Growing Ambitions has been invited by the leading national volunteering agencies - to be one of only three ‘Employee volunteering’ Partners in this year’s national Volunteers' Week 1-7 June.

Volunteers’ Week is a joint initiative of Volunteering England, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, Volunteer Development Agency (Northern Ireland) and Volunteer Development Scotland.

This national celebration of volunteers and volunteering takes place in June each year and this year it is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Volunteers' Week plays a huge part in raising the profile of the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society, while inspiring others to get involved too.

During Volunteers’ Week there is a burst of activity across the country to increase awareness of the UK’s volunteers and opportunities to volunteer. It is a great week to find out more about volunteering and get involved.

Justin Davis Smith (no relation), CEO of Volunteering England, the volunteering development agency, said:

“On Volunteers’ Week’s 25th birthday, we wanted to not only look back and celebrate the fantastic work achieved by so many over the years, but to look forward and challenge perceptions about what volunteering means today. We are delighted to be working with so many high profile partners from across the private, public and voluntary sectors to examine the changing image of volunteering and to showcase the contribution volunteers make to society.

“Volunteering is very much in the news at the current time, being identified as having an important role to play in helping us move out of recession, and Volunteers' Week is an excellent opportunity to highlight the benefits of volunteering and encourage more people to get involved”.

You will find Growing Ambitions partnering with all the national volunteering agencies, with our volunteering opportunity appearing on their websites: Volunteering England; Volunteer Development Agency (Northern Ireland); Volunteer Development Scotland and Wales Council for Voluntary Action,” says Sally Davis founder and MD of Growing Ambitions. "It’s great to have been invited to partner with Volunteers’ Week in this way. We hope for a surge in volunteer numbers UK-wide from 1-7 June.”

Growing Ambitions enables people in jobs they enjoy – UK-wide – to volunteer to give a half-hour talk at some time in the future, on their job or career. Once registered on www.growingambitions.org they wait for an invitation from a local school, college or university to speak to young people about their career. Young people need to hear about real jobs from real people, so that they can make the right career choice for them.

ENDS

Editor’s note

· For media enquiries about Volunteers Week please contact Kimberley Rowley on 0207 520 8932 or email Kimberley.rowley@volunteeringengland.org

· For media enquiries about Growing Ambitions contact Sally Davis on 023 9266 1600 sallyd@growingambitions.org