Bright Futures UK exists to bridge the gap between education and illness by offering personalised, flexible support to young people across the UK whose learning has been interrupted by prolonged health conditions.
They are seeking student volunteers for a research project focussed on making their volunteering opportunities more inclusive. They are looking for new/alternative ways to utilise the current volunteer pool outside of the traditional roles of tutoring, mentoring and befriending currently being implemented.
This research project would involve data collection and analysis of the current needs of the charity's staff, children and young people, active volunteers and unmatched volunteers with the hope of identifying gaps that can be filled by the unmatched volunteers.
- Brief literature review of current work in the sector, possibly connecting with other groups doing similar work
- Quantification of existing metrics and available organisational data (% unmatched volunteers, survey data on current volunteers)
- Generate and analyse surveys of staff to understand current gaps and needs operationally
- Generate and analyse surveys of children and young people (or parents of children and young people) for gaps and needs educationally/socially
- Stakeholder engagement activities to understand needs of the charity
Phase 1 (Term 2):
1. Brief overview/literature review (2000 words) + Data Analysis of available data from volunteers’ interviews: 3-4 weeks
2. Observations of volunteers' interview(s): 4-6 weeks
Phase 2 (Term 3):
1. Explore Gaps in current recruitment
2. Co-creating with stakeholders – Focus groups with Bright Future UK stakeholders (workers + unmatched volunteers): 4 weeks
3. Data Analysis and Reporting: Throughout the project