Our weekly groups are free, ongoing, have no waiting list, there is no need for a mental health diagnosis to attend and are open to all (18+). They provide an opportunity for individuals to come and share anything that is happening for them in their lives, to receive reflections and support from the group and to have an opportunity to think about what steps they can take to improve their mental health.
We ask that our volunteers to commit to co-facilitating a weekly group for at least four months. Being a facilitator is a responsible position, vulnerable adults rely on our service, therefore we need volunteers to be dependable and committed when taking on the role.
We are aware that being a volunteer is a two way relationship. Alongside the positive impact it can make to the lives of others, it is also an opportunity to develop new skills, build confidence, meet new people and to be part of a community. Our groups are non-hierarchical and everyone attending is encouraged to share and receive support if they feel comfortable doing so. We welcome a discussion to find out what you are hoping to gain from this opportunity, and what it means to you.
We have found that some individuals who have volunteered with us have have gained experience which has helped them to gain paid work within the social care sector. Alongside this, 40% of the current paid Changes Bristol staff team started their journey with Changes as volunteers.
- Training consists of 3 one hour evening online training sessions.
- Additionally we offer a session on the relationship between money and mental wellbeing and the opportunity to attend live Q+A sessions.
We highly recommend that throughout the training process (and, if possible, before you start training), you attend a group/ groups so you can get used to being part of them and understand how facilitation works.
Time required:
• Commitment to one group (2.5 hours each) every week.
• 3 hours for supervision and reflective practice 1x quarter
• We are a small charity and training new volunteers roughly costs us £300 so we ask that facilitators commit to volunteering for at least 4 months.
Our groups run Monday-Friday with most groups running during the daytime or evening.
What we offer: - Induction training for the role
- Continuous support in form of supervision and reflective practice
- Reasonable Travel expenses reimbursed (Public transport, fuel mileage).
The application process involves the completion of our application form (returned to us via email- details on the application form). We require two references and we will carry out a DBS check before you start facilitating groups.
We would be vey happy to have a discussion to answer any questions you may have, and discuss the role in more detail if you are not sure if it is right for you before applying.