In early June 2025, during Volunteers Week, a team of staff and volunteers welcomed the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt to the St Giles BOOST Hub in Newport. There she met staff and women supported by BOOST who have achieved Learning to Advise certification and NVQs in Advice and Guidance, whilst also receiving support in accessing volunteering opportunities.
Read more about St Giles’ BOOST project
Whilst at the hub, the team also discussed the progress of the ‘Experts by Experience’ project – which has been funded by the WCVA / Welsh Government’s Strategic Volunteering Grant.
The project aims to create inclusive volunteering opportunities for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, poverty, violence and exploitation across Wales.
Anne-Marie Rogan, Business Development Manager for St Giles Cymru said:
“Our project aims to break down barriers for those with lived experience of adversity who want to volunteer.
We’ve created the ‘Experts By Experience’ self-assessment toolkit for employers across all sectors and developed a digital platform launched this month that will connect organisations with individuals seeking volunteering pathways. This funding has been crucial in helping us drive meaningful change in how Wales approaches inclusive volunteering.”
A campaign is rolling out over the next 12 months to embed lived experience volunteering in Wales. The aim is to work closely with the third and statutory sector, alongside private sector partners, to introduce, support and embed the model across Wales. This will include workshops, events and inductions for potential users and wider stakeholders.
The toolkit will have two core functions:
- Supporting grassroot smaller organisations to learn and embed a lived experience model with practical tips and tools that could support them to implement their own lived experience volunteering strategy through such methods as co-design, peer evaluation and co-production as well as service delivery.
- Also designed for individuals with lived experience, the platform will provide insight and awareness on how they can use their lived experience to access service delivery opportunities whether through volunteering or paid work. The platform will have links to opportunities, job roles, resources for employability support, information on disclosure and guidance around self-care.
With approximately 1 in 4 adults in the UK of working age having a criminal record, the toolkit has an ambition to be a vital resource in supporting organisations to effectively recruit and retain individuals as well as providing access to opportunity and building brighter futures for individuals and those they care about.
The ‘Embedding Lived-Experience Wales’ Campaign and ‘Experts By Experience’ Toolkit is being rolled out by Campaign Lead, Gillian Wilde – if you’d like to learn more, or get involved please send an email to: gillian.wilde@stgilestrust.org.uk
St Giles Cymru will be taking part in the ‘Volunteering as a Way of Life for Everyone?’ session at this year’s Gofod3 Conference at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday 2nd July. To read more or register, please follow the following link: https://gofod3.cymru/events/volunteering-as-a-way-of-life-for-everyone/
The Gofod3 Conference is Wales’ space for the Voluntary Sector and is run by the WCVA.
Ysgrifennydd Cabinet Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol Cymru yn Cwrdd â Gwirfoddolwyr ac yn Trafod Pecyn Cymorth Profiad Byw Newydd
Yn gynnar ym mis Mehefin 2025, yn ystod Wythnos Gwirfoddolwyr, croesawodd tîm o staff a gwirfoddolwyr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet Cymru dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol a’r Prif Chwip, Jane Hutt i BOOST St Giles yng Nghasnewydd. Yno cyfarfu â staff a menywod a gefnogwyd gan BOOST sydd wedi cyflawni ardystiad Dysgu Cynghori ac NVQs mewn Cyngor ac Arweiniad, tra hefyd yn derbyn cymorth i fanteisio ar gyfleoedd gwirfoddoli. Darllenwch fwy am BOOST yma: https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/transforming-lives-through-advice-and-guidance/
Tra yn yr hwb, bu’r tîm hefyd yn trafod cynnydd y prosiect ‘Arbenigwyr drwy Brofiad ‘- sydd wedi’i ariannu gan WCVA /Grant Gwirfoddoli Strategol Llywodraeth Cymru.
Nod y prosiect yw creu cyfleoedd gwirfoddoli cynhwysol i bobl sydd â phrofiad byw o’r system cyfiawnder troseddol, tlodi, trais a chamfanteisio ledled Cymru.
