Page 3 - Barnsley Museums Annual Review 2018-2019

Be Part of it!
Volunteering with Barnsley Museums makes a real difference. Getting involved has a profound impact for everyone who works with us. Our volunteers are vital to what we do.
Having a record high of over 16,000 hours of volunteer time and with over 270 unique individuals volunteering with us, Barnsley Museums has seen soaring growth in our volunteer participation in the last year.
We have invested in infrastructure to support volunteers, conducted a major overview, rewritten and updated our policies and created our ‘Be part of...’ brand that shows volunteering with us as something bigger!
The evidence is well known that volunteering has a positive effect on the health and wellbeing of those taking part and can
have a positive impact on feelings of social isolation and struggling mental health.
Our volunteering opportunities also offer skills development which ensures that people are achieving their full potential and that excellence can thrive throughout our service. Strong relationships with local colleges, schools, universities and other partners has allowed us to support placements of varying length and skill level.
Looking forward the future is positive, our new partnership with the National Trust
at Wentworth Castle Gardens will see us co-deliver staff training around working with volunteers and best practice.
Case Study
Stacey Mackenzie
Curatorial Freelancer: Volunteering to Paid Work
In February 2018, I joined the Experience Barnsley team as a MA student on placement from the University of Sheffield. I quickly became involved in research in preparation for the exhibition The Great War Ends. As well as this, I was given the opportunity to support an exhibition install. Instantaneously, I felt supported, trusted and valued within the collections team, and I looked forward
to my placement day each week – for the first time I was experiencing the career that I have dreamed of ever since I can remember.
By the end of my MA degree – and also
my placement – I decided I wasn’t done
with Experience Barnsley. I continued to work as a collections volunteer. During this time,
I attended acquisition panel meetings and communicated frequently with members
of staff across BMBC, which I did simply because I loved where I volunteered – I loved the professional atmosphere, I loved handling the amazing objects we hold, and I loved being part of the sector, albeit as a volunteer.
I am now a Curatorial Freelancer. Barnsley Museums has enabled me to build up my experience – as well as my confidence, my professionalism, and my passion for history – so that I can thrive in this highly-competitive field of history and heritage, with support from colleagues that I am sure will never diminish.
You are a fantastic team and do a special job between you all. From day one, I felt at home, trusted and I can honestly say that in my whole work career,
I have never felt happier going to work.”
Shaun,
Intern with Barnsley Museums