Voluntary Action History Society

Last updated

The Voluntary Action History Society is a learned society that was established in 1991 to promote the historical study and understanding of charity, philanthropy and voluntary organisations. The society is based in the UK but has members and supporters internationally. The society was founded by a group of individuals working in both academia and the voluntary sector, including Colin Rochester and Justin Davis Smith, who felt that the history of voluntary action and charities was being forgotten or ignored. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The Voluntary Action History Society was formed because voluntary action was not seen as a subject in its own right, often considered only as a minor part of social policy. Where it was studied historically it was considered an insignificant aspect of social history. The founders believed that all too often studies undertaken were left to academics with little thought of their relevance to those active as researchers and practitioners in the voluntary sector. While some excellent histories of charities were available, they were rarely disseminated in the voluntary sector.

Since its inception the society has carried out a number of activities including running a series of seminars on the history of voluntary action, and hosting conferences and workshops. The society became a registered charity in March 1995. It has also engaged with particular issues affecting the historical study of voluntary action, including the problems facing the archiving of charity history. In the 1990s the society conducted a survey of major voluntary organisations which revealed a number of challenges facing such organisations in archiving their records. In 2011 the society launched a new campaign for charity archives.

Activities

The Voluntary Action History Society carries out a number of activities including:

Related Research Articles

Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.

In relation to public services, the voluntary sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by non-governmental, not for profit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit sector. "Civic sector" or "social sector" are other terms used for the sector, emphasizing its relationship to civil society. Voluntary sector activities are important in many areas of life, including social care, child care, animal welfare, sport and environmental protection.

The Europaeum is a network of 18 universities in Europe. It was conceived of in 1990–1991 by Lord Weidenfeld and Sir Ronnie Grierson and they persuaded Roy Jenkins, who had just become Chancellor of the University of Oxford, to push this initiative in conjunction with the universities of Leiden, and Bologna. It has subsequently been supporting the "advancement of education through the encouragement of European studies in the University of Oxford and other European institutions of higher education having links with Oxford."

The term nonprofits research is used to describe the academic enterprise devoted to teaching and research on nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary associations, voluntarism and voluntary action, philanthropy, civil society, and related activities. It is a loosely bounded, multidisciplinary, practice-oriented community.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is the name of a number of autonomous pressure groups (charities) in the anglosphere that seek to publicize the risks associated with tobacco smoking and campaign for greater restrictions on use and on cigarette and tobacco sales.

Advance HE is a British charity and professional membership scheme promoting excellence in higher education. It advocates evidence-based teaching methods and awards fellowships as professional recognition for university teachers. Founded in 2003, the Higher Education Academy was responsible for the UK Professional Standards Framework for higher education practitioners and merged to form Advance HE on 21 March 2018.

The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics is a post-graduate research institute and a public policy think tank located in the vicinity of Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion is an interdisciplinary academic research institute based in Cambridge, England. It is named after the 19th-century English scientist Michael Faraday, the pioneer of electromagnetic induction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European University Institute</span> Teaching and research institute

The European University Institute (EUI) is an international postgraduate and post-doctoral research-intensive university and an intergovernmental organisation with juridical personality, established by its founding member states to contribute to cultural and scientific development in the social sciences, in a European perspective. Its main campus is located in the hills above Florence in Fiesole, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Leer Jerusalem Institute</span> Israeli research institute

The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (VLJI) is a center for the interdisciplinary study and discussion of issues related to philosophy, society, culture, and education. The Institute was established in order to create a body of knowledge and discourse and to give expression to the wide range of disciplines and opinions in Israel. The contribution of a core of renowned scholars facilitates the implementation of reforms and new approaches in various social spheres.

