Improving Futures: Volunteering for Wellbeing

Working closely with GP surgeries, other health partners and job centres was key to encouraging local people to join a bespoke training and volunteer programme. 

Museum partners, led by the Imperial War Museum North and Manchester Museum, successfully recruited volunteers who were long-term unemployed, or those facing health challenges or social isolation. In particular, they supported 18-25 year-olds, ex-service personnel and people over 50, all identified as under-served in the museums.

Volunteers were based across 10 Manchester heritage venues, including the National Football Museum, People’s History Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery. They took part in a structured programme designed to develop heritage knowledge and customer service, communication and interpersonal skills.

The use of recognised wellbeing evaluation methods to measure and share impact over the three years of the project was integral to its success.

As the weeks progressed, I uncurled and found the real me who had been hiding away for so long. I found my voice.

Clare, Manchester Museum volunteer

Making a difference

Improving Futures: Volunteering for Wellbeing involved a wider range of people in heritage and, through the contribution of the volunteers, ensured heritage was better interpreted.

• 230 new volunteers were recruited and helped support the cultural life of Manchester.
• By incorporating the interests of individual volunteers into the carefully structured 16-week programmes, and by providing flexible mentoring support, the project brought positive change for individuals’ self-confidence and wellbeing.
• As a result of planning for improved wellbeing from the outset, evaluators found that over 75% of participants reported a significant increase in wellbeing after a year. Almost 60% of participants reported long-term sustained wellbeing improvements over two to three years. Volunteers also reported improvements in cognitive ability.
• One participant said: “I can see life in a different way now, I don't want to stay home, lonely and depressed any more. I want to get out there and get a job so that I can become more independent financially and enjoy more quality time with my daughter.”
• The partners delivered high-quality experiences drawing on museum collections, and as a result, developed the transferable skills of volunteers. The bespoke training course developed by the project gained nationally recognised accreditation from the awarding body ASDAN.
• More than 30% of people gained employment or new progression opportunities as a result of taking part.
• After sustaining partnerships over three years, museum staff learned new skills on the job and developed their professional practice. They continued to integrate wellbeing into volunteering programmes after the project ended.
• The external evaluators reported on the Social Return on Investment of the project: for every £1 invested, £3.50 was generated in social and economic value.

Manchester Museum volunteer Clare said: “Volunteering for Wellbeing could have been made for me… People over 50, long-term out of work and in need of a confidence boost and tools [were helped] to climb back up into the working world… We were nurtured and cajoled, guided and presented with all sorts of information about being a volunteer – information that also helps with life in general.

"We met curators and experts from the museum who were so very friendly and above all human! Not stuffy 'high ups' but real people who cared about us and our path. As the weeks progressed, I uncurled and found the real me who had been hiding away for so long. I found my voice and more importantly, I discovered that I love giving presentations – after all, it is just talking to people about the subjects I love."

Lessons learned

The project evaluation shows that there are important benefits to be gained from volunteering in museums. In particular, participants’ interaction with visitors and with the museums’ collections led to a strong sense of connectedness - participants felt connected to the local stories that are told in museums. Such links to human experiences can help support improved self-awareness, the building of social relationships and a sense of belonging for participants.

Equally, the participating museums’ staff gained experience in the support needed by volunteers new to museums. Since the project finished, staff are building on this knowledge to continue to involve a diverse range of people in volunteering.

The lead partners have produced a good practice guide to help other organisations plan a similar project. The evaluation is also published on the project website.