Following their session at gofod3, Ben Lewis, Director of The Open University in Wales shares why and how we’re working together to support voluntary organisations.
Last month I attended the annual Raymond Williams Lecture at Cardiff’s Norwegian Church, organised by the Learning and Work Institute. Like gofod3, it’s an annual event which The Open University in Wales proudly supports.
This year’s lecture was delivered by Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer at West Sussex Fire and Rescue service. Sabrina is a graduate (and now an honorary graduate) of the OU in Wales, and is one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK.
Her story is an inspiration. Although she was made homeless at 15, she became a firefighter three years later. She then went on to study for her OU degree before earning her doctorate at Cardiff University.
In her talk, Sabrina explored the negative impact poverty can have on health and wellbeing, and how education has helped her and others escape from it. This resonated with me because I worked for many years developing programmes which helped enable vulnerable young people to progress in higher education. We at the OU see ourselves as a social movement as well as a place of learning, and Sabrina’s story illustrated what can be achieved.
VOLUNTEERING AND OUR CIVIC MISSION
It’s these social goals – our civic mission – which are the basis for the relationship we have with WCVA and Wales’ voluntary sector. Much like the OU, voluntary organisations have been established to give people the chance to improve their own circumstances, as well as give something back to their community.
At this year’s gofod3, we talked to delegates about Get ahead with volunteering, a programme we’ve created with Third Sector Support Wales. Over eight online sessions, we help volunteers develop professional skills, like confidence, resilience and leadership.
We also discussed OpenLearn Champions. This initiative is where we guide professionals working in the sector, and volunteers, through our free learning platform OpenLearn so that they in turn can help their service users and colleagues learn new things.
(We’ve arranged a special OpenLearn Champions online training session on 8 July 2025 for voluntary sector staff and volunteers. You can find out more here.)
Since we introduced these programmes, we’ve supported over 200 volunteers, and some have progressed onto Access modules and degrees with the OU. We also now have over 500 OpenLearn champions who are volunteers across Wales.
STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS
We’re currently designing a strategic partnership agreement with WCVA.
Why do this?
While both organisations have always had a close relationship, formalising it in this way will help us find more ways to align our projects and programmes. It will also bring us closer to local organisations, and County Voluntary Councils across Wales.
Sabrina is also someone who devotes some of her time to volunteering as an ambassador for the Big Issue, a magazine she once sold on the streets of Newport as a young person.
Reflecting on her own journey, the lecture ended with her talking about removing barriers that prevent people from reaching their potential. This is why the OU was established in the first place, and why our ongoing work with voluntary organisations is so vital.
Ben Lewis is the Director of The Open University in Wales
FIND OUT MORE
The Open University in Wales sponsors gofod3, kindly partnering with WCVA to help voluntary organisations to upskill. You can find out more about how the OU can support you at university.open.ac.uk/wales.