ProjectScotland (part of the Volunteering Matters Family)
Give the gift of your time and become a volunteer mentor for young people. It could be life changing for you both!
Would you like to support a young person on their journey to gaining new skills and experience, becoming more self-confident and achieving their goals? If the answer is yes, we would love to hear from you.
Why mentoring?
Mentoring is at the heart of what we do here at ProjectScotland and we offer every young person we support, the opportunity to be matched with a volunteer mentor. We are searching for people in and around Aberdeen who are able to offer one hour of their time once a week or fortnight for up to 12 months to help transform the life of someone else. The young people we work with all face different challenges in their lives such as; mental ill health, long term unemployment, low confidence and self esteem, care experienced, limited English communication skills due to being new to this country or disabilities.
As a volunteer mentor, you could support your mentee with whatever is important to them. This could be: goal setting; identifying interests and strengths; confidence building; helping to establish a routine; support to explore job, training and further education opportunities; social connections; or just someone consistent to talk to and check in with to see how they are. The support you can offer is invaluable and can be life changing.
How does it work?
• Following recruitment, we provide training, support to join the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme, ongoing support, access to lots of resources and a wonderful community of mentors across the country to connect with, learn from and build friendships with.
• you are matched to one young person and meet with them once a week or fortnight for around one hour
• meetings can be face to face or virtual using email/telephone/video chat/WhatsApp. There is also an opportunity to do a mixture of the two which offers a flexible and accessible approach to this volunteering role in addition to the match itself.
•matches can last from 3-12 months depending upon the relationship and the needs of the mentee
What’s in it for you?
• Help transform your mentee’s life
• Develop communication and interpersonal skills e.g. coaching, motivating others, adaptability
• Gain transferable skills and experience volunteering with disadvantaged people
• Participate in regular support and training
• Meet new people, connect and have fun!
• Learn about yourself and gain a sense of achievement supporting others
• Learn more about your community and the challenges that people can face
If you are interested in this opportunity please email: asia.wieloch@volunteeringmatters.org.uk
We would love to hear from you!
More info about ProjectScotland:
ProjectScotland (part of the Volunteering Matters Family) works with people (predominantly young people) across the country who are struggling to overcome challenges such as social isolation, mental health issues, low confidence and general uncertainty about their futures. By providing wrap around support and the chance to complete a voluntary placement with a local charity; not only can this enhance confidence and self-belief, but it gives that individual the opportunity to build on their skills and experience and potentially move on to a job, further education or training. Everyone we work with is also offered a volunteer mentor.
*Why we need you:
At Social Bite we believe that no one should be hungry, there is enough food and wealth in the city that means we can do something about this. Food is a great way of meeting peoples’ needs as well as offering community, a listening ear, and sign posting people to other services they may need.
*What will you be doing?
As part of a team of volunteers and a Social Bite shop staff member, you will be:
• Preparing hot food, drinks, and setting up the shop to offer this take away service.
• Being a friendly face and talking to people about how they are doing.
• 'Signposting' people to various services provided by our partner charities e.g. housing/benefits advice, courses, drug/alcohol support.
• Inviting them to Social Suppers.
• Cleaning up after the session has finished.
*What support will you be given?
• Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards.
• Regular opportunities to feedback to Volunteer Coordinator.
• Volunteer Calendar of events and Volunteer Bi Monthly Newsletter.
• FLOW Online Food hygiene and healthy & safety training.
• Quarterly refresher training evenings.
• Debrief with on-call staff member when needed. Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards.
*What benefits can you expect?
• To be part of a fun and friendly team.
• Satisfaction of seeing vulnerable people benefit from the food and support we provide.
• The chance to develop skills and experience in a major charity/social enterprise, community work and catering.
A fantastic opportunity and all help makes a real difference for people we support and is greatly appreciated.
For more information please contact Aimee Smith, Social Bite Volunteer Coordinator at email aimee.smith@social-bite.co.uk or telephone 07849082973.