Dywedodd Anne – Marie Rogan, Rheolwr Datblygu Busnes St Giles Cymru: “Nod ein prosiect yw chwalu rhwystrau i’r rhai sydd â phrofiad byw o adfyd ac sydd am wirfoddoli.
Rydym wedi creu’r pecyn cymorth hunanasesu ‘Arbenigwyr Drwy Brofiad ‘ar gyfer cyflogwyr ar draws pob sector ac wedi datblygu llwyfan digidol a lansiwyd y mis hwn a fydd yn cysylltu sefydliadau ag unigolion sy’n chwilio am lwybrau gwirfoddoli. Mae’r cyllid hwn wedi bod yn hanfodol i’n helpu i sbarduno newid ystyrlon yn y ffordd y mae Cymru’n mynd ati i wirfoddoli cynhwysol.”
Mae ymgyrch yn cael ei chyflwyno dros y 12 mis nesaf i ymgorffori gwirfoddoli profiad byw yng Nghymru. Y nod yw gweithio’n agos gyda’r trydydd sector a’r sector statudol, ochr yn ochr â phartneriaid yn y sector preifat, i gyflwyno, cefnogi ac ymgorffori’r model ledled Cymru. Bydd hyn yn cynnwys gweithdai, digwyddiadau a sesiynau sefydlu ar gyfer darpar ddefnyddwyr a rhanddeiliaid ehangach.
Bydd gan y pecyn cymorth ddwy swyddogaeth graidd:
1 – Cefnogi sefydliadau llai ar lawr gwlad i ddysgu ac ymgorffori model profiad byw gydag awgrymiadau ac offer ymarferol a allai eu cefnogi i weithredu eu strategaeth gwirfoddoli profiad byw eu hunain trwy ddulliau fel cyd-ddylunio, gwerthuso cymheiriaid a chyd-gynhyrchu yn ogystal â darparu gwasanaethau.
2 – Hefyd wedi’i gynllunio ar gyfer unigolion sydd â phrofiad byw, bydd y platfform yn rhoi mewnwelediad ac ymwybyddiaeth o sut y gallant ddefnyddio eu profiad byw i gael mynediad at gyfleoedd darparu gwasanaeth boed hynny drwy wirfoddoli neu waith cyflogedig. Bydd gan y platfform gysylltiadau â chyfleoedd, rolau swyddi, adnoddau ar gyfer cymorth cyflogadwyedd, gwybodaeth am ddatgelu ac arweiniad ynghylch hunanofal.
Gydag oddeutu 1 o bob 4 oedolyn yn y DU o oedran gweithio â record droseddol, mae gan y pecyn cymorth uchelgais i fod yn adnodd hanfodol wrth gefnogi sefydliadau i recriwtio a chadw unigolion yn effeithiol yn ogystal â darparu mynediad at gyfleoedd ac adeiladu dyfodol mwy disglair i unigolion a’r rhai sy’n annwyl iddynt.
Mae Ymgyrch ‘Ymgorffori Profiad Byw Cymru ‘a Phecyn Cymorth ‘Arbenigwyr Drwy Brofiad’ yn cael ei gyflwyno gan Arweinydd yr Ymgyrch, Gillian Wilde – os hoffech ddysgu mwy, neu gymryd rhan anfonwch e-bost at: gillian.wilde@stgilestrust.org.uk
Bydd St Giles Cymru yn cymryd rhan yn y sesiwn ‘Gwirfoddoli fel Ffordd o Fyw i Bawb? ‘yng Nghynhadledd Gofod3 eleni yn Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd ar ddydd Mercher 2il Gorffennaf. I ddarllen mwy neu gofrestru dilynwch y ddolen hon: https://gofod3.cymru/events/volunteering-as-a-way-of-life-for-everyone/ Y Gynhadledd Gofod3 yw gofod Cymru ar gyfer y Sector Gwirfoddol ac mae’n cael ei rhedeg gan WCVA.