Local authorities are to be the target of a persuasion campaign to steer their older and retiring members of staff into volunteering.MAVERIC (Mature Volunteers – Enriching Resources in the Community) is a campaign led by the National Centre for Volunteering.

The aim is to enrich the lives of older people and provide a valuable community resource. It chimes with the aims of the Better Government for Older People project, which is also combating the potential social exclusion of older people.

MAVERIC have polled councils about their attitudes to such schemes, and have received a heartening 95 per cent willingness to consider a formalised scheme – called Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV).A further 74 per cent of councils say the only reason they do not have one is because no one has thought of it.

The result of the survey is to set up a programme of regional seminars aimed at promoting ESV.
Link: www.volunteering.org.uk/maveric.htm