The local community
There are many opportunities for volunteering in a local community. This could involve:
- social/welfare opportunities
- neighbourhood enhancement
- coaching
Social and welfare opportunities
Social and welfare opportunities involve:
- regularly visiting a local care home to provide company to someone who will enjoy the opportunity of a chat
- helping to run a youth group
- participating in schemes such as the local food bank
Neighbourhood enhancement
This means making the local area better. This could involve:
- making an area safer by taking part in litter picking
- making an environment more pleasant by creating a mural
- helping to restore an area of natural beauty such as an overgrown garden
Coaching
Coaching is a technique to help others to improve, develop or learn new skills. It is planned, regular and focused on achieving measurable outcomeAn outcome that can be measured to see if it has been achieved. or targets. Coaching could involve:
- coaching young children in a sport
- coaching senior citizens in IT skills
- coaching others to speak a language
Participating in social/welfare, neighbourhood enhancement or coaching opportunities helps people gain a sense of self-worth, self-esteem and self-confidence. It is generally seen as a highly worthwhile experience.
Never underestimate your ability to make someone else’s life better – even if you never know it.
