Looking ahead to a thriving future....

A few years ago I read an article about self-driving cars and I joked that I would buy myself one (second hand) for a significant birthday in 2024. Surely they would only need to be safer than human error for traditional cars to be quickly replaced. It seems unlikely that this will have happened in just five years, but one cannot deny today’s fast pace of change.

My future foretelling skills were challenged again recently by the University asking me what the voluntary sector would look like in 2030 and what skills would be key to success. For many community organisations, long term planning is a luxury that doesn’t exist. Many organisations and groups have no certain funding to see them through the next two years, let alone worrying about a decade.

My current role as Project Manager for the Community Chesterfield Partnership Project is all about how to support and strengthen the voluntary sector in Chesterfield and how both the future healthcare professionals at the University of Derby and the Voluntary Sector can learn from and support one another. This means working in the present: setting up placements for students, training for organisations, shared learning sessions, volunteering and many other wonderful activities.

My role requires some forecasting talent too, as I need to think how we can facilitate longer term planning and resilience in the voluntary sector into the future. I would love to know that our communities will be well supported by a stable and thriving voluntary sector into 2030 and beyond, even with a changing landscape of new technologies surrounding us.

I believe that the best way for us to achieve this future is by working together collaboratively and in partnership, supporting one another and sharing resources. I will share some of my thoughts and ideas about how this might be achieved on this blog, but in the meantime I would love to hear yours. Do get in touch.

 Jenny Raschbauer

Project Manager at Community Chesterfield