Volunteering

Volunteers are at the heart of what we do at Planning Aid Scotland. From current and retired planners, to facilitators, to students, and everyone else in between, each one of our volunteers brings their unique set of skills and expertise to help communities become better involved in planning and placemaking. We have a range of volunteering opportunities which allow you to volunteer flexibly and to suit your lifestyle and interests. 

In recognition of our commitment to volunteering, we achieved Investing in Volunteers accreditation three times. We continue to invest in developing best practices to support our volunteers in their volunteering and more broadly. 

Are you an existing Planning Aid Scotland volunteer?

Access videos of previous trainings, log your hours, and see a record of what you have done on our volunteer database.
If you are having any problems accessing the database, please contact jo@pas.org.uk.

Interested in Volunteering? Why volunteer? 

Support local communities and members of the public to engage with planning

The Planning system can be confusing and overwhelming for those who don’t work in it every day (and maybe even sometimes for those who do!) Sharing your planning knowledge through our Advice Service might only take a short time for you, but is really important in helping members of the public to engage with the planning system and make their voice heard.

Through our projects, you can help us to make sure everyone attending our events feel welcomed and listened to, while keeping a record of everything that is said at engagement events so that we can reflect these views in the final plans and proposals.

By assisting us with the training of Community Councils, Elected Members, and other stakeholders, you can make sure that all those who play a role in the planning system understand what their role is and help them to understand how to make the right decisions.

Learn Something New 

As a learning organisation, we want to support our volunteers in learning and developing new skills. This might be getting trying out creative engagement techniques with communities, it might be seeing how community-led plans are put together, or it might be coming to one of our volunteer training events (see more below). If there are any particular skills you would like to develop, please let us know so that we can discuss how to best support you.  

Get Relevant CPD 

We hold around 25 free Continuous Professional Development (CPD) events for our volunteers per year based around planning-related topics and soft skills. Some of these events are held by our staff and others by guest speakers who are experts in their field. These events help you develop knowledge in relation to volunteering, work, and we hope sometimes other aspects of your life too! 

Some recent examples include: 

• Facilitation Station – we introduce you to some basic facilitation skills and look at how we can use these in an online environment 
• Inclusiveness in Planning – a session on how marginalised communities have historically been treated in the global planning system, why it is important to consider and include people of all backgrounds, and some practical suggestions for how to do this in our workin 
• Online Mapping Tools – What are some online mapping tools that we can use when working with communities and what features to they have? The two platforms covered were PlaceCheck and Community Maps Scotland.  

Alongside the events run while you are a volunteer with us, you will have access to recordings of previous training events to watch if you are interested or in a rush to get those CPD hours up!

Volunteering is good for you!  

Research has shown that people who volunteer tend to be more satisfied with their lives and have better overall health than those who don’t volunteer. 

Grow your Network 

We have over 400 people in our volunteer pool and network, from all sorts of different planning backgrounds. Volunteering provides you with the opportunity to connect with other people who might have similar interests or career paths to you. 

You might also get the chance to travel across the country to visit some of the groups we work with. 

How can I get involved? 

We welcome all kinds of different people to support us deliver our services, however we are particularly looking for people confident in facilitation, comfortable speaking to the public, or chartered or recently retired planners. 

Here is some information about the roles we have available. Depending on your skills, knowledge and interests, you can volunteer in roles including: 

• Community Engagement volunteer – take part in projects we hold in local communities. This can include facilitating workshops with locals; keeping a written record of conversations to shape the project; or welcoming and orienting people in workshops – click here to read more about the role
• Advice Service volunteer – if you are RTPI chartered or have retired from RTIP chartership, help members of the public and community groups by providing planning and placemaking advice – click here to read more about the role
• Education volunteer – bring your energy into our school and youth workshops to introduce children and young people to town planning and support them having their views heard 
• Training volunteer – introduce groups including Community Councils and Elected Members to what planning is and what they need to know to fulfil their roles. 

Where do I start? 

For a friendly chat about volunteering and to find out which opportunities could suit you, please contact Jo Elston, Volunteer Coordinator at jo@pas.org.uk.