As a volunteer you will be giving your time to help charities and community groups to improve lives in your local area.
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) - depending on the type of volunteering you choose to do you may be requested to undertake a CRB check. Don't worry this is a simple form and Viva staff will organise this for you and cover any costs involved. For more information on CRB you can visit the website.
Volunteers can do almost anything from hands on activities like helping an elderly neighbour with their garden to providing professional advice to a local charity. Volunteers can choose from hundreds of different opportunities across a wide variety of community activities.
As a volunteer you will be giving your time to help charities and community groups to improve lives in your local area. Volunteering can also be a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, gain useful experience and above all will be enjoyable!
People choose volunteering for many different reasons; only you will know what your reason is. At Viva we believe that there are many benefits to volunteering. Perhaps one of the following is relevant to you:
- Learn new skills & gain experience
- Meet new people & make new friends
- Give something back to the community
- Help you find a job
- Improve your confidence or motivation
- Enhance your life skills
- Maintain existing skills and stay active
There are no age-limits on volunteering, but there can sometimes be difficulties for people under-16 or over-65, mostly for insurance reasons. If you have any concerns, contact us today and ask.
If you work full time the biggest problem for many people is finding the time to volunteer. It can reduce your choices if you don't have much time to spare, but many busy people do find suitable opportunities. Similarly lots of people don’t volunteer because they think that they can’t because of their age, because they have a criminal conviction or because they are on benefits. In fact, everybody can volunteer. Sometimes people worry that if they volunteer, they will lose their benefits, this is not true. If you are claiming benefits you should always speak to your benefits adviser to discuss volunteering; if you are still not sure then our staff at Viva will try to answer any questions that you might have.
There are so many different volunteer roles and types of volunteering that there is something out there to suit anyone who wants to get involved. It is our job a Viva to help you find the right opportunity for you!
Once you start volunteering you should usually expect:
- payment of out-of pocket expenses (eg travel)
- a clear idea of what your role will be
- training and support.
The range of opportunities is huge. Whatever skills and experience you have, there is something that you can do. The best way to see what is available is to browse our New Opportunities and or Contact us to see what you could do. Use the new opportunities or contact buttons (left) to get started. If you know you want to Register please go straight to the registration form and submit it to us today!
