For Volunteers' Week we are celebrating our mental health charity volunteers!
Recently we spoke to our Volunteer Manager, Louise, who has been the Mentor and Volunteer Manager at Kids Inspire since September 2022. We found out more about her role, as well as volunteering at a mental health charity and the opportunities available.
Tell us what a typical day as Volunteer Manager might look like?
On a typical day, my role would involve me speaking to mentors, and reading meeting records (completed by mentors following time spent with a mentee). It might also include managing mentee referrals, organising matches, talking to parents or the mentor supervising team, or catching up with volunteers or mentors.
Another day I could be focusing on organising fundraising volunteers for an event coming up, or volunteers for our Lunch Club programme. Or as we head towards Christmas, it could be organising the volunteer plan and schedule for the Christmas Appeal.
No two days are the same, and I find the monthly supporter drop-in helpful. I use the drop-ins to speak to our charity volunteers and corporate supporters, inviting them to be a part of any volunteering opportunities that we have available.
What is your ‘why’ for working at a children’s mental health charity?
Prior to accepting my role at Kids Inspire, I was a Learning and Teaching Advisor at Essex County Council and an Assistant Head Teacher at a Local Primary School. It was working for the local authority that I first learned about Kids Inspire when Sue Bell OBE delivered Trauma Attachment training to my team. Since then, I kept my eye on the website for a role that suited the skillset I gained from teaching – managing people, parents, stakeholders, and classrooms of children.
What does volunteering at a mental health charity look like?
When we are recruiting volunteers, the role always varies, it could be fundraising support, it could be ad hoc volunteering at third-party events, (such as Street Eat and Beats) or supporting our own events, like our pre-loved shopping, or marshalling at our Cycle Challenge.
Finally, there are Mentoring opportunities available for those that can commit a little more time to both training and then to work weekly alongside a young mentee to be a listening ear.
Who are our volunteers and where do they come from?
Our volunteering community is vast. We have volunteers from pretty much all walks of life. We have a mentor who is ex-army, we have retired individuals and parents volunteering, and we have part-time professionals taking on ad hoc roles. We appreciate each of them and everything they do.
What has made you smile from working with volunteers recently?
I have heard so many things recently that have made me smile, here are just a few:
I have a mentor that is about to start the couch to 5k. He is taking on the challenge with his mentee and he happily told me: “I have dusted off my running shoes for this one!”
One of our mentees has reached out to their mentor from over two years ago, to let them know that he has completed college.
I love the mentor/mentee introductions when they just ‘click’ and talk like they have known each other for years! One of the best moments happened recently. I walked towards the room where an intro was taking place and I heard them both giggling like they were old friends.
Parental reviews are lovely when they talk about how much their child’s confidence has grown and emphasise how much their child is looking forward to seeing their mentor each week.
Finally, as a mentoring relationship was nearing the end, the mentor asked his mentee how he knew it was the right time to finish with his mentor and his response was: “I knew I didn’t need a mentor any more, and that it was time for him to help someone else.” (This was after 20 sessions)
Volunteers’ Week runs from 1-7 June 2023.