoleVolunteers contribute to the Museum in many different ways: •Object Handling •Meet and greet visitors •Public programmes•Supporting Education staff •Helping at family, adult and outreach events•Collections cataloguing

Object handling is a key role for volunteers, we currently have five themed handling tables in our galleries:• Ancient Worlds • Living Worlds • Money• Manchester Gallery• Live Animals

• In 2012, 94,300 Volunteers were part of the sector's workforce in the city of Manchester.

• The economic contribution of volunteers in these Manchester organisations is estimated to be £331.8 million per annum.

• Volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the Cultural and Heritage sector in Greater Manchester.

• Manchester Museum is part of the Cultural Volunteer Coordinators Forum (CVCF), a support network for volunteer coordinators.

• The aim of CVCF is to enhance the role of volunteers by sharing best practice and developing a common, high quality standard.

• Last year, the CVCF commissioned a short film celebrating volunteering, its significance and the positive impact it has within our organisations...

Volunteering in Manchester

Manchester Museum: Current Practice

•Manchester Museum is committed to involving volunteers in our work.

•We aspire to deliver inclusive volunteer programmes, offering a broad range of opportunities and imaginative ways for people to get involved with and learn about heritage.

•Through volunteering we seek to provide rewarding experiences for people from our local community to enabling them to develop the skills and confidence to realise their full potential.

•Volunteers enhance our visitor offer, providing powerful visitor experiences and important support to paid staff.

•In recent years, Manchester Museum has developed a reputation for delivering innovative volunteer programmes including high profile projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund: In Touch (2007-2010) and Improving Futures (2013-2016).

In Touch Volunteer Project

• Collaborative project developed and delivered Manchester Museum & Imperial War Museum North, supported by Heritage Lottery Fund for 3 years from 2007-2010.

• This award winning adult volunteering programme was one of the first of its kind in the museum sector

• Helped over 180 individuals from a variety of backgrounds in Greater Manchester access heritage, re-engage with learning and develop key transferable skills for future employment.

In Touch: Aims

Diversify the workforce

Provide access to collections

Promote life long learning

Develop confidence, self-esteem

and improve quality of life

Help individuals develop transferable skills towards future employability, education or voluntary work

In Touch: The programme

• 10 week Cultural Heritage Course, delivered by tutors from Salford College, with embedded literacy skills

• Training in a variety of museum roles and a relevant, informal and enjoyable learning experience

• On completion of the programme individuals are able to play an active volunteer role in the delivery of both museums’ visitor provision

• A total of 41% of participants moved onto further learning

• A total of 18% of participants moved on into employment

• In March 2013, it was announced IWM North and Manchester Museum were successful in their funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a grant £528,700 to deliver Improving Futures: Volunteering for Wellbeing a ground-breaking volunteer and learning programme.

• Engage 225 people over 3 years: Focus on young people (16-25 years), people aged 50+ and ex-service personnel

• Improving Futures will enable people at risk of social isolation to develop the skills and confidence that will help them become more fulfilled and productive members of their communities

• Partnership with The Manchester College: Create bespoke training course with accreditation

for museum based knowledge and practical sessions

• IWM North and The Manchester Museum will work in collaboration with a wider group of heritage venues to offer a diverse range of volunteering opportunities . Including The Whitworth Art Gallery Manchester City Galleries, Ordsall Hall, Dunham Massey, Peoples History Museum and Jewish Museum.

• Provide pathways to further volunteering, wellbeing, training or employment opportunities

• It will also assess the benefits of volunteering in the heritage sector to the wider economy and society.

Improving Futures: Volunteering for Wellbeing

Grundtvig Projects

The Museum has been involved in a number of Grundtvig funded projects. These include:

•Volunteers of Cultural Heritage (2007-2009)

•Museums Literacy (2008-2010)

•LABYRINTHEME (2010-2012)

•The LEM project - Learning Museum Network

•Senior Volunteer Project (2009-2011)

•This is Us, Our Place, Our Culture

If you would like any further information, please contact Kate GlynnKate.Glynn@manchester.ac.uk

‘It’s like skimming a pebble. It causes personal ripples throughout your life. Friendships are made, the interaction you have with your children improves andyou are inspired to learn again... widening your knowledge and boarding horizons. Before I joined the programme, I didn’t even wantto pick the pebble up.’

Volunteer, The Manchester Museum