Join Young Scot's #YSEquity Panel and have your say on our services, making them fairer and more accessible for everyone. Project Information: - 11-18 years old (inclusive) - From April 2024 to March 2025 - Meeting every 6-8 weeks (a mix of online and in-person sessions) - Anywhere in Scotland - Travel costs covered What’s the YSEquity Panel about? Do you use your Young Scot National Entitlement Card to get on the bus, access the leisure centre or enjoy local discounts? Has it sometimes been tricky for you to get involved in things like school trips, sports clubs or art groups? Then this opportunity could be a great place to have your voice heard! We want young people aged 11-18 on our YSEquity Panel to help us improve our Young Scot services so they meet the needs of young people, are accessible to everyone and help tackle stigma. You’ll get the chance to share your experiences with education including any challenges you’ve faced being ready to learn and attending regularly. We’ll also try to offer you opportunities to meet decision makers in Scotland to share your thoughts on these topics too. The Panel will look at things like:   - Young Scot National Entitlement Card - Cost of the School Day - Access to education - Rewards - Local Discounts - Extra-curricular activities - Information content and more… We would love to hear from a wide range of young people right across Scotland – we’re particularly interested to hear from: - young carers - young people who live in a rural area - care-experienced young people - if you get or have had free school meals

Volunteering Matters Overview At Volunteering Matters we believe everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive, so we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunities. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. Project Overview Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh. Who can volunteer with us? Our volunteers are locally based people with an understanding of the challenges that families are facing. Aged 18+, each volunteer brings different life experiences and skills that they can use to help the family they are matched to, offering support on a weekly basis for an hour or so each week, usually for 6-9 months at a time that suits everyone. They build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family. All volunteers are interviewed, trained to the highest standards and undergo disclosure checks before being matched with a family. We also encourage and welcome volunteers who have the ability to speak multiple languages join our team! What can we offer volunteers? As well as the sense of achievement that comes through supporting a family, our volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, attend social events with other volunteers and enhance their employability. Certificates are provided upon completion of induction training and at the end of the commitment, with project staff happy to provide references for future studies or employment.

If you are looking for a new challenge, have life or work skills you wish to put to good use & you’re interested in helping others in your community consider becoming a Volunteer General Adviser or Volunteer Receptionist. If you're interested and/or would like more information just get in touch with us for a chat or to ask for our volunteer application pack. We provide full training and support. Volunteer receptionists are currently wanted for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday afternoons. Full training given, expenses paid. Call Polly for more details 01463 219743.

Volunteering Matters are a national volunteering charity. We are looking "Family Support" Volunteers in the City of Edinburgh, who can offer practical, social and emotional support to a local family in need. Our Family Supporters programme recruits, trains and supports volunteers, matching them 1:1 with parents and families facing a range of life challenges and barriers. Volunteers help families, spending 1:1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. These goals may including achieving improved living standards, building confidence and soft skills, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life, improving health and wellbeing or introducing parents to community resources, and lots more. If you have an understanding of the challenges that families are facing and would like to use your life experiences and skills to support others, this could be the role for you! As a volunteer, you will build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family.