Make a difference – volunteer

To celebrate National Volunteers Week from Sunday, June 1 to Saturday, June 7, we look back at the amazing contribution of volunteers to the work of St Christopher’s and discuss how you can get involved and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable young people.

Decorating our homes
For many young people, moving in to our children’s homes and supported housing is the first time they’ve been in care and the experience can be very scary. Luckily, we have the support of our brilliant volunteers to paint children’s bedrooms and create fun places to play in our gardens, helping young people to feel welcomed and safe when they arrive with us.

Recently, we have had the invaluable support of companies PwC, Lloyds and DLKW Lowe, whose decorating skills have transformed our homes and gardens. Hannah Donnelly from DLKW enjoyed the chance to spend a day brightening up the sunny garden at our Camden children’s home. She said: “We’re very excited to help a children’s charity that works hard to encourage children to create brighter futures. I hope they will enjoy the mural and the garden that we have helped to create.”

Teaching Life Skills
Volunteers are an integral part of our Life Skills programme, which teaches young people vital skills for independent living. Staff from firms KPMG and MITIE, as well as a range of volunteers from the local community, lead workshops in areas ranging from CV writing to yoga. Taking part in these sessions builds young people’s confidence, develops transferable skills and is a vital part of their journey from homelessness into education, training or employment.

And much more…
There are lots of other ways volunteers support our young people, such as collecting Easter eggs or books to give to them, holding cake sales to raise money or taking part in one of our sponsored events. If you or your company has ever considered volunteering, we highly recommend the benefits it can have both to vulnerable young people in the UK and to yourselves. As one of our volunteers aptly observed: “I’m glad places like St Christopher’s exist to help young people... It’s nice to give something back to the communities we live in. A little bit of effort from us can make a lot of difference to others.”

If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities with St Christopher’s, please contact the fundraising team at fundraising@stchris.org.uk or 0208 780 7800.