Volunteer with Together Co!
Who are Together Co?
We are a loneliness charity that creates connections to change lives.
We do this through our befriending, social prescribing and volunteering services in Brighton, Hove and beyond, and by sharing our ideas and expertise nationally. In a city of nearly 300,000, no one should be lonely or socially isolated.
Together, we can make sure no one is.
Time required
Whilst this role can offer a reasonable amount of flexibility, we ask that volunteers are able to commit an hour a week or fortnight for a minimum of six months.
Benefits
Connects you to people in your community
This role is fun and fulfilling
Opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives
This opportunity can advance your career, it is a particularly good opportunity for people looking to gain experience for social care, health and the charity sector.
Key skills required
Good communication skills
Non-judgmental attitude
Honest & trustworthy
Commitment & reliability
Respect for confidentiality
Friendliness and warmth
Empathy and resilience
Support
Throughout your volunteering you will have a named colleague who will be your main point of contact at Together Co, you will have regular check ins with them, there is also the opportunity to connect you with fellow volunteers who can share their experience and expertise with you.
You will also have access to the Volunteer Experience Lead, who will be an additional point of contact to support your volunteering journey. Together Co organises a variety of social events throughout the year to connect with volunteers, give thanks for your time and to provide an opportunity to meet with other volunteers.
Training
As part of Together Co’s volunteer community, you will receive ongoing training and support. All volunteers receive a welcome induction and training session that covers key areas including; Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Professional Boundaries and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The session is also a great opportunity for you to ask questions and find out more about volunteering with Together Co in general. Alongside your induction, you will be provided with other training opportunities to support your role.
Together Co has various training opportunities for Volunteer Befrienders depending on your experience or the needs of the person you are matched with. For example, if you re matched with someone who has dementia, we are able to offer further training around understanding dementia. Other opportunities include Mental Health First Aid, Fall prevention and more.
What is Befriending?
Befriending can be diverse in its delivery but shares a common goal of enabling meaningful connections. This connection can be between people with shared or different life experiences. At Together Co, we offer befriending to people in person, over the telephone or via our monthly social groups. Befriending offers supportive, reliable, and mutually rewarding relationships with volunteer befrienders to people who would otherwise be socially isolated.
A bit about the role… We take great care to match volunteers with people they are going to get on with, and we hope that the benefits are two-way. Typically, a volunteer will spend 30-60 minutes each week/fortnight with the person they befriend. This could be in person or over the phone, visiting them at home, or maybe going for a walk or a coffee. The main thing that our volunteers do is provide people with friendly conversation and a listening ear.
Volunteering Activities: There is flexibility within this role for the volunteer and the person you befriend to decide together how you would like to spend your time together and as part of the sign up process, we will ask your preferences on how you would like to spend your time. Many of our matches meet up weekly or fortnightly and this can be visiting someone in their home or getting out for a coffee or walk in the local community.
If this sounds like something you’d like to do, click the button below to apply!