We are currently seeking passionate individuals to join our Board of Trustees. In particular, we are looking for new Directors with skills and experience in one or more of the following areas: Education, Social Work, Marketing / Fundraising and Communications and IT. The new roles will join a small dedicated team of Trustees already in place and will help to strengthen the Board and lead the organisation into the future. This is a great opportunity for someone who has an understanding of charity or similar corporate governance. The role will be to support the leadership of the charity and drive forward the organisational strategy. The full Board meets quarterly for 2-3 hours on a Monday evening. Smaller committees may meet staff more regularly in relation to specific areas of work. The role is a voluntary one, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed with training provided at no cost. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Sarah Misra, CEO, Befriend a Child, sarah@befriendachild.org.uk, 01224 210060 for more information and an application pack.

Could you be a role model for a young person who would really benefit from your time? By giving just 2-3 hours a week you could be that positive, trusted and fun role model that a young person aged 8-14 really needs. You will meet weekly with your mentee for a minimum of 12 months, your mentee will experience quality one-to-one time with a consistent caring and reliable adult. Through being a good listener, an empathic individual with a non-judgmental attitude a positive mentoring relationship can develop by doing activities that you both enjoy. Popular activities involve baking & cooking, arts & crafts, playing football, going to the beach or local forest walks, ice-skating or just enjoying a milkshake at a local café. You have the potential to make a real difference in a young persons life by helping build confidence and self-esteem and most importantly being someone they can talk to about anything. This role is subject to an application form being submitted, providing 2 references and completing a PVG Disclosure (is free for volunteers-details and PVG provided on application). For further details please contact: Aleisha Douglas, Intandem Volunteer co-ordinator at Email: info@befriendachild.org.uk or phone: 01224 210060.

Local children’s charity, Befriend a Child are looking for kind, caring and reliable people to bring fun, positivity, and new experiences to the lives of children and young people across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. At Befriend a Child we support school-aged children in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire who are growing up in difficult life circumstances. We match them with trained volunteers or ‘Befrienders’ or ‘Mentors’ who act as positive role models to help children develop resilience, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Typically, these are children whose fundamental childhood years have been neglected or lost due to issues outside of their control. Volunteers meet the child on a one-to-one basis and help the children and young people with their self-esteem and confidence and give them experiences they may be unable to have otherwise. Befrienders meet with the children twice a month and mentors meet on a weekly basis. Befriend a Child provides volunteers with full training and support, so volunteers don’t need to have any previous experience working with children. Befriend a Child receives referrals from a number of sources including Education, Social Work, Health and Third Sector partners. We are the only dedicated befriending and mentoring service for children in the Northeast. It’s not just the children who benefit from befriending and mentoring, our volunteers also feel they gain a great deal from the experience. For example, Befriend a Child volunteer Craig feeds back: “Befriending is the biggest achievement of my life, knowing I’ve been a positive influence in someone’s life whilst creating some fantastic memories and experiences. I would recommend it to anyone. It’s a great way to add sunshine into your own life as well as doing the same for others. Many of these children just simply need a friend and so it’s not what you do that is important but the fact that you are doing something together." (Craig Duncan, Volunteer Befriender). If you want to help a local child, make sure to get in touch by emailing us at volunteer@befriendachild.org.uk or visit www.befriendachild.org.uk to find out more.

Are you a good listener, non-judgemental and empathetic with an ability to relate to traumatic life experiences that some of the children/young people referred to us may have faced? Befriend a Child is a local charity that provides 1:1 befriending and mentoring services for school aged children and young people. We recruit caring adults who act as role models for school-aged children who face some kind of disadvantage. They spend time together on a 1:1 basis, talking, sharing and having fun. Could that be you? If you are reliable and fun-loving, with a positive disposition and you can commit to sparing a few hours each month, you could make a huge difference in a young person’s life. Excellent training and support is provided and all our volunteer roles adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines and restrictions. For more information/to register your interest please visit https://www.befriendachild.org.uk/get-involved/befriending/ and/or email us at volunteer@befriendachild.org.uk