Volunteering

Volunteering

Revised August 2007

Purpose

To work within the Assisi Centre, to enhance the service provided by the paid staff.

To assist those using the centre to make the best of the facilities.

Suggested Roles within the Project

Management Committee

Assisi relies on volunteers to form its Management Committee (MC).

Because the Assisi House Project is a registered Company and Charity, MC members have a role which is carefully defined in law, with clearly set out responsibilities.

Assisi needs people with experience and expertise in the following fields for its Committee:

We are always interested in meeting new people who believe that they have something to offer the Committee, and minority ethnic groups are under-represented in the membership at the present time.

Reception support for the advice sessions

We rely entirely on volunteers to provide a reception service to the Tuesday morning advice sessions run by the Keyhouse Project.

One to one IT support

Volunteers can attend the IT courses which we run to support learners. We run basic introductory courses and a computer building workshop.

Travelling Light (TL)

TL is a music and radio production project offering those who have used homeless services opportunities to create and record music and radio. We use volunteers to support service users in the studio and to help us with outreach workshops and live performance events.

If you are a musician or have experience in radio, we could well make use of your skills and experience. If you do not have any specific skills, but are interested in helping us run workshops or roadying for gigs, you may still be have something to offer.

Gardening

Assisi and Clare House are surrounded by garden areas which need regular attention, e.g. grass cutting, pruning bushes, clearing weeds and rubbish, planting new items.

Volunteers can also support service users to get involved in the work in the garden.

Abigail Housing

Assisi is a lead partner in the development of a project to help house people who are at the end of the asylum process. Abigail runs a number of schemes across West Yorkshire and is always interested in recruiting new volunteers - see Abigail page …

Skills and Attitudes required

· Ability to listen

· Ability to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse and varied background

· A non-judgmental approach

· An understanding of the principles of equal opportunities

· An awareness of the importance of confidentiality

Personal Circumstances

o Available at times when sessions are run at the Centre, e.g. week day afternoons.

o Able to travel independently to the Centre. The Project will re-inburse reasonable travel expenses.

Supervision

A supervision and support session will be provided volunteer supervisor every 6- 8 weeks. This is in addition to ongoing help and guidance.

Probationary Period

There will be a probationary period of a month after which a review will be carried out by the volunteer supervisor and the volunteer.

Training

Volunteers will be encouraged to access relevant local training, after discussions with their supervisor re their training needs.

Application Process

All new volunteer applicants are invited to visit the Project in the first instance. If they want to go ahead and offer themselves as a volunteer, they are asked to complete an application form (providing the names of 2 referees) and a Criminal Records Bureau Check form.

NB if applicants have an offending history, this does not necessarily mean Assisi House will not offer them a volunteering role. Each individual is judged on their own merits.