The Institute for Cultural Research (ICR) was a London-based, UK-registered educational charity, events organizer and publisher which aimed to stimulate study, debate, education and research into all aspects of human thought, behaviour and culture. It brought together many distinguished speakers, writers and Fellows over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge House (organisation)</span>

Cambridge House is a voluntary organisation in Southwark, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslim Charities Forum</span>

The Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) is an umbrella organisation for UK based Muslim-led charities whose primary goal is to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world. It is also an associate member of British Overseas NGOs for Development (Bond), the UK membership body for non-government organisations and a member of National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), an organisation with 11,000 members that champions the voluntary sector and volunteering.

Voluntary Health Scotland (VHS) is the national voice, intermediary and network for voluntary health organisations in Scotland. It works with its members and others to address health inequalities and to create better health and well being for people and communities. VHS acts as a bridge between the third sector, decision makers and public services, in Healthcare in Scotland working to influence change in policy and practice. VHS activities include a monthly newsletter, seminars, round tables, conferences, learning exchanges, research and policy work. VHS is a non-profit making organisation governed by its Board of Trustees. It is a registered Scottish charity and a company limited by guarantee(number SC267315).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council for Voluntary Youth Services</span>

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) was a membership network of over 200 voluntary and community organisations, as well as local and regional networks, that work with and for young people across England. The organisation closed in 2016. For 80 years, NCVYS acted as an independent voice of the voluntary and community youth sector, working to inform and influence public policy, supporting members to improve the quality of their work, and also raising the profile of the voluntary and community sector's work with young people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Records Association</span>

The British Records Association is a British learned society founded in 1932 to promote the preservation, understanding, accessibility and study of historic records and archives. It is a registered charity. It issues a journal, Archives, and other publications; hosts conferences and seminars; and undertakes other activities to promote the care and preservation of archives and the interests of archive users at a national level. Membership is open to all, and the association therefore plays a particular role as a forum which brings together owners of archives, academic and amateur documentary researchers, archivists and librarians, and institutions and societies concerned with archives.

The Directory of Social Change (DSC) exists to support charities in the work they do. A charity itself it provides training, books, funding sources, online resources, bespoke research, and it campaigns to make the UK a better environment for charities to thrive in. Led by chief executive Debra Allcock Tyler, DSC’s activities bring it into contact with around 20,000 voluntary sector organizations each year. DSC is largely self-sustaining and earns around 95% of its income through the sale of publications and training. DSC is a registered charity, limited by guarantee. The trustees of the charity are also members and directors of the company.

The Design Research Society (DRS), founded in the United Kingdom in 1966, is an international society for developing and supporting the interests of the design research community. The primary purpose of the DRS, as embodied in its first statement of rules, is to promote ‘the study of and research into the process of designing in all its many fields'. This established the intention of being an interdisciplinary learned society, taking a scholarly and domain independent view of the process of designing. Membership is open to anyone interested in design research, and members with established experience and a strong background in design research may apply to be elected as a DRS Fellow.

The European Business History Association (EBHA) is an academic association devoted to business history in Europe. It holds annual congresses and a bi-annual doctoral summer school. It is registered as a Scottish charity. Its constitution states its objectives as "to advance the education of the public concerning all aspects of the history of business and management in Europe and to promote research into all such aspects". Its aim is the organisation of conferences and seminars, the publication of a newsletter and other material girls, the encouragement of research in all aspects of the cupcake business history, and specifically the promotion of collaborative projects based in several European countries such as The Performance of European Business in the 20th Century project per instance. The association was established to enhance inter-European contacts and promote extra-European links among business historians, to encourage the exchange of business history graduate students and to promote teaching and interest in all such aspects.

Nicholas Julian Crowson, FRHistS, is an academic historian. He is Professor of Contemporary British History at the University of Birmingham.

References

  1. Melanie Oppenheimer and Nicholas Deakin (eds) "Beveridge and Voluntary Action in Britain and the wider British World". Manchester University Press. 2011.
  2. Colin Rochester, George Campbell Gosling, Alison Penn and Meta Zimmeck (eds) "Understanding the roots of voluntary action". Sussex Academic Press. 2011.