British Computer Society announces plans to work with iT4Communities

In the May 2008 edition of the BCS magazine, ITNow, Alan Pollard, BCS Deputy President outlined plans to set-up a volunteering scheme for BCS members with the help of iT4Communities.

Alan's article follows:

Your Society Needs You

In the January 2008 edition was an article entitled Volunteer and Support. You can still read it on the magazine archive in the membersí secure area of the website. I set out the vision of a BCS register of volunteers and skills that can be called upon (free of charge) by as many of the established UK-based voluntary organisations as wish to do so.

The BCS Volunteer Register will supplement the excellent work we already do with the IT Can Help (ITCH) community (that targets those with physical difficulties in accessing IT) by extending the concept to a far wider range of social, educational and other charitable needs. We will do this initially in conjunction with the iT4Communities , who are making their opportunity matching and support process available to us so that BCS Volunteers can rely on a similarly professional set-up to complement their professional IT skills and jointly find ways to deploy them to best effect.

So what can you do now?

Very soon members of the BCS will be invited to respond to an online survey aimed at:

  • Inviting your views on the proposals;
  • Discovering what motivates people to volunteer (or might deter them from doing so);
  • Identifying the kind of work you might like to do;
  • Finding out who already volunteers their IT skills and has advice to offer;
  • Understanding the practical constraints and considerations we might experience;
  • Generally seeking your input and ideas for making this an exciting additional opportunity for using our skills, gaining personal satisfaction, enhancing our professional experience and building on the BCS reputation.

Please look out for this survey and letís see if we can have a bumper response to this worthwhile venture.

Planning Begins

Meanwhile, I am on the look out for people who might be interested in working with me in a small team to drive this idea forward. Once I have got this group together, I will be holding an enjoyable and informal planning meeting (structured fun) to draw up a project plan and allocate roles and responsibilities. Go on volunteer.

Alan Pollard, BCS Deputy President

2nd June 2008

You can also read this article as a PDF.