Volunteering for a Change
Who we are
The Volunteering for a Change project is a partnership between Pilton Community Health Project and PROP Stress Centre. It has three years funding (2006-9) from the Big Lottery Fund to help people locally to
Gain confidence and self respect through a range of volunteering and development opportunities
Feel empowered to make informed choices
Benefit themselves, their families and their community
Understand that they are important by gaining social and employability skills
Ways to get involved
Both organisations need volunteers for a range of roles. These include
Shop work
Health promotion
Gardening
Information & publicity
Liaison with health services
Group support
(Other opportunities will develop over time, so if you think you can help us in other ways please let us know.)
Training and support
Our Volunteer Coordinator provides a range of training and support to help volunteers move towards their goals, for example by agreeing and reviewing personal development plans. We pay out-of-pocket expenses including travel, crèche and childcare.
Why volunteer?
Many people volunteer as a way to get experience and move towards paid employment. Others use volunteering as a way to be active and get involved, or to ‘give something back’ to the community. Either way, volunteering can improve health, mental wellbeing, confidence and employability. Above all, we believe that volunteering should be enjoyable.
Our principles
These are some key principles that guide our work:
Everyone has something to offer. Barriers to volunteering need to be removed for this to be a reality.
Volunteers should not be worse off by volunteering. We will pay out-of-pocket expenses, including childcare.
Volunteering is an exchange. In return for volunteers’ time and skills we will provide appropriate support, training and recognition.
Volunteering is not a ‘cheap option’. We will make sure it is adequately resourced and volunteers will complement, not be a substitute for, paid staff.
Contact
To find out more, or have a chat about getting involved, please contact:
Shazia Majid
Volunteer Coordinator
Pilton Community Health Project
73 Boswall Parkway
Edinburgh
EH5 2PW
0131 551 1671
