Getting Involved and Volunteering

 

Volunteering is a great way to get involved and make a contribution to your local community. Have ever thought about volunteering?  You can get help and advice from the Youth Engagement Service on where you can go and what you can do.

 

D Of E Award

Find out how to earn the D of E Award

What is it all about?

 

The Duke of Edinburgh Award

 

 

DofE   

 

The D of E programme is really adventurous and challenging, from beginning to end. If you are aged between 14 and 24 and realise there's more to life than sitting on a sofa watching life pass you by then get in contact.

 

Your programme can be full of activities and projects that get you buzzing and will encourage you to learn new skills, help others and gain new experience resulting in a great sense of achievement.

 

Many organisations such as employers and universities take a good view of the award and what it says about the young person who has achieved it.

 

 

Click http://www.dofe.org/ to take a look at the website to learn more about what the programme has to offer.

   

 


 

Young Peoples Feedback

 

 

Residential

 

"Cookabilty was so much fun and a great way to meet new people and learn how to cook! The recipes I learnt will be very useful to me in the future and I made some really good friends. I felt the residential was fantastic and I would do it again if I could!" (KW aged 18)

DofE pic2

 

 

Volunteering

 

" As part of my volunteering i worked with autistic children. it was incredibly rewarding and fun! I plan to keep volunteering with TAPP throughout university." (SK aged 21)

 

"Riding for the disabled has been a wonderful experience, that I really enjoyed. It tought me general horse maintainence, and also how to interact with and teach deisabled children." (KW aged 18)

 

 

DofE pic 

Physical

 

"I really enjoyed the riding this year. I've learnt why we use the aids not just what aids should be used. I also loved breaking in the new ponies, enabling me to see just how  my time and effort affected them." (RH aged 18)

 

 

Expedition

 

I found this expedition the hardest out of all the ones i've done, the rain, which soaked into our boots and waterproof clothing and continued for the most part of the expedition. This made it difficult and everything we were carrying very heavy. However i feel that as a group the experiene made us much closer." (RH aged 19)

 

DofE pic3

To find out more:
 

V Inspired

Find out more about V Inspired

What is it all about?

 

V INSPIRED

 

VInspired 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V inspired is a national young volunteers service.

It is an independent charity dedicated to helping young people volunteer in ways that matter to you. 

The objective is to make volunteering opportunities so diverse, compelling and easy to get involved with that giving up your time to help others becomes a natural lifestyle choice for 16-25 year olds in England.

 

There are over 900,000 youth volunteering opportunities available. Of these, some are short term or taster opportunities, part time, and full time.

V's projects are designed to engage young people who are under-represented  in volunteering - for example, minority groups and those not in education, employment or training.

V promotes youth leadership, and has helped more than 1,700 young people to set up their own voluntary projects with funding from Vcashpoint.

V challenges the negative image of young people and praises the positive contributions they make.

 

The awards provide formal recognition of the time and skills invested by young volunteers, and of the resulting benefits to people, communities and the environment.

 

 

Cilick on the link to see what opportunites are available to you http://vinspired.com/opportunities/marketplace

 

Contact Us

 

V Office
5th floor, Dean Bradley House
52 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 2AF

Find us on a map

 

By phone:  (+44) 020 7960 7000
Email: info@vinspired.com

 

Local Advice

 

  • Phone: 0800 089 9000
  • Text: txt 'v' to 80010 and someone will call you back
  • E-mail: info@vinspired.com
To find out more:
 

Sport Reading

Find out more about Sport Reading

What is it all about?

 

Reading Borough Council's Sport Reading Development Team

 

Sport Reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sport Reading Development Team provides the delivery of a number of sport and physical activity initiatives in the local community.
These activities cover many areas such as the Healthy Workplace Challenge, StreetGames,  Walk Your Way to Health Scheme, GP Exercise Referral scheme, Sports Unlimited and much more. 

  

We aim to ensure access to the broadest range of sport and physical activity opportunities in Reading and to promote the wider benefits of sport and physical activity including the social benefits for older people, discipline and self-esteem for younger people and health benefits for all sectors of the Reading community.

 

Benefits of physical activity and sports participation:

 

  • Feel good
  • Meet new friends

Reduce Stress

Improve sleep

  • Improve mobility
  • Weight control
  • Increase your energy levels
  • Reduce blood pressure
  • Keep your heart strong
  • Have some fun!!!

