Why we need you
Our out of school club supports children and young people between the ages of eight and 18 who are on the autism spectrum.
The club offer children and young people the opportunity to join a structured youth group which meets their needs and provides a safe environment.
What you will be doing
- Help set up the session
- Support young people in play, social and communication activities
- Participate with children and young people as their ‘buddies’ where they can have someone to chat to and try activities with.
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with the children and young people their parents / carers
- Being part of a team with other staff and volunteers
Skills qualities and experience useful for the role (but not essential)
- Sense of fun and humour
- Empathy with the children and young people who attend the club
- A calm approach and a patient attitude – young people with autism may have difficulty communicating, socialising and thinking of others’ needs.
- Ability to volunteer as part of a team
- A knowledge of autism would be ideal, but we offer autism-specific training
When and where
- Tuesdays
- 6:15pm to 7:45pm 8-13 year olds
- 7:45pm to 9:15pm 13-18 year olds
- We would like you to volunteer for a minimum of 6 months as this provide consistency and stability to those who attend the group.
Support
- You will receive an induction including safeguarding and autism awareness training and will also have access to our e-learning modules
- You will have a support from a Project Leader at the group, however you need to be able to volunteer independently as we cannot provide one to one support
- Agreed local travel expenses will be reimbursed and refreshments are available at the group
What you could get out of it
- Experience of volunteering with children and young people on the autism spectrum
- A worthwhile opportunity to add to your CV
- Making a difference to the people at the club
We seek applications from anyone interested in the role, but particularly welcome applications from those with a diagnosis of autism or Asperger syndrome.
Whilst we are able to make reasonable adjustments for volunteers you will need to be able to volunteer independently as we are not able to offer one to one support.
We process applications as we receive them, we will close the role when we recruit a suitable volunteer, consequently the role may close before the advertised closing date.