As we approach the end of July, we’re thrilled to bring you the latest edition of our Volunteer Newsletter. These past few months has demonstrated the incredible dedication of all our volunteers – your commitment continues to make an impact not only within the BCS community, but also within industry and society. For this, we truly thank you for your contributions.
In this issue, we’ll share some key updates and standout moments from the last few months, including stories from our recent events, inspiring volunteer spotlights and exciting opportunities for you to get involved with some upcoming projects.
Your passion and generosity are the driving force behind everything we achieve. As we move forward, let's continue to build on this momentum and make a lasting difference together.
The Community Spotlight Series highlights the extraordinary impact of our volunteers and member groups. We want this to be a platform for sharing triumphs and inspiring others.
The BCS Community team have recently introduced a new Reservation Request Form. The new process notifies us of submissions, which creates a workflow for the team. This form is for BCS Member Groups to reserve rooms at the BCS London Office and Zoom licenses for prospective events whereby reservations are required ahead of time, and group meetings (i.e., committee, AGM, etc.) that do not constitute a full event request.
Note, this form is not for requesting event setup, for these requests you should instead complete the Event Request Form.
Policy Update on Refreshments and Catering – BCS London Office
Due to the rising cost of living in the UK, we are updating our policy regarding refreshments available at the BCS London Office.
Effective 1st September 2024, we will no longer provide soft drinks free of charge.
Instead, we will offer glass carafes (1L of juice) for £2 each. Typically, one bottle of apple and one bottle of orange juice will be sufficient for an event with up to 20 people.
Additionally, we are introducing a reduced-price catering option. ‘Nibbles’ (nuts and crisps) will be available for those who do not wish to order extensive food. Bowls of these nibbles, portioned for three people, will be provided at a cost of £3 per bowl.
These new options will be available alongside our standard catering choices and will be charged through the same process.
Refer a trusted professional and BRING IT ON!
You work in tech, you’re used to a challenge! And as a BCS member you have the right skills and attitude to step up each time and bring on the digital evolution.
But you’re not doing it alone. Delivering trusted tech takes a trusted professional network… so who do you know outside of BCS whose technical talent is matched by their professional integrity? And isn’t it time you told them about BCS membership?
By bringing other members on board BCS, you’re not just helping to grow our community, you’re playing an important role in growing confidence in our sector. The wider our reach, the greater our impact. We’ve put together a toolkit to help you recommend other trusted tech professionals at events, or contacts you may already have.
Once they become a BCS member, we’ll also send you details of how to access a free CPD course as a thank you. You’ll find more information about this in the toolkit.
A huge thanks for helping to share the word and strengthen our impact #BRINGITON
We’ve updated our Speaker Agreement Template to include an appendix which captures speaker’s consent for BCS groups to record and publish events at which they presented. By incorporating this into the agreement, we hope to streamline the process and alleviate any additional group admin that may occur should this consent not have been recorded.
Sponsorship
As part of our ongoing project to help groups procure additional funding, we’ve produced two new resources to help make procuring sponsorship as effortless as possible.
Our Sponsorship Process Flowchart aims to provide groups with a clear view of the sponsorship process. It details the requirements for both groups that are receiving and providing sponsorship. There’s also useful information to help with instances whereby the sponsor will be attending the event as part of the sponsorship arrangement.
To help you pitch to prospective sponsors, we’ve also produced a Sponsorship Brochure Template. The customisable template can be used to guide your pitch, incorporating some useful tips on what information the sponsor will require before they commit. Additional guidance to support with your pitch can be found on our Growing Your Member Group’s Finances page.
Event Calendar and Opportunities
Mark your calendars! Join your fellow community members for a plethora of events, both online and in person. Curious about what's coming up? Check out the community events calendar here!
Join us at our inaugural health and care conference and help us to shape your Faculty of Health and Care! Our theme this year is ‘Developing the profession to transform the service’. We have keynote speakers from the four nations: Sonia Patel, Dan West, Helen Thomas and Jonathan Cameron, providing updates on the digital health and care profession.
We also have expert presentations on key digital topics, including nursing informatics, digital medicine, digital social care, computable knowledge and data analytics and quality, to name a few. Programme and registration details.
Could you volunteer as an IT professional to support computing lessons at a school near you?
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is working with Microsoft and The Hg Foundation to bring the TEALS program to the UK for the first time. TEALS (Technology Education and Learning Support) is a Microsoft Philanthropies program that supports equitable, inclusive computer science in secondary schools. The program helps teachers, particularly non-specialists, by pairing them with volunteers from industry who can boost subject knowledge in the classroom, enrich student learning, and accelerate the professional development of computing teachers.
Are you an IT professional with an interest in how computing degree courses are accredited and relevant to the needs of the industry? Then a role as a volunteer assessor helping us to accredit university courses could be just for you.
If you can spare just three days a year, you can help us review and validate the university courses that are shaping the next generation of IT professionals. Contact us on educ@bcs.uk for more information or with any questions.
Can you inspire the next generation of AI/data science professionals?
We’re working with Loughborough university to find panellists for a hybrid Q&A session with their final year computer science graduates in February 2025 (exact date can work around your availability). If you would be willing to share how you got to your current role and what that role entails, as well as any tips & advice for students looking for a similar role/career, please contact Laure Barker on laure.barker@bcs.uk.
Volunteer with The Access Project
Since 2022, BCS have supported The Access Project, an educational charity that empowers young people from under-resourced backgrounds, helping them to access top universities through a programme of coaching, tuition and in-school mentoring.
As a Volunteer Tutor, you can help a young person develop the skills and knowledge they need to go on to university.
If you want to make a meaningful difference in the education and life of a young person you can sign up here.
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