 

For more information click on the link http://www.sportreading.co.uk/home/ or our Contact Details are;

 

Sport Reading Development Team
Reading Borough Council
Palmer Park Lodge
Wokingham Road
Reading
RG6 1LF

tel: 0118 901 5713

fax: 0118 901 5720

 

To find out more:
 

Berkshire Association of Clubs for Young People

Find out more about BACYP

What is it all about?

 

Berkshire Association of Clubs for Young People

 

 

BACYP Logo

 

 

BACYP provides support to youth leaders and young people across Berkshire and within the six unitary authorities.

We have continued to develop new opportunities for both youth leaders and young persons over this considerable period. As an independent organisation, we willingly support the five outcomes of Every Child Matters and promote these through our ongoing club support and programme delivery.

 

BACYP delivers through four core areas of working:

 

Activities; through our activities team, we strive to encourage young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They offer a range of competitive and non-competitive events for young people to become involved in - promoting participation for life.

 

Training; our training department provides a range of opportunities for volunteer workers and young people. BACYP aims to improve the recognition of the work delivered to young people every week across the county.

 

Action; Volunteers are the backbone of the country and it's no different at BACYP. Action is not just about volunteering; we also encourage young people to take positive action within their own community, to become the next leaders and to involve others in shaping services to young people.

 

Club Support; Not only are our departments involved in the support of our clubs, we also affiliate our members to the National Association of Clubs for Young People and UK Youth.

 

Contact Us

 

BACYP
452 Basingstoke Road
Reading
RG2 OQE
Tel: 0118 923 1267
Fax: 0118 923 1226
E-mail:
admin@bacyp.co.uk

 

For Clubs & Projects

 

Clubs & Projects Developmet Manager

Tel: 0118 923 1259

E-mail: sarah.odonnell@bacyp.co.uk

 

Alternatively, you can complete our e-mail contact form.

To find out more:
 

Barnados Peer Educators

Find out more...

What's it all about?

Banardos

 

Barnardo's believes in children regardless of their circumstances, gender, race, disability or behaviour. Whatever the issue, they can help. Whether it be drug misuse to disability, youth crime to mental health, sexual abuse to domestic violence, poverty to homelessness, Barnardo's believes they can bring out the best in every child.

 

In Reading, Barnardo's runs a peer education project in partnership with Reading Borough Council. Peer Educations advise and support people their own age on issues such as drugs, alcohol, relationships, sexual health and more. It's essential, though, that you are interested in keeping your peers safe and educated. Being a Peer Educator looks brilliant on a CV, and is a fantastic skill to have for prospective employers.

 

If you want to become a peer educator and gain new skills and confidence or you want them to come to your school or youth club then contact Caroline the project worker on 0118 966 7640 or caroline.fossey@barnardos.org.uk 

 

Click on the link to see more about the areas Barnardo's offers 

 http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_projects.htm

 

 

 

 

To find out more:
 

The Berkshire Award

Berks AwardBAwardpic

 

 

This award credits you for Individual Skills, Group Work Skills, Work in the Community. It is for young people age 13-19 from a registered club/project.

The award shows progression of personal and social development and provides recognition of you gaining new skills and working with others, over a period of 10 hours or more.

Most activities are of 10 hours where you are learning something new or taking

on extra responsibilities should you meet the requirements of the Award. You

could do one large event or several smaller activities.

 

How do you get started?

Discuss with a youth worker what you hope to achieve. Then at the end of the activity complete the reflection and nomination forms with your youth worker and add any additional material you wish to include (e.g. video, photos, diaries, witness statements etc).

 

How is an Award judgment made?

Two youth workers who were present at the activity make a decision and then pass it on to an independent person to be agreed.

 

The youth workers should be able to answer yes to:

 

  • 1)  Based on your knowledge of the individual, has the young person made significant personal development?

2)  Does another youth worker at the project agree with your observations?

 

What you will gain from taking part?

That is really up to you and what you do but you could gain some of the following:

 

  • 1)  Confidence
  • 2)  Respect from peers, youth workers, yourself etc
  • 3)  New skills or knowledge
  • 4)  Looks good to colleges, universities and employers
  • 5)  Fun
  • 6)  Achieve personal goals

7)  Certificate

 

You can do more than one Berkshire Award but you might like to consider

one of the other awards instead.

 

To get information on how to take part on this course  contact your youth worker or call the Participation and Accreditation Team on 0118 937 4084

 

 

 

To find out more:
 
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