Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

: ''Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol Cymru'') is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all'. WCVA provides services and support to charities, community groups, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteers. WCVA’s membership consists of over 2,500 third sector organisations. It also has partners from the private and statutory sectors who support its work. In Wales, there is also a county level infrastructure body. Each county has a

County Voluntary Council Every county in Wales has a voluntary sector infrastructure body, generically called a County Voluntary Council or CVC. The key role of a CVC is to provide advice and information to local voluntary and community groups on volunteering, funding sour ...

as well as volunteer centres. The 19 local County Voluntary Councils in Wales, and the national support body WCVA, make up a network of support organisations for the third sector in Wales calle
Third Sector Support Wales
The equivalent infrastructure and representative body for voluntary organisations in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership body for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. SCVO works to support people to take voluntary action to help themselves and other ...

. In

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

it is

NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. NICVA also hosts and manages several websites for Northern Ireland's voluntary and community sector onlin ...

and in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

it is

NCVO The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. It is a registered charity (no 225922). NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an ...

. The equivalent bodies for the promotion, support and celebration of volunteering are Volunteer Now (in Northern Ireland), Volunteer Development Scotland and

in England. Along with WCVA, these are the members of the UK Volunteering Forum.

Location

WCVA has three offices in Wales, in Cardiff, Rhyl and Aberystwyth.

History

WCVA was born in 1934 and known as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Council of Social Service. During the Depression, the Council funded district nurses at a cost of £100 a year, and supported co-op schemes to dig mountain coal and keep fit classes for women. In the following decades WCVA’s scope increased, and it supported the founding of organisations like Citizens’ Advice Bureaux and Disability Wales. Since then, WCVA has promoted volunteering across Wales, launched the Wales Volunteer of the Year scheme, taken on the co-ordination of the Communities First Support Service and helps manage the Environment Wales project, which offers funding to groups working in the climate change arena. It also provides training opportunities for the third sector in Wales and runs a range of conferences and seminars for the sector each year.

Current WCVA projects

Gwirvol - a youth volunteering programme Recruit3 - Run in conjunction with Big Issue Cymru, this is a recruitment site for the third sector. Participation Cymru - To encourage participation in public life in Wales. Environet Cymru - Funding and supporting groups working with the environment. Volunteering Wales Grant Fund - WCVA manages this Welsh Government funded grant scheme.

References

External links

WCVA website for Wales
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Recruit3, WCVA's third sector recruitment website

3to3 WCVA's third sector marketplace

WCVA's Criminal Records Unit website

WCVA's youth volunteering scheme

Volunteering Wales website, to search for volunteering opportunities across Wales

The Environment Wales website

Participation Cymru's website
{{Authority control Charities based in Wales Volunteer organisations in the United Kingdom