Find opportunities

Hand of Solace is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organization working with isolated/lonely elders and young people by offering direct services and support , all designed to help people make the most of life. We have a range of exciting volunteer opportunities to assist in this and would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in joining our great volunteer team: *Our Young People Volunteer Befrienders are matched on a 1:1 basis with a child aged (5-16) within the Aberdeen community and through caring, reliability and consistency build up a trusting relationship, thus providing positive role model. Befrienders shall support the young people to access/attend activities within the community to reduce isolation, promote self-confidence/esteem and to help young people to begin to learn life skills. *Our Older People Volunteer Befrienders are matched on a 1:1 basis with an older person aged 50 and above within the North areas of Aberdeen(including-Stoneywood, Bucksburn, Dyce, Seaton, Northfield and Bridge of Don).Volunteer befrienders visit their befriendees once a week to spend quality time(2-3 hours) with them (which may include support with accessing /attending local activities ) to reduce loneliness and isolation. *We need Charity Shop Assistants who would meet and serve customers at our shop. Come and support us to raise money to support lonely and isolated people. Any amount of hour is appreciated. Just let us know your availability and we shall fit you in. In return you shall be working with a team of friendly people from diverse groups who are always willing to support each other to ensure the we achieve our goal. We’ll give you all the training and support you need to do your role. All help will make a difference and be greatly appreciated. Application forms may be accessed by filling out our volunteers interest form which may be found in our website at https://www.handofsolace.co.uk/apply-to-volunteer-with-us or by requesting through our email- info@handofsolace.co.uk , or by phoning the contact number- 07378432436.

Urban Uprising was launched in the UK in 2017 with the aim to improve the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of young people struggling to elevate themselves. Since then our programmes in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Bristol have reached hundreds of young people and seen their confidence, self-reliance and resilience grow alongside their climbing skills. Due to growing success, the team is now starting a new project in Aberdeen and recruiting Session Volunteers. This is a crucial role in the successful delivery of our unique climbing programme, with individuals being responsible for helping to run climbing sessions alongside qualified instructors, creating a consistent experience for groups and participants, and providing participants with a positive role model. It is a hugely rewarding role. Through a structured programme, you will help young people learn how to climb safely and responsibly, but also gain improved self-esteem, develop life and employment skills, find adventure and a sense of community. If you wish to be considered for the role, please complete the form accessed through the following link: bit.ly/UUvolunteer For more information or further details please contact Ben Campbell, Project Coordinator at email: ben@urbanuprising.org / tel.: 07754622448 / web: https://www.urbanuprising.org/support-us

Food and Fun was introduced by the Council as a pilot to deliver free meals and activities to children in key areas of Aberdeen during school holiday periods and has been rolled out on a permanent basis. Over Christmas, as an extension of the project, special events were hosted for young people to enjoy the festivities – from ice skating and crafts to a disco and visit to Santa. For everyone involved in Food and Fun there’s a busy period ahead. The main aim is to ensure children continue to be fed, recognising the importance of school meals during term time for a large number of families, and also to provide the opportunity to take part in physical activity in a nurturing environment. The initiative has been recognised with awards – but the reward and motivation for the many people who have put their heart and soul into developing the programme is in the positive impact there is on children, families and communities. When we talk about our purpose – about caring for our city and our people – we think Food and Fun is a shining example that we can all be incredibly proud of. Many participants obtain great life skills which has assisted them in securing other opportunities as well as the personal development and satisfaction that this also brings. All help makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. To volunteer / for more information please contact Martin Smith, Locality Inclusion Manager at E Mail: martinsmith@aberdeencity.gov.uk or Tel.: 01224 788538.

Absafe is a unique safety education charity dedicated to saving lives and reducing harm by instilling a positive safety culture in our communities and inspiring a passion for safety through education and engagement. No one else does what we do locally! Our vision is for a safer future; free from life-changing unintentional injury and harm, with protective communities inspired by a passion for safety, so that no one has to learn by accident. We are passionate about the power of educating in a participative and engaging environment, using fun to create lasting change in children’s lives and in the communities in which they live. We believe in the transformative impact that a positive safety culture can have on the health and prosperity of future generations. Absafe provides health, safety and well-being education and risk awareness. Protecting people and places from harm, helping communities thrive by building a strong positive safety culture, and giving individuals the confidence, skills and attitudes to create a safer future. We deliver a range of unique projects and interactive training programmes designed to inform, instruct and engage to reduce vulnerability to unintentional injury and harm, and support positive decision-making in relation to harmful behaviour. We are looking for a Volunteer Treasurer to join our Board of Trustees, so we are able to continue to deliver education to the children and young people of Aberdeen, we would like you to have an interest in Education, health, safety risk management, and also health and wellbeing. We are a small Charity and every member is important, joining Absafe means that you will be making a real difference to the children and young people of Aberdeen. For more information please contact Louise Richardson, CEO at email: Louise@absafe.org.uk or tel.: 07748654105.

We are currently seeking passionate individuals to join our Board of Trustees. In particular, we are looking for new Directors with skills and experience in one or more of the following areas: Education, Social Work, Marketing / Fundraising and Communications and IT. The new roles will join a small dedicated team of Trustees already in place and will help to strengthen the Board and lead the organisation into the future. This is a great opportunity for someone who has an understanding of charity or similar corporate governance. The role will be to support the leadership of the charity and drive forward the organisational strategy. The full Board meets quarterly for 2-3 hours on a Monday evening. Smaller committees may meet staff more regularly in relation to specific areas of work. The role is a voluntary one, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed with training provided at no cost. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Sarah Misra, CEO, Befriend a Child, sarah@befriendachild.org.uk, 01224 210060 for more information and an application pack.

