The Volunteer Passport was developed by the Volunteer Centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde to recognize volunteers' contributions through skills badges and achievements. It records volunteers' details, placements, and skills awarded as open badges. The passport aims to create entry-level volunteering opportunities and was funded through an innovation grant. Feedback sessions are being held to improve the passport concept.

1. The
Volunteer
Passport
Author: Patrick McGee ©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde 1
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

2. Overview:
Do a Bit Project
The Do a bit project has been developed to create
entry-level or bite-sized volunteering opportunities
in the Blackpool area.
The Volunteer Passport has embedded Open
Badges as an invaluable tool to reward and
recognise the Volunteers contribution in the local
community.
The Volunteer Centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
was selected to receive financial support from the
£10m Innovation in Giving fund, run by NESTA and
funded by the Cabinet Office.
©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde 2
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

3. The
Volunteer
Passport
Developer
Patrick McGee
Do a Bit Project Officer
For the last two years Patrick was involved in
research at the Uclan School of Journalism
looking at business models used within digital
newspapers across the sixty-six cities of the
United Kingdom.
Patrick provided technical support and advice
throughout the Media and Digital Enterprise
(MADE) project which provided innovative
training, mentoring and research for the
participants in Europe and the Middle east. The
Media and Digital Enterprise (MADE) project
was the only UK winner of the International
Press Institute’s News Innovation Contest
2011, supported by a grant from Google.
3©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

4. Overview
Introduce the Volunteer Centre
Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Volunteers
Passport
Other developments of Volunteering
Passports
Improving the Volunteering Passport concept
4©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

5. The
Volunteers
Passport
BWF
The Volunteer Passports have been developed
after consultation with small selection of
Volunteers, Volunteer Involving Organisations
and Staff at the Centre.
The passports have three elements:
1. The Volunteers Details
2. Achievements
3. Open Badges – Awarding skills
5©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

6. The
Volunteers
Details
6©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
Area to provide the name of the
volunteer, location, skills, personal
statement and personal interests.
Area to provide Education and training,
professional qualifications, additional
skills and experience and area for the
Disclosure and Barring Service number.
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

7. Volunteering
Achievements
7©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
A Volunteering Achievement is described as any past
Volunteer Involving Organisation (VIO) that the
Volunteer has attended.
So in our Volunteering Passport there are areas for:
1. The name of the Organisation
2. Address and Postcode
3. Dates attended
4. Time attended
Time management is an important part of verifying
what a Volunteer has done as part of the recognition
of achievement process.
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

8. Open Badges:
Awarding skills
8©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
The Mozilla open Badges project is a perfect match
for our requirements to award skills that have been
recognised during placement at a VIO.
Our Volunteering Passport has areas for:
1. The name of the Open Badge
2. Area for the Open badge
3. Dates of issue
4. Criteria of Award
5. Issuer of the Open Badge
For more information on the Open Badges
development, please visit:
http://www.slideshare.net/PatrickJohnMcGee/open-badges-
26274048
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

9. Other
Volunteering
Passports
9©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
• Step into Sport Volunteer Passport
• URL: https://www.sisvp.com/
• Derbyshire’s Council - ‘The Volunteer Passport’
• http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/community/volunteering
/volunteer_passport/default.asp
• MV Volunteering Passport Website
• No longer in operation – URL:
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/756165/Volunteer-
passport-launched-Scotland/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

10. Improvements?
10©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
The Volunteer Centre is currently running focus sessions to improve our Volunteering
Passport. There is an open invitation to attend any of the sessions and please visit our
Eventbrite event site found at the following URL:
http://blackpoolvp.eventbrite.co.uk/
For any advice, collaborations, comments or recommendations
please email Patrick McGee at:
patrick.mcgee@blackpoolvolunteers.org.uk
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT

11. End
Thanks for reading to our presentation
Open invitation to attend the sessions.
So please visit and you may receive your own
Volunteer Centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
Volunteer Passport
Remember:
DO A BIT!
11©The Volunteer centre Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde
VOLUNTEER
PASSPORT