Grampian Hospital Radio (GHR) provides a dedicated broadcasting service to patients in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and Roxburghe House. You can listen via the bedside entertainment consoles or via our free Grampian Hospital Radio App or on our website at www.grampianhospitalradio.org/listen
GHR volunteers bring a bit of cheer into the lives of patients through our therapeutic hospital radio service. Volunteers undertake tasks such as collect requests around the wards, present programmes, fundraise and help with our music library database.
Feedback from volunteers include:
‘I volunteer on Grampian Hospital Radio because I wanted to do something worthwhile after retiring from my job as a sports journalist in 2017 and get a lot of enjoyment out of hosting the Breakfast Show, although the patients may not feel the same when they hear my jokes of the day! Volunteering for GHR is fun and it’s humbling to see so many of our team have been involved for decades, all for the sake of offering some light entertainment to patients during a difficult period in their lives.’ (Charlie Allan, Breakfast Show Presenter, Mon-Fri 0700-0900hrs, Grampian Hospital Radio)
‘I volunteer for GHR because as a music request collector I am the face of the Grampian Hospital Radio and I have the privilege of meeting patients and their families in the wards. I get great satisfaction in getting a request as the musical tastes can be so varied and interesting and even broadening my music knowledge too. It is so satisfying to see how patients engage in providing a music request as it is a distraction to being in hospital and hearing their request played on our nightly Request Show.’ (Denise Angus, Request Co-ordinator, Grampian Hospital Radio)
‘It gives me the chance to both showcase my passion for the UK charts and, more importantly, to give patients the chance to relive their happiest memories.’ (Nicholas Jackson, Retro Chart Show Presenter, Sunday 1100-1300hrs)
‘It can be difficult for friends and family to visit, particularly if home is quite a distance away from Aberdeen. If tuning in to us as the local station helps things feel a little better for even a short spell, that’s something positive.’ (Brenda Massie, Request Show Presenter Saturday 1900-2100hrs)
Grampian Hospital Radio (GHR) is a registered Scottish Charity. GHR is a member of the national Hospital Broadcasting Association.
A fantastic opportunity to make a difference in our local hospitals. All volunteers are greatly appreciated.
For further details please contact:
John Graham, Vice Chairman
E-mail: vicechairman@ghr.org.uk / Tel: 01224 552964 / Mobile: 07545319940 / web: www.grampianhospitalradio.org/volunteer
Could you help create and maintain an innovative garden space for young people to use? Could you spare a few hours a week? We are currently looking for volunteers to create a fun, safe, sensory garden space and undertake garden maintenance for our children’s services.
Options Aberdeen provide short breaks and care at home for children and young people with a disability. Our services allow families to feel supported and take a break from their caring roles.
(NB: This role does not necessarily involve direct work with young people, but rather taking care of the garden for them to use. We are looking for volunteers who can take their own direction and use their own initiative, and you will be free to come to our centre out with the hours that the young people are there or, if you choose to, you can volunteer at times when they are there.)
-What will I be doing?
• Creating a fun, usable, safe gardening space
• Tree/ bush pruning, clearing leaves, weeding, planting and fence painting
• Creating outdoor features and a sensory space
• Creating a safe and innovative garden space to enable activities to take place.
-What skills can I bring to this role?
• Good communication and listening skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain a safe and creative garden space
• Creativity
• Ability to follow strict Health and Safety rules
-What qualities do I need?
• Enjoy being outdoors and active
• A positive, can do approach
• Be enthusiastic, flexible and committed
-When will I be needed?
• A few hours per week/fortnight (Times to suit you)
• Minimum commitment of 6 months required.
-What will I gain from volunteering?
• A sense of satisfaction in helping children and young people create a homely, fun garden
• Practical experience of volunteering with in a creative environment
• Opportunity to home your skills
• Be part of a professional and supportive team
• Have FUN!
-What support will I be given?
• Induction Training
• Role specific training
• Expenses – all out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed
• Supervision and support from Service Staff.
