Volunteers

Volunteers are central to the work we do at Communities united Project and without their help and support we would not be able to run the varied programme of activities for young people.

We are delighted to have such a diverse team of committed volunteers who put so much effort into helping us provide a wide and varied programme for young people, whatever the amount of time they can spare. Age, background and experience are no barrier to what can be achieved by giving up some time and dedication.

What do volunteers do?

There are many ways volunteers contribute to C.U.P.- being able to coach or play Football or any other sport is not a requirement, although of course that is always useful. We also need people who want to be involved in other ways e.g. organising activities, handling administration, supervising young people on trips to name a few.

C.U.P. values the commitment that volunteers make to the organisation and in return we offer both accredited & non-accredited training in a range of subjects both sports specific & non-sporting. Volunteers support groups offer an opportunity for volunteers to meet with others from different areas in an informal atmosphere to shale experiences and to receive and advice and support.

Volunteers are offered the opportunity to help plan the development of C.U.P. and are consulted along with staff about their ideas for the future. C.U.P. encourages volunteers to apply for employment opportunities within the organisation and is proud to say that several ex volunteers are now members of C.U.P. staff.

Exclusively inclusive

The myth that the best volunteers must be ‘all-singing and all-dancing, fine, upstanding, super-clever, physically mobile, pillars of the community’ is quite simply blown out of the water at CUP. Lesley Steel, Project Director and Co founder of CUP with characteristic honesty, says

CUP accepts and supports volunteers ‘who might not stand a chance elsewhere’.

The commitment to providing opportunities for people rather than looking for volunteers in a certain mould, has promoted an organic and sustainable diversity to CUP’s projects. It has also done much to achieve the holly grail of all community development projects – credibility.

CUP volunteers are not perceived as ‘do-gooders’; they are the parents, siblings, friends or neighbours of the young people that participate in the activities. And, importantly, more often then not they are young people, close in age, experience and background to the young people who participate in the activities themselves.

All our volunteers have their own story to tell, this is just one:

Since the age of 13 S. had been dabbling in drugs on and off, gradually getting worse into his late teens until he fell into a cycle of offending that had him in and out of prison for offences committed to fund his heroin and crack habit. At his peak S. was spending around £300 a day on drugs.

Whilst in prison something happened that changed his way of thinking – his best friend committed suicide, he was 19 years old.

Nine months later S. has completed a Drug Testing and Treatment Order and was referred to C.U.P. by a local agency that works with drug users with the support of his Probation Officer. S. has been working with C.U.P. regularly as a volunteer for 12 months. He has an excellent rapport with young people and has proved himself to be a valuable and reliable team member.

"C.U.P. has helped me to regain my self respect. I’ve got to know the kids and have helped them to make progress – I really like it – it gives me a way of doing what I want to do – to make a difference. I get to do lots of training as well; I’ve done my F.A. coaching course and a mentoring course as well as a First Aid. I’m really grateful that C.U.P. gave me a chance – there were lots of others that wouldn’t 'cos of prison and drugs stuff I've done in the past – it feels good now to help others and it’s a job I could see myself doing in the future"

All our volunteers are given ongoing support and training, and many go on to achieve qualifications, accredited certificates of achievement, and some have gone on to gain employment working with young people. For the majority, volunteering has been a positive, life changing experience.
There are so many different volunteering opportunities here at CUP including: Sports coaching, Youth-work, Dance, music, Fundraising, Event Organising, the list is endless!

Here are some details of some of the volunteering opportunities, which exist within CUP:

Holiday activities - Working with young people aged 8-12 years, the emphasis is providing fun positive activities such as arts, sports, trips & visits for all.

Rhythm & Rhyme Programme(R&R) - (R&R) is a project that uses music and dance to offer practical opportunities for young people to practice and develop their Djing and Dance skills as well as gaining key and life skills.

Girls only programme - The girls only project provides opportunities for young people to participate in sport, physical activity & health related exercise. The project aims to increase the number of girls and young women participating in forms of exercise by providing a safe environment and encouraging positive responses. Non-competitive forms of exercise can be used to improve their physiological and psychological well being and so improve their body image.

Sports sessions

Sports activities play an important role in CUPs youth activity programme, we provide many diverse sports to engage young people such as football, multi sports, athletics, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and many more. Ideally our Sports volunteers should have some experience in delivering a sports programme, either through further education or work experience, but ongoing support and training is provided.

Become a trustee

Our Executive Committee (TRUSTEES) consist of people recruited for the skills, knowledge and abilities they possess which will enable them to monitor, evaluate and develop the work of Communities United Project at a strategic level. Contact us to request information on becoming a trustee.

Why Volunteer?

There are many reasons why people volunteer for CUP but below are just a few:
To meet new people, help your local community , try something new, enhance your CV and employability chances, get out of the house, keep active, increase you confidence, develop new skills and gain qualifications, as part of your work experience for college or university, make a positive difference and because it is fun.

What support do I get as a volunteer?

CUP value the commitment that volunteers make to the organisation and in return we offer volunteers both accredited and non accredited training in a range of subjects both sporting and non sporting. Our policy is for every hour you volunteer we will pay for an hour on a course.

We also offer regular one on one support meeting where you can discuss your needs and how you are doing. It is also a great chance to tell us your ideas and how we can improve.

Please Note

To apply for a volunteer post please download the Volunteer Application Form. Acceptance is dependant upon informal interview, two satisfactory references and enhanced disclosure form.

Click to Download the Volunteer Application Form