NAS Café - Autistic Young People and Adults Social Group Volunteer – Ayrshire

  • VO97449


Description

NAS Café – this group is for autistic young people age 16 to 24 it meets online once a month and we aim to gain the views of our members and if face to face meetings are important to them then make these events happen whilst being user led.

What you will be doing
At virtual groups, the sessions take place on Microsoft Teams

  • Monitoring the chat box and responding to questions/queries posted there
  • Reading aloud comments members have posted in the chat box (as required)
  • Keeping the conversation to the topic being discussed
  • Supporting the group leaders in running the group smoothly
  • Helping to organise and plan activities for the group e.g quizzes etc

At Face to Face Meetings, attending the social group

  • Supporting individuals to build their self-coping strategies and promote their self-management
  • Giving all members of the group the opportunity to talk and interact if they wish to
  • Help support self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth of people at the group
  • Building up positive relationships with people at the groups and other volunteers
    Keeping in touch with the group leader and notifying if you are unable to attend

We can let you know more about the different groups and discuss which group you could volunteer with when we have an informal chat with you when you have received your application form.

The skills you need:

  • Understanding of autism (we provide training)
  • Empathy and understanding
  • Open-minded and willing to learn
  • Good communication and Interpersonal skills
  • An ability to volunteer in a group setting, using initiative and common sense
  • Reliable, consistent, dependable and trustworthy
  • A broad range of interests would be an advantage but not essential

You will need access to a computer/tablet, a good internet connection and a quiet space away from others in the household

All volunteers will need to provide 2 reference and the roles require a PVG check

What's in it for you

  • Improve support to autistic individuals in your local area
  • Access free training and learn new skills
  • Meet new people
  • A great opportunity to add to your CV

Restrictions

Travel details: When and Where Group times are once a month on a Thursday 11.45am-12.30 during the day time and once a month on Tuesday evening 6 to 6.45pm (these can run over slightly) and Wednesday evenings weekly for 15 weeks 6-7.30pm (will include holiday breaks) We can discuss which of the session day/times would work best for you in our information chat when we receive your application
Minimum age: 18

Support

Training details: We ask all our volunteers to complete our e-learning module which include safeguarding and autism awareness There will be an additional training session specific to the group you will be volunteering at There will be a member of the social programmes team at all of the groups you volunteer at We seek applications from anyone interested in the role, but particularly welcome applications from those on the autism spectrum.