Volunteer with Explore and help provide young people with the time and space to think about what it takes to create and sustain happy and healthy relationships.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put relationships education in the spotlight. With many family relationships being put under immense pressure due to social and economic challenges created by lockdown, it is more important than ever to provide young people with the opportunity to consider what a healthy relationship looks like and what their future relationship ambitions might be.
Explore is a relationships education charity, set up in 2000. We deliver sessions in schools for 14-17 year olds that help them discuss, evaluate and explore the life skills needed for long-term, healthy relationships. By exploring the meaning and significance of long-term relationships, we help young people adjust any pre-conceived ideas to create aspirations about their future relationships. Through our sessions, young people are able to challenge media stereotypes about relationships, and any negative experiences of their own, to gain self-awareness, confidence, understanding and hope for their own future happiness.
We apply the principle of learning by experience, where young people lead their own open dialogue to investigate the relationships of ordinary couples who, in response, offer experiences from their own relationship. Marriage is used as an example case study for a type of long term committed relationship. We do not promote any particular type of family structure and young people are prepared and supported to draw their own conclusions from these dialogues.
We are looking for volunteer facilitators to run our sessions in the Bristol area.
You will be responsible for introducing the topic, engaging the young people, introducing volunteer couples involved in the session, ensuring sessions keep to time and summarising the session at the end. The sessions typically run with a class of up to 30 students for around 1 hour.
This is an ideal opportunity for Trainee Teachers or Youth Workers, and will provide classroom experience to enhance your CV.
Skills, experience and personal qualities:
- Full training given
- All Explore volunteers are required to complete a full DBS check
- Experience of facilitation, coaching, mentoring and / or teaching helpful (including through teacher training work experience)
- Experience of working with young people in some capacity
- Personal qualities of patience, listening skills, sense of humour, excellent communication and presenting skills
- Ability to relate to and engage with young people