0113 3030150

Volunteering with Foundation

Volunteering is a widely recognised and valued activity which offers some fantastic opportunities to both the volunteer and their chosen charity or organisation.

Over the last five years Foundation has been developing its volunteer programme for both community volunteers and those who have experienced support services.

Read how volunteers are making a difference

Volunteer activities are hugely varied, including:

  • Organising activities
  • Befriending and Peer Mentoring
  • Reception cover
  • Research
  • Central Services support

If you are interested in our volunteer activities please get in touch!

 

Volunteering at Beacon:

The project provides meaningful activities for individual Beacon service users who may face barriers to personal development.

We also give service users the chance to receive 1-1 befriending and peer support from trained volunteers with lived experience.

We need Volunteer Befrienders!

If you would like the opportunity to volunteer with our service users then please get in touch! You will also gain training and valuable experience useful for professional development or career changes.

Please contact kime@touchstonesupport.org.uk to find out more about this unique opportunity to help engage individuals with complex needs. You could greatly help an individual to move forward by providing befriending support and volunteering alongside support workers across the Beacon service.

Please see this link to Beacon service for more information about what we do: https://www.touchstonesupport.org.uk/services/touchstone-beacon-housing/

Please note that this is an ongoing training and volunteer opportunity and the minimum time commitment level would be 9 months+.

Application information is on Be Collective:

Beacon Volunteers Project – Volunteer Befriender – Be Collective – Volunteering

What our volunteers say

Being a student volunteer positively affects your future career as it helps you develop extremely useful skills.

Foundation Student Volunteer

It’s been a journey and I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with such wonderful, welcoming and genuine people. I have gained confidence and belief in my abilities.

Heather - former Customer Volunteer

You couldn’t pay to gain this experience – it’s a fantastic volunteering placement.

Sarah

- I love helping people and being in a position to help.

Foundation Peer Mentor

What our volunteers say

Being a student volunteer positively affects your future career as it helps you develop extremely useful skills.

Foundation Student Volunteer

It’s been a journey and I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with such wonderful, welcoming and genuine people. I have gained confidence and belief in my abilities.

Heather - former Customer Volunteer

You couldn’t pay to gain this experience – it’s a fantastic volunteering placement.

Sarah

- I love helping people and being in a position to help.

Foundation Peer Mentor

Our commitment to our volunteers

Your time and help means a lot to us, and to our service users, so here at Foundation, we show our appreciation through our commitment to:

  • Integrating volunteers within the organisation and treating them as an important part of our teams
  • Recognising the individual skills that each volunteer brings to the organisation
  • Ensuring that volunteers feel supported and valued in their roles
  • Encouraging volunteers to develop and build upon existing skills and knowledge and to provide suitable training
  • Recognising the value that client volunteers bring to the organisation
  • Adding value to the client experience by the introduction of volunteers
  • Not introducing volunteers to replace paid staff roles – volunteers complement our core work, rather than substitute it

“You couldn’t pay to gain this experience – it’s a fantastic volunteering placement”

Sarah

Clients as volunteers

Foundation is committed to the principles of co-production, where those receiving a service play an active and equal part in planning, changing and delivering the service.

Clients are ‘qualified by experience’ and have much to contribute in terms of:

  • Identifying what works
  • Supporting fellow clients
  • Making sure Foundation meets the changing requirements of customers of all ages and walks of life

We cannot realise this ambition without the active contribution of clients as volunteers, as they are experts by experience and, therefore, in the best position to offer effective peer-to-peer support that can truly help to change people’s lives.

“It’s been a journey and I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with such wonderful, welcoming and genuine people. I have gained confidence and belief in my abilities”

Heather, former Client Volunteer

Student volunteers from University of Leeds made this fantastic film, ‘Championing Voices’, about our work and our clients.

Make a Donation
Become A volunteer