The ‘In Touch’ Volunteer Programme brings together Imperial War Museum North and Manchester Museum to create an innovative joint volunteer programme that serves people from the local community who are in greater need.

The main aim of the programme is to promote lifelong learning, improve basic skill levels/vocational attainments, open doors to heritage sites and improve quality of life in localities where social and economic deprivation is highest. Most importantly it will develop self-esteem, interpersonal skills and confidence combined with literacy skills and core skills to improve quality of life and employability.

The Museums have successfully secured funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to deliver the programme for the next three years. ‘In Touch’ will integrate culturally and socially excluded individuals into the Museums’ Learning and Access teams, giving them the confidence and skills to become lifelong learners, museum users and contributors to the Museums' delivery and development. Our target groups for recruitment are:

• Long term unemployed
• People with low skills levels and outdated skills
• Non-learners – people who have been out of the education system for a number of years and/or have become disengaged with learning
• Young people (post 16) in risk of exclusion and or/offending
• Asylum seekers and refugees

Within all these groups we actively recruit people from black and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

The ‘In Touch’ project will tie together and build on the successful strands of the work of both The Manchester Museum and Imperial War Museum North’s past Volunteer Programmes.

Imperial War Museum North has successfully delivered its pioneering volunteer programme for excluded individuals since the Museum opened in 2002 and has trained over 200 volunteers, in a variety of roles, crucially developing their self-confidence and ownership of the Museum.

The Manchester Museum has been successful in training volunteers to deliver object handling session for the public since 2003 and has trained over 100 individuals.

All volunteers who join the programme will undertake a tailor made Cultural Heritage Course, which has basic literacy, and core skills embedded into the training. The course will be delivered in partnership with Basic Skills Tutors from Salford College and North Trafford College who have mapped the content of the courses to the Basic Skills Core Curriculum to provide a relevant, informal and enjoyable learning experience.

On completion of the course individuals will have the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute to the Museums’ Learning and Access Teams in a variety of ways as orientators, visitor liaison and delivering artefact led information stations. All volunteers will gain an Entry Level 3 literacy qualification and an opportunity to progress further to gain a National Test equivalent to a GCSE.The scheme also provides additional in-house and external training including the Tourist Board accredited customer care courses – Welcome Host and Welcome All.

We also offer:

• Presentation Skills
• Basic Sign language
• Disability Etiquette
• Visits to Museums and Galleries in the North West

Our experience of running similar programmes for the last four years using participation –led evaluation and consultation with learning providers has allowed us to develop a tried and tested course ideal for individuals who are lacking confidence and up to date skills who may feel that museums and cultural organisations are not for them. Crucially it aims to remove the barriers and preconceptions that stop people visiting and actively engaging with their local cultural venues. Most importantly it will develop self-esteem, interpersonal skills and confidence combined with literacy skills and core skills to improve quality of life and employability.

The programme funds volunteer related expenditure such as travel, lunch and childcare and volunteering does not affect benefits.

Around 180 volunteers will be recruited onto the joint programme over the next 3 years. Both Museums plan to recruit volunteers in groups of 10 for each venue and will run three intakes a year in February, May and September.

Registration is by completion of a simple form and applicants are invited to come along to an informal one to one session where they can find out more about the programme.

As both organisations work directly with the public all volunteers are also required to be security cleared. However this does not necessarily mean that people with a criminal record will be turned down from being involved in the programme, each case will be treated on a individual basis

If you would like to a part of our contact database to receive news about recruitment dates and ongoing developments please contact atuck@iwm.org.ukand asked to added to the ‘In Touch’ networking database.

You can download a PDF report about the Programme, its structure and funding on the right. If you would like to receive a DVD that the volunteers have made about their experiences please e-mail dhird@iwm.org.uk with your contact details.