What are Support Circles?
Support circles are small groups of 6-8 people with additional needs within a local community. They will come together as peer-support volunteers each week. They build on their own strengths and work together towards shared goals, developing skills and confidence and enhancing their wellbeing. Goals will vary but may include building friendships, doing more in the community, having fun, using public transport etc.
Each group will be led by our Project Lead, and the volunteer facilitator will support the project lead to support and facilitate the group.
What’s in it for you?
- Apply your skills and knowledge to gain practical experience in a working with a group of people with additional needs.
- Learn about strengths based practice and asset-based approaches.
- Learn about volunteer support and training, approaches to group support and partnership working.
- Bring fresh ideas to influence the volunteering program at Ategi.
- Join a friendly team who are passionate about making a difference for adults with additional needs.
- Get to know new people in your community, and see the world through a different lens.
- Access training around working with people with support needs.
What’s involved?
You will be responsible for working with the Project Lead to facilitate a weekly meeting of a volunteer circle for adults with additional needs. The Project Lead will lead facilitation of the group.
Each week you will volunteer for around 2 hours to support the group meeting. You will also have some additional volunteering tasks:
- in planning or reflecting on sessions with the project lead,
- monitoring the groups’ WhatsApp group, and if necessary commenting or taking action (such as sending a message to the group, or altering the project lead to a concern).
- Your training or supervision with your volunteer supervisor.
As volunteer facilitator, you will assist the Project Lead and the group to establish their own group name, agreements, priorities and group goals, identify strengths, community assets/resources and develop a group strengths based plan.
For example, this could include:
- helping to notice and record people’s strengths etc and helping them plan and work towards achieving agreed goals.
- supporting the group to communicate with each other between meetings (e.g. via a WhatsApp group)
- taking pictures and videos to document their experience
- staying with and supporting the group and/or an individual, if one person needs to leave, for example to have some space, and requires some support.
- liaising with the Project Lead around your reflections, concerns, ideas and helping with planning and running group sessions.
Who is the role suitable for?
Someone with:
- Good communication skills including listening skills
- An interest in social care, community work and inclusion.
- An interest in bringing and sharing ideas, and working as part of a team.
- Knowledge of local community resources (café’s, shops, parks etc.) or ability to gain this knowledge
- A positive attitude and belief that everyone has strengths and abilities.
- An interest in co-production, strengths-based practice, and/or person-centred support.
You will not be expected to offer social care support to people – if an individual needs personal care or other specific support to participate, this will be through a paid support worker who will assist their participation.
This may suit someone keen to use existing skills and experience, or someone developing their skills such as a student – perhaps someone studying coaching, mentoring, social care, nursing, psychology etc.