About the role
Our vision for the Likewise Hub is for it to become a vibrant, thriving wellbeing centre that is accessible to anyone in the community. We want to forge new relationships, where people from across the local community can enjoy the space (and the borough) with each other, without interest in labels or background.
Using your existing skills, interests and hobbies, we’ll work with you to either create your own community wellbeing activity, or support the running of one of our existing activities. You can see what we already have on offer by clicking here
Key aspects of the role include:
- Planning the project – arranging the logistics, timings, resources etc
- Advertising the project – developing paper and media advertising and distributing
- Leading the running of the project
- Building relationships with those attending the project
- Provide practical and emotional support to those attending
- Create a safe, inclusive space where attendees can contribute to the activity
- Evaluating the project
About you
For some activities all you’ll need is some creativity, energy and enthusiasm (e.g. a walking group, colouring in). For others, you might need a formal qualification to show that you have the skills and expertise necessary to run that particular activity (e.g. yoga, therapeutic activities).
Otherwise, we’re just looking for people who love working with people, who align with our values and who, most importantly, are open to learning.
Commitment
We’re looking for people who can commit to running a short, weekly activity (roughly 1-3 hours) for a minimum period of 4-6 months.
Availability
The best time for activities tends to be in normal working hours (Mon-Fri), particularly of an afternoon, however there may be potential for something of an evening or weekend.
Support and Learning
You’ll receive support from our Community Programme Team. If you’ve got the skills and know-how to run your project, we’ll help you get it off the ground.
As with all our volunteer opportunities, volunteers will be invited to a selection workshop and induction day which provides the opportunity to:
- Meet & connect with the team, and possibly other volunteers!
- Learn more about Likewise, our Community Programme and other support/services we offer across the organisation
- Hear more about our current range of volunteering opportunities. Note: these may differ based on current resource capacity and community needs.
- Learn more about our overarching values and our approach, and engage in exercises to illustrate the various ways this can be applied in your role + areas where it can be challenging and where to lean on for support
- Engage in bite-size training sessions on our Safeguarding and Boundarying guidelines – as well as a summary of the volunteer working agreement and what to expect!
These workshops do not occur at set dates throughout the year, and timings may depend on the amount of volunteering applications received as we aim as much as possible for this to be a rich group experience. Applicants can expect to receive communications from our team with either an estimated timeframe, updates on possible dates to confirm attendance, and/or if alternatively an individual workshop is the best option!
In terms of support – all volunteers are encouraged and can expect to be supported by our existing and close-knit team of volunteers, placement students, staff, and of course – our community. We are a human-centred and relationship focused organisation that try our best to take good care of each other, and as such make room for mutual and responsive support across our approach.
If there’s anything you’d like to ask or let us know before applying, please email community@likewise.org.uk or call us on 020 7278 4437.
