COULD you spare an hour a week to take part in a ‘rewarding’ volunteer scheme and make a real difference to someone’s life?
A befriender is needed to support a young man in Beaminster so he can take part in volunteering.
The youngster needs someone to go out with him to deliver a newsletter around the area.
The request comes from Siobhan Davis of Volunteering Dorset’s Community Credits Scheme.
The scheme runs across west Dorset and supports people with learning disabilities so they can volunteer within their community with a mentor.
In return for volunteering they and their volunteer mentor receive time credits notes which they can then exchange for an activity of their choice. This might be learning something from another time banking member or buying a session at their local football club, gym or cinema during quieter times. People with Learning Disabilities have been excluded from many organisations in the past and the Community Credit Scheme helps to break down some of those barriers.
The role is voluntary but travel expenses are provided, if someone wants to volunteer from outside the Beaminster area.
Siobhan said: “We are looking for someone who is a god listener, has a caring nature and a few or even just one hour a week to volunteer their time.
“The people who volunteer through the Community Credit Scheme are supported, either by someone who is already with them, such as a paid carer, or through a befriender, and they help them reach achievable outcomes, which might be as simple as getting to and carrying out a job.
“The beauty of it is that both the volunteer and the befriender earn one credit, such as a cup of tea somewhere or a session at the leisure centre. It is all about health and wellbeing.”
The scheme has had lots of successes in the past, Siobhan added, with one young man with learning difficulties helping an elderly woman he met at a group in Weymouth with her shopping.
“It has turned around so that the people who are helped through the Community Credit Scheme are now helping others.”
Anyone interested in the role is asked to call Siobhan on 07918 639014 or 01305 269214.
For more information about the scheme visit http://www.volunteeringdorset.org.uk/community+credits
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