Volunteering

Anyone can volunteer.

Have you considered gaining work experience by volunteering?

Volunteering is when you offer to ‘help’ somewhere, this could include cafes, shops, charities and many more places.

Did you know…volunteers have a 27% better chance of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers. You’ll also gain new skills, meet new people and gain invaluable experience.

“How can I gain some experience?”

Why not volunteer? It can be very rewarding and is a great way to:

• Meet new people.
• Learn something and gain new skills.
• Get valuable experience and improve your CV.
• Make a difference to your community.
• Have fun and maybe get involved in something relating to one of your interests.
• Improve your confidence and wellbeing.
• Set yourself a new challenge maybe in the summer holiday, or as a gap year.
• Try out different types of work placements.

There are lots of ways to find volunteering placements. You could

• Look out for posters in local shops
• Check on an organisations website if they take volunteers
• Search for options near you on Volunteer Suffolk. Watch the how to video to get you started.

If there is an organisation you are interested in check their website for volunteering opportunities.

Useful links

1. Volunteer Suffolk is a really good place to start thinking about volunteering and searching for options near you. Watch the how to video to get you started.
2. DofE – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a chance to learn lifelong skills. Talk to your school or college if you are interested in finding out more about this.
3. Volunteering Matters is a leading UK charity with local offices in Ipswich that provides projects and volunteering opportunities
4. Volunteering advice | National Careers Service
5. From volunteer to career: how giving your time could win your dream job – BBC Bitesize
6. Join in one of our groups, like the Youth Parliament
7. The National Trust have volunteering opportunities.
8. Family First Ipswich they help support local families.
9. Suffolk Wildlife Trust volunteer opportunities to help protect our local wildlife.