Team Jak provides practical and emotional support to children and young people with cancer and related illnesses, their family and friends and those bereaved. Team Jak Ambassadors can have different roles including family support and fundraising, including - raising awareness and fundraising opportunities such as bag packs, helping at a merchandise stand and collection buckets in supermarkets, schools, colleges, shopping centres and concerts. We will be hosting a number of larger fundraising events in Aberdeen throughout the year with the aim to raise £70,000 to open our Jak’s Den in Aberdeen. Family support roles can be rewarding and involve anything from playing with the children during our activity days and at our child and teenage groups, to making tea and coffee at our support sessions, talking with parents, sorting out merchandise bags and delivering to our newly diagnosed warriors in hospital, and preparing items for events. Volunteers receive initial induction training, ongoing support and any further relevant training opportunities. Team Jak have an Awards scheme and we hold a yearly event dedicated to thanking our volunteers and celebrating their success. All volunteers make a real difference and are greatly appreciated. For more details please contact: Caitlin Stewart (Children, Young Person and Family Coordinator) at email caitlin@teamjak.org.uk or phone.: 07852 877157/ 01506 412302

Team Jak provides practical and emotional support to children and young people with cancer and related illnesses, their family and friends and those bereaved. Team Jak Ambassadors can have different roles including family support and fundraising, including - raising awareness and fundraising opportunities such as bag packs, helping at a merchandise stand and collection buckets in supermarkets, schools, colleges, shopping centres and concerts. We will be hosting a number of larger fundraising events in Aberdeen throughout the year with the aim to raise £70,000 to open our Jak’s Den in Aberdeen. Family support roles can be rewarding and involve anything from playing with the children during our activity days and at our child and teenage groups, to making tea and coffee at our support sessions, talking with parents, sorting out merchandise bags and delivering to our newly diagnosed warriors in hospital, and preparing items for events. Volunteers receive initial induction training, ongoing support and any further relevant training opportunities. Team Jak have an Awards scheme and we hold a yearly event dedicated to thanking our volunteers and celebrating their success. All volunteers make a real difference and are greatly appreciated. For more details please contact: Caitlin Stewart (Children, Young Person and Family Coordinator) at email caitlin@teamjak.org.uk or phone.: 07852 877157/ 01506 412302

*Action for Children Aberdeen Priority Families - be rewarded and have new experiences, volunteer with us as a Child/Young Person Mentor* Volunteer mentors guide, advise, listen to and support children/young people, sharing their experiences as well as trying new activities and spending quality time together. Matched with a child/young person in Aberdeen City you will develop a 1:1 relationship providing regular positive input to their social, emotional and educational development on a weekly/fortnightly basis for a few hours at a time. The benefit of the mentoring service positively affects the individual child, their family life, their school academic life, the relationships with their friends and the life of the volunteer mentor. Through volunteering you will make a positive difference to the life of a child/young person. Full training, regular support, reasonable out of pocket expenses are provide and you will be able to easily fit mentoring in around your other commitments. Being a Child/Young Person Mentor at Action for Children - Aberdeen Priority Families further provides valuable experience of working with children and families, learning about how best to support children/ young people living in difficult situations, whilst being fully supported in their practice, the opportunity to develop personal skills such as communication, motivation and improved confidence, the chance to meet like-minded new people. A PVG Disclosure (provided by us) is necessary for this role. A fantastic opportunity to make a real difference. For more details please contact us at Email andy.farquhar@actionforchildren.org.uk or call 07764788430.

If you like to keep active and stay in shape, volunteering in one of our local furniture store warehouses could be the answer you’re looking for. We need helpful and active people to help keep our stock moving from the van to warehouse and onto the store and from store back to the van for delivery! This role involves keeping active but it’s not just moving furniture. There are other opportunities to help our warehouse team such as booking in and checking over stock for sale, putting together our flat packed furniture and testing electrical items. For more information please contact our Store Manager at email: A25@bhf.org.uk or tel.: 01224 432910.

*Background Our charity was established to improve quality of life for babies, children and young people in the North East of Scotland who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and to provide support to their families. The Charlie House vision has always been to have a purpose-built facility in Aberdeen to support families in the region. The Charlie House ‘Big Build Appeal’ was established to raise the £8m required to support this long-term goal. The building and planned services provided by the centre will dramatically change the support available to these children and their families locally, when they need it. The 8-bedroom facility will vitally offer parents and carers the chance to recharge their batteries, safe in the knowledge that their children will be in the care of specially trained medical staff. *Role We are looking for an experienced graphic designer to work with us to develop the resources required to deliver the next phase of our Build Appeal. We are due to launch a campaign in March that will see us break ground and begin the build, but first we need to raise the funds. The role of the graphic design volunteer is to assist with the design of the range of resources that we need to communicate the project and secure support from a range of audiences. The resources required include: • Flyers, posters, presentations, and brochures • Social media graphics and other assets for use by Charlie House and our partners • Infographics: transforming our content into impact visuals. • Assets for our website including banners, tiles and images The next phase of the campaign is due to launch in March with some critical resources required by then. We will then phase the development of the resources required to allow us to extend to new audience segments as we progress. You will be working with the Big Build project team, an external creative agency the Charlie House Marketing and Communications team who will provide the Charlie House/Big Build branding, style guideline and creative assets, and oversee consistency across all resources. *The impact you will have Your creative output will shape the next phase of the big Build project, allowing us to reach the £8million target and commence the build of the Charlie House facility. With your help we will be able to continue to provide our team with the tools they need to communicate and secure funding to provide this vital service to the families that so desperately need it. *Time commitment Minimum of 3 hours per week with a minimum commitment of 15 hours to the project. A fantastic opportunity to assist with a major charity in Aberdeen. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. For more details please contact Kerry Campbell, HR Manager at email kerry@charliehouse.org.uk or tel.: 01224 313333.