Action for Children seeks volunteers to support young adults in Guernsey
- Action for Children is recruiting volunteers for its mentoring and Nightstop programmes.
- The Action Mentoring programme assists young people aged 13 to 25 in building supportive relationships.
- Guernsey Nightstop provides temporary accommodation to homeless young people with volunteer host families.
- Volunteers will receive comprehensive training, including first aid and safeguarding.
- Information events for prospective volunteers will take place on 28th February and 7th March.
Action for Children, a charity dedicated to supporting vulnerable children and young adults, is launching a volunteer recruitment drive for its Guernsey Youth & Housing project.
The initiative aims to attract volunteers for two key programmes: Action Mentoring and Nightstop.
Action Mentoring is a support programme that pairs trained volunteers with young people aged 13 to 25, building on its successful pilot year.
By increasing the age range, the programme aims to provide even more young people with the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with their mentors.
The Guernsey Nightstop initiative offers emergency temporary accommodation to homeless young people, placing them with volunteer host families while seeking long-term solutions.
These families provide a safe environment, including meals and companionship, during a young person's crisis.
Volunteers with Action for Children will undergo training provided by UK partners.
This training includes modules on active listening, motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches, safeguarding, and emergency first aid.
Additionally, volunteers will have access to further training opportunities and flexible volunteering arrangements to accommodate their schedules.
Aaron Davies, services manager at Action for Children, said: “We are hoping to attract great volunteers who can provide direct support to young people.
"We know volunteering for our programmes has incredible benefits for young people, but there also empower the volunteers and provide an opportunity to give back to the community while being able to see the real impact of their work.”
An existing volunteer from the Nightstop service shared their positive experience, noting, “The young person was a pleasure to host. He fitted into the routine of our home, was sociable and polite. We had some lovely conversations. It was great to feel like we were making a difference.”
Another mentor said, “I started mentoring for Action for Children because I recognise the value in helping young people learn valuable life skills which might not have been available to them in early years.
"I believe that offering by a combination of alternative perspective, life experience and the doorways to a range of options, we can give young people in our community the opportunity to learn and make good choices for their future.”
To facilitate recruitment, Action for Children will hold information events for those interested in volunteering.
These sessions are scheduled for 28th February and 7th March from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at MSP House, Victoria Rd, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1HU.
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