Promoting Impactful Volunteering Among Young and Older Ethnically Diverse Citizens in Wales
Volunteers to be recruited across two cohorts
Partner organisations to receive training and toolkits
February 2026 to February 2028
What Is This Project About?
Many young people aged 16 to 24 and older adults aged 50 and over from ethnically diverse communities in Wales face real barriers to volunteering. Language barriers, digital exclusion, low confidence, racism, and a lack of culturally relevant opportunities all play a part. This project sets out to change that.
Across Cardiff, Swansea, and Wrexham, RCC will work with community members to co-create meaningful, intergenerational volunteering roles, designed by the volunteers themselves, not handed to them. Activities will include community action days, storytelling and arts events, oral history projects, and intergenerational exchanges where elders share cultural knowledge and young people share digital skills.
In Year 2, the learning from that work will be used to train over 20 partner organisations across Wales, giving them the tools and knowledge to embed inclusive volunteering into their own practice.
“This project is rooted in co-creation. Volunteers won’t be handed a role description. They’ll help write it. That’s how we make volunteering genuinely meaningful for communities that have too often been left out.”
Two Strands, One Vision
Strand 1: Co-created Volunteering
60 volunteers (30 young people, 30 older adults) recruited across Cardiff, Swansea, and Wrexham. Roles are co-designed with participants after recruitment. Activities include community action days, storytelling events, school visits, and intergenerational exchanges. All volunteers receive training, mentoring, and practical support including travel reimbursement.
Strand 2: Capacity Building
Learning from Strand 1 directly informs training and toolkits delivered to 20+ partner organisations across Wales, including North East Wales Multicultural Hub, CLPW CIC, and South East Wales Multicultural Hub. Materials are produced bilingually in English and Welsh, and will support partners working towards Investors in Volunteers accreditation.
We’re Looking for Volunteers. Could That Be You?
We are now recruiting for our first cohort. We’re looking for:
Young people from ethnically diverse communities in Cardiff, Swansea, or Wrexham who want to make a difference and gain real experience.
Older adults from ethnically diverse communities who have skills, knowledge, and lived experience to share with their communities.
People who believe that the contributions of ethnically diverse communities should be at the heart of Wales, not at the margins.
You’ll receive a full induction, training, mentoring, and ongoing support throughout your involvement. Travel costs are covered, and roles are co-designed with you to fit your availability and circumstances.
Contributing to Wales’s Well-being Goals
This project directly contributes to three goals under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015:
A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language
Volunteering activities celebrate and elevate the cultural contributions of ethnically diverse communities. Toolkits and materials are delivered bilingually.
A More Equal Wales
Co-designed roles remove structural barriers and give ethnically diverse people agency in how they participate in civic life.
A Wales of Cohesive Communities
Intergenerational, cross-community activities build trust, counter isolation, and strengthen bonds across Cardiff, Swansea, and Wrexham.
About This Funding
The Volunteering Wales Main Grant is funded by the Welsh Government and administered by WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action). It supports not-for-profit organisations proposing projects that increase volunteer engagement, improve the quality of volunteering experiences, and help organisations embed volunteering into their culture.
Race Council Cymru is the lead organisation for this project. Active since 2010, RCC is the leading body in Wales promoting race, arts, heritage, and cultural activities for ethnically diverse communities. This project builds on RCC’s established community networks and partnerships across Cardiff, Swansea, and Wrexham.
Register Your Interest
Whether you’re interested in volunteering, want to know more about partner involvement, or represent an organisation that would benefit from our training and toolkits, we’d love to hear from you.
Questions about volunteering or partner involvement
