FRESH Community Wellness is a registered charity (OSCR-Office of Scottish Charity Regulator charity number SCO51346). We are currently working to help engage the community and we are seeking more friendly volunteers to reach residents who may be looking for safe, free options. Anyone of any ability can volunteer with us in some way. We are working in several partnerships which include Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Paths for All, Aberdeen City Council and many more. Are you interested in health, wellness, caring for others, community gardening, food growing, nature, the environment, children’s activities, event planning, fundraising or sports and up for helping to regenerate an entire community? In addition to our community based activities, we also have multiple home-based volunteering options for graphic design, admin, website and social media editing. If you have a couple of hours free to spare each week and are enthusiastic about the idea of uniting communities and making the local area safe, tidy, and beautiful – then please do help us out. We offer induction, training courses, as well as free PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) applications for our safeguarding process. We have the ability for immediate starts following application/references, to start the volunteer’s pathway. This is an excellent opportunity to give back. Also, if you wish it is a great way to boost your CV and employment prospects. Brilliant way to volunteer for a college, university or work placement and gain skills. Most of all you will be making a real positive difference for people and the community, which will be greatly appreciated by all. As a registered Scottish charity, we are happy to issue references for your volunteering with ourselves. For further details about helping volunteering with us please contact Elaine Campbell, Co-ordinator at email: admin@freshcommunitywellness.com or tel.: 07562689691.

COG: Community Outreach Group provides support to homeless and vulnerable people in the City of Aberdeen. COG Community Outreach Group proudly helps our community by offering those in need support through welfare and helping battle loneliness. We offer tea, coffee, soup and sandwiches but most importantly a friendly chat and maybe you can play a game or two to help make that connection. We provide support from our stall outside Marks and Spencer at the St Nicholas Centre, Aberdeen from 5pm on a Sunday and 6pm on a Wednesday and have weekly evening trolleys along Union Street starting around 6pm. All volunteer help is greatly appreciated and makes a real difference for people we support and the community. For more details please contact Rebecca Fyfe, COG Committee Secretary at email beccafyfe@hotmail.com or tel.: 07415723938.

Across all three sites, we are looking for volunteers to support the running of the group, and volunteers to befriend attendees on a 1-2-1 basis. The group has Christ at the centre, and group volunteers need to have a Christian faith with a church connection. For those engaging in 1-2-1 support, a strong Christian faith is required, ideally with lived experience of addiction or experience of working in this area. All volunteer should help attendees feel welcomed and comfortable, whilst also maintaining appropriate boundaries, e.g. chatting and contributing to the group discussion.

OPEN is a project that trains young people (16-25) to become peer educators, to deliver workshops and training to other young people across Shetland. The issue-based training focus on Drugs and Alcohol use, Sexual Health, and Mental Health. We believe in open minded information - not telling people what to do. We will give you the training and support you need so that you can volunteer as part of the OPEN team to design and deliver workshops and activities to other young people. If you're interested in being a part of the OPEN Project please get in touch!

We are looking for young people aged 16-25, who are care experienced and/or at risk of exclusion to become peer mentors. The Project will offer young people aged 16-21 a chance to build relationships with volunteer peer mentors aged 16-25. This will be achieved by using group mentoring ratios such as 2:2, 1:1, 2:1 etc. We are recruiting 6 to 8 young adults that want to commit one year to develop their personal skills, knowledge and understanding to become effective peer mentors. Young adults will be able to apply directly to the Project to become a peer mentor, completing the Mentor Application Form. You will need to be willing to complete training and believe that there is a value in peer mentoring. OPEN are looking for those that are willing to share their life experiences and be a positive influence in supporting their mentees so they can make positive life choices and learn from their peer mentoring relationship.

Da Cafe is an initiative through the OPEN project. The purpose of Da Cafe is to provide a safe space for young people aged 14-25 where they can get a hot drink and slice of cake. This initiative is run by lead volunteers who run the space. There is also a group of volunteer young people who form a Youth Committee that decide on the vision and direction of the Da Cafe. This new initiative will look to create a safe space for young people (14-25) to chill with friends and peers. Out Youth Committee and lead volunteers are trained and supported through each event. they will gain new skills and improve their own personal development.

We have opportunities for peer mentors who have personal experience of substance misuse and recovery. The opportunity is to support others through the recovery journey. We are looking for people who are willing to share their own experience of recovery to help others to sustain their recovery journey and build a meaningful life in their own community. The role will involve working with staff to deliver group support sessions and also to support individuals in a befriending and advocacy support role. Training and support will be provided.

This role will be act as a volunteering lead to help support staff to develop an allotment that will be able to grow a variety of vegetables, and to provide guidance to other volunteers who are interested in learning more about gardening.

SDF trains people who have had substance use problems to interview people who currently have substance use problems about their experience or about the services they use. They know they are being understood and listened to by someone who has had similar experiences. Full training and support is provided by SDF staff to give you the skills and confidence to carry out the role. You learn at your own pace and work on areas that interest you. Volunteering as a peer researcher can involve: Running focus groups, designing questionnaires, Reviewing services, Interviewing service users. SDF volunteers tell us they volunteer to: Attend a variety of events and meet new people, Access other SDF training and volunteer opportunities, Gain knowledge and skills on how to support research projects, Help improve services for people who use them, Eventually move on to other volunteering, education or employment.

Jericho House which is an alcohol rehabilitation unit in Dundee, is looking for minibus drivers to take our residents to A.A. meetings in Dundee and beyond. This is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with staff and residents and is a rewarding way to spend an otherwise dull evening. A sense of humour would be a great advantage as the guys you would be driving are always up for a laugh. We would be looking for someone who could cover 2-3 evenings per week and if possible, perhaps daytime outings at the weekend. If you think this would be an enjoyable experience for you we would love to meet you and look forward to getting to know you.