Our mission is to create brighter futures for children and young people. We do this by providing fostering, residential and support services where children and young people can feel safe and cared for. We support them to make positive relationships which give them the confidence to succeed.
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Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.
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All our services have the same goal: to support children and young people to fulfil their potential, grow into independent adults and have happy, successful futures.
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There are many ways you can support St Christopher's work with children and young people. Find out how you can help young people reach their goals.
Current volunteering opportunities
We are looking for volunteers to support our work with young people in care.
Current Volunteer Opportunities:
Activity Support Volunteers / Befriending volunteers – Isle of Man
Aims and expectations of roles
To support young people in care to enjoy regular activity based sessions for 10 to 12 weeks to help them build happy memories
To offer an independent trusted friendship for young people in care through weekly meetings for 10 to 12 weeks to prevent social isolation and promote their self-esteem and advocacy.
Roles will involve:
• Planning and undertaking appropriate activities (under staff supervision) to meet the individual needs of children looked after.
• Supporting young people to attend activities in the community such as mountain biking or going to the cinema.
• Providing practical support during the sessions under the direction and supervision of professionals.
At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the application process for volunteering you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements.
Appropriate Police and background checks will be carried out for all applicants prior to starting to ensure you are able and suitable to work with young people.
You will report to our volunteers’ coordinator, who will be able to advise you further about your role and offer regular guidance.
We are an equal-opportunity organisation keen to develop an inclusive culture where people feel they belong. We hope to attract volunteer applications from under- represented groups, including people from different cultures, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religions, faith, sex, orientation, childcare responsibilities, and gender-diverse identities.
We will cover your expenses for your role including reasonable travel and meals.
The hours of commitment each week can be tailored to suit accessibility. We do however ask volunteers to take the commitment seriously for the duration of at least 10 to 12 weeks to ensure consistency and avoid disappointment for our young people.
We would particularly love to hear from applicants who may have a history of working with young people, perhaps as a teacher or youth leader.
Please use the Contact Us section to enquire further to progress your volunteering application.
What do young people want in a volunteer?
We are looking for people who are fun, open minded and have an ability to see the best in people. Every one of us is different and we are looking for all kinds of people. We know you are probably busy with your jobs but that’s okay – some of us have lots of time, some of us a little less, so understand that volunteering needs to fit in around the rest of your life.”
Volunteering with St Christopher’s
In the past volunteers have transformed our gardens, performed in-home theatre productions and provided pizza making classes for our young people to enjoy.
We understand that your time is valuable, so we make sure your volunteering experience is worthwhile. When you volunteer with St Christopher’s you will:
- gain experience;
- meet new people;
- work on life-changing projects;
- and have fun!
To volunteer you will need to complete a Disclosures and Barring Service Background check to make sure it is appropriate for you to volunteer with children, an application form s and be available on evenings and weekends
To apply or for more information about current roles and to receive an application form please email us GeneralEnquiries@stchris.org.uk
What it’s like to volunteer as a Trustee
Being involved as a Trustee of St. Christopher’s for the last nine years was one of the best decisions in my life. I have been able to learn and give back in equal measure, and it has truly been a very rewarding role.