A fantastic opportunity to help and make a real difference. For further details please contact Kathaleen Harvey at email at email volunteering@aberlour.org.uk
Breastfeeding Peer Support Volunteers provide competent, friendly, proactive support in their local communities and / or in the postnatal wards at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and Dr Grays. Our confidential service provides evidence based information and support from mothers who have personal experience of breastfeeding and / or expressing for their child(ren) to mothers, parents and other service users to support them to meet their personal feeding goals.
An excellent opportunity to help with the NHS. For further information please contact Emma at email: gram.breastfeedingsupport@nhs.scot
The RAF Association is a member-led, welfare charity that exists to ensure that all members of the RAF community are supported, when they require it.
Our Connections for Life service entails friendship telephone calls from volunteers to beneficiaries within the RAF community who maybe experiencing loneliness, adapting to life after service or just looking for a general chat.
We will provide you with all the necessary training so you can rest assured that you will have all the skills you need. As a Connections Volunteer, you will have the support of a dedicated coordinator as your point of contact.
A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community.
A fantastic opportunity to help and make a real difference. All help is greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Craig Anderson, RAF Association Connections Administrator at email: volunteers@rafa.org.uk or telephone: 0800 018 2361.
Music 4 U is a registered charity and inclusive provider of performing arts classes in Aberdeen.
We currently have fantastic opportunities for people to assist us through helping at our fundraising events - setting up, selling raffles, overall help for the events.
A tremendous opportunity to assist with a great charity and be part of exciting events. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Natalie Burness, Fundraising & Events Co-ordinator at email: fundraising@m4u.org.uk
Cultivate your Community!
Cultivate Aberdeen has a clear vision to create kind, confident, and connected communities through the power of food growing. How that vision manifests means different things to many people, it belongs to our community and it belongs to you; come and join the conversation and food revolution.
For more information and details of how you can get involved as a volunteer with Cultivate Aberdeen please visit https://www.cultivateaberdeen.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/ , email us at: info@cultivateaberdeen.co.uk or telephone: 01224 034591.
Love the arts-want to support a respected local charity-volunteer at Aberdeen Arts Centre!
Aberdeen Arts Centre is recognised nationally as an inclusive community hub which hosts arts activities across a wide demographic. With our ethos of “everyone is entitled to an enriching cultural life, regardless of age or social circumstance”, we are a truly intergenerational organisation, with performing arts tuition at the heart of what we do. More than 100,000 individuals pass through our doors each year, with over 40 professional, amateur and youth companies who rely on us.
Our backbone is our strong, dedicated volunteer base and we have a range of volunteer opportunities that people can get involved in including café volunteers, bar volunteers, front of house assistants, box office and reception support.
All volunteers are greatly appreciated and provided with excellent support.
For further information please email: volunteer@aberdeenartscentre.com or visit https://www.aberdeenartscentre.com/volunteering
Aberdeen Blueberry Wellness (ABW) delivers fitness industry education to local people in local communities. Once qualified as a fitness professionals, ABW will employ the fitness professional to deliver wellness classes, as asked for by the community, to benefit the health of the local community.
To assist us succeed in our quest for a healthier, happier community we are asking for volunteers to help us in compiling and successfully submitting funding applications to enable the work and volunteering that we are doing to expand.
We are looking for self motivated individuals with expertise in submitting funding applications, to local and national government and other organisations who may advertise funds that we may make applications to.
This may suit a retired person who has worked in the third/voluntary sector, in this area previously and understands the requirements of these applications. It may suit a 3rd or 4th year student with knowledge of the third sector field. Or it may suit someone currently employed in this area and wish to support a new Community and Social Enterprise to grow or anyone interested in helping with funding support.
You are able to volunteer from home. Your own computer is essential. The time required to devote to this post may vary, depending on the information needed. An application may take anything from 1-3 hours. An estimate of time for this post is 4-8 hours across the month.
As a newly established Community Interest Company and Social Enterprise, ABW would love to have enthusiastic, organised and self motivated people with us on our journey of successfully providing wellness in every local communities of Aberdeen.
All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated.
Please contact Laura Walker, CEO at email: you@blueberrywellness.co.uk or telephone: 07773021851.