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In Wales, people have always come together voluntarily, not for money or because the law tells them to, but because they want to make a difference.
Voluntary organisations change lives every day, but to tackle the big issues facing our society we need to come together, organise and look ahead to prepare for the future.
That’s where we come in. WCVA exists to enable voluntary organisations to make a bigger difference together.
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You may have noticed that we’ve made a few a changes.
We want to make sure all of us are ready to tackle the challenges society faces head on. To do this we need voluntary organisations now more than ever. But none of us can do it alone. WCVA is here so we can all make a bigger difference together.
We’ve been thinking long and hard about our role and what we can do to ensure that voluntary organisations in Wales are ready for the challenges ahead. That’s why we’ve refreshed our purpose and given ourselves a clear focus for the future.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be using this new focus as a call to arms, not just to bring together charities and voluntary organisations of all kinds, but to inspire business and public bodies to offer their support so we can all make a bigger difference and build a better future.
What does ‘make a bigger difference together’ mean?
When we were thinking about the challenges and opportunities facing voluntary organisations today, we noticed there were some similarities with how things were when WCVA was first formed.
We know people in Wales have always come together voluntarily, not for money or because it’s required by law, but because they want to make a difference.
By coming together as voluntary organisations people have achieved amazing things and shaped the Wales we live in today. Organisations like the Tredegar Medical Aid Society, which created a new way for people to support each other’s health and became a model for today’s NHS. Organisations like the Urdd, which has shaped our language and culture and still gives huge opportunities to children and young people across Wales. Through to the thousands of different clubs and community groups in every town and village in the country. Ordinary people, taking seemingly small steps that lead to a huge difference.
But when the Depression and poverty hit Wales hard in the 1930s, people realised their organisations weren’t ready to meet the challenges around them. To make a bigger difference, they needed to come together, organise, and look ahead to prepare for the future.
That’s why WCVA was formed. And it’s still why we exist today.
Through our collective power, and driven by our shared ambition to improve people’s lives, we enable voluntary organisations in Wales to make a bigger difference together.
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Say hello to our brand new awards scheme, the Welsh Charity Awards. We want to showcase the incredible and diverse impact that voluntary organisations make, using inspirational stories from Wales to show what’s possible and spur more people to get involved and make a difference.
The Welsh Charity Awards recognise and celebrate the fantastic contribution charities, community groups, not-for-profits and volunteers make to Wales. From befrienders dropping in to visit their older neighbour every Tuesday, to organisations campaigning for nation-wide equality, the awards highlight and champion the positive difference we can make to each other’s lives.