The voluntary sector in Wales has been at the heart of the response to the Coronavirus crisis, coming together to deliver services efficiently and flexibly. WCVA has worked with voluntary organisations, government and other bodies to look at the impact of the crisis on the sector, and produce materials looking at how we can work together during and beyond this unprecedented time and create a positive future for people and communities across the country.

We’ll be using this material in our influencing work with decision-makers to showcase the sector’s response to the crisis and how we can all collaborate to create this stronger future.

Initial learning

When the crisis first began, we immediately started engaging with the sector to find out how it was affecting them. Here’s our initial learning for the voluntary sector from the Covid-19 crisis –a briefing paper and blog.

Find out what’s been discussed between voluntary sector organisations and Welsh Government at our Accessing Government pages.

Preparing for different futures

We held a series of #DifferentFuturesWales digital events exploring what impact the crisis will have on the future of the economy, climate change, volunteering and more. You can find all these on our YouTube channel. Jess Blair, Director of the Electoral Reform Society, wrote a blog after each event highlighting the key discussion points, while Richard Newton Consulting provided a series of in-depth reports. To find out more and continue the discussion, search Twitter with the hashtag #DifferentFuturesWales.

You can also read our report which summarizes each of the six sessions and take a look at the findings.

Better Futures Wales

WCVA wants to support the sector not just to respond to the immediate crisis situation, but to do so in a way that will support better futures for the long-term for individuals and communities right across the country.

You can find a range of materials that look at how the sector might adapt and create positive change now that the UK has left the European Union, including podcasts and think pieces on the future of the economy, climate change and health and social care.

During the crisis, we’ve done lots of engagement work with the sector to gather evidence and learn about the impact of Covid-19. As part of this, we’ve produced a series of blogs looking at health inequalities in Wales, the role of leadership in building a better future for Wales and what young people think are the most important issues facing the country.

Building on this work, we’re keen to hear your thoughts on who needs to do what to help shape a better future. If you’ve got an idea for a blog, please email us at policy@wcva.cymru and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.