VN&V Summer 2014
What are the hours like?
Really flexible. While I’ve
been at uni during the day,
I’ve been volunteering in
the evenings. Now summer
is coming up I’m going to
be working on befriending
again which is usually
during the day.
Did you have to do any
training for your role?
The training is very
thorough. It included
safeguarding, child
assessment, and I’ve also
done training courses about
online child exploitation, and
drugs and alcohol awareness.
What’s most rewarding
about your role?
Positive feedback from young
people and their parents.
Just knowing that I’ve been
of help to somebody else –
that makes me feel really
good. It doesn’t have to be a
major life changer – it can
be as simple as just taking
their mind off things for an
hour and letting them know
someone is there for them.
It can be
as simple as
taking their mind
off things and
letting them know
someone is there
for them.’
I really enjoy learning and
working with the employees
at the service. They make
me feel part of the team so
I really feel appreciated.
They make
me feel part
of the team.’
What’s your advice to anyone
thinking about volunteering
in this area of work?
Build up your knowledge
base. You need to be a good
communicator, listening
to young people without
making assumptions or
having prejudice.
Confidentiality is also
crucial. I’ve learnt to reflect
on my practice too – to think
of different approaches and
prepare ahead rather than
just going in and doing it. It
helps you to see the progress
you’re making so that you
know whether what you’re
doing is helping.
Kay Kelly, manager at
Turnaround said:
‘Our volunteers are a
really valuable asset
to our team here at
Turnaround. They
allow us to reach out
to more young people
in the area, covering a
variety of roles, from
office administration to
therapeutic outreach.
Some volunteers like
Leona go on to study so
that they can develop
their careers, and some
have even gone on to
get paid roles here at
Barnardo’s. We couldn’t
do what we do without
their support.’
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