Examples of Social Prescribing through Volunteering
SPACE Community of Practice: Medical Talks - Examples of Social Prescribing through Volunteering Across the Globe
Thursday, 12 November 2026 | 12:00 UTC | Online
The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) will host the third Community of Practice session of the
Social Prescribing and Civic Engagement (SPACE) project on Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Medical Talks - Examples of Social Prescribing through Volunteering Across the Globe
will explore practical examples of social prescribing through volunteering from different countries and health systems.
The session will bring together professionals, organisations and stakeholders to exchange experiences, discuss challenges,
and share practical approaches and examples of good practice.
Register for the session
About the session
Social prescribing can help connect people with non-clinical activities and support within their communities, including
volunteering, community gardening, physical activity, arts, peer support and other opportunities for participation and connection.
This 60-minute online session will consider how these approaches can work in practice, drawing on examples from different
countries and healthcare settings. Speakers will examine the evidence, practical referral pathways, patient and practitioner
experiences, and some of the barriers and conditions that can determine whether social prescribing initiatives are sustainable.
The presentations will be followed by an open question-and-answer session and discussion, giving participants an opportunity
to share experiences and perspectives from their own contexts.
Objectives of the session
- Explore how social prescribing through volunteering can work in everyday practice, using examples from different countries and healthcare settings.
- Share evidence, experiences and lessons learned, including the barriers and practical conditions that help social prescribing pathways succeed.
- Encourage international exchange between healthcare and community stakeholders on how sustainable connections between clinical care, volunteering and community organisations can be developed.
Speakers
Professor Joyce Kenkre
Emeritus Professor of Primary Care, University of South Wales; Chair, WONCA Europe Special Interest Group on Social Prescribing and Community Orientation
Joyce Kenkre is Emeritus Professor of Primary Care at the University of South Wales and Chair of the WONCA Europe Special
Interest Group on Social Prescribing and Community Orientation. Her work has focused on evidence-based models of community
and primary care, chronic conditions and the evaluation of health services. Her international work includes social prescribing,
rural health and community-based approaches to health and wellbeing, including research examining social prescribing
interventions for people recovering from cancer.
Dr Ferdinando Petrazzuoli
General Practitioner; President, European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association (EURIPA)
Ferdinando Petrazzuoli is a family doctor with around 40 years of experience in rural practice in southern Italy. He is President
of the European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association (EURIPA), a WONCA Europe network. He holds a PhD from the Centre
for Primary Health Care Research at Lund University, Sweden, and an MSc in Primary Care and General Practice from the University
of Ulster. His work spans rural medicine, primary care research and social prescribing, with a particular interest in how
community resources can support patients beyond the clinical consultation.
Who should attend?
The session is open to an international audience, including family doctors and other healthcare professionals, researchers,
voluntary organisations, volunteer managers, community organisations, policymakers, academics, rehabilitation professionals,
volunteers and other stakeholders interested in social prescribing, volunteering and community wellbeing.
Session details
Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
Time: 12:00 UTC / 13:00 CET
Location: Online via Zoom
Time around the world
- Los Angeles / Vancouver: 04:00 PST
- New York / Toronto: 07:00 EST
- Buenos Aires / São Paulo: 09:00
- London / Dublin: 12:00 GMT
- Brussels / Paris / Madrid: 13:00 CET
- Cape Town / Johannesburg: 14:00 SAST
- Nairobi: 15:00 EAT
- Dubai: 16:00 GST
- New Delhi: 17:30 IST
- Bangkok: 19:00 ICT
- Hong Kong / Singapore / Kuala Lumpur: 20:00
- Tokyo / Seoul: 21:00
- Sydney: 23:00 AEDT
- Auckland: 01:00 NZDT on Friday, 13 November
Registration deadline: 12:00 CET on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
Register for the SPACE Community of Practice session
About SPACE
The Social Prescribing and Civic Engagement (SPACE) project brings together partners from the health,
social care and volunteering sectors to explore how volunteering can be integrated into social prescribing approaches.
The project aims to build capacity among health, social care and rehabilitation professionals, civil society organisations,
volunteer managers and volunteers, while supporting the development and sustainability of social prescribing approaches
across different settings.
WONCA contributes its primary care expertise to the project, helping to explore how social prescribing can be integrated
into family medicine and how healthcare professionals can connect people with meaningful opportunities for participation,
volunteering and community engagement.
Find out more about the SPACE project and access its resources at
www.space-eu.eu.
For queries or further information, please contact
fadia.challita@wonca.com.
This webinar is part of the SPACE Project (Social Prescribing for Active Civic Engagement), co-funded by the European Union.
