Volunteering through v
"The experience has been amazing, insightful and inspirational."
Andrew, volunteer
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Are you aged between 16 and 25, living in England and looking for an exciting volunteering opportunity? We are developing new volunteering placements thanks to funding from v!
What is v?v is a charity in England that encourages 16 to 25-year-olds to volunteer. They work with other charities, including the British Red Cross, to provide volunteering placements for young people. They pay for travel and lunch expenses as well as training and celebration events.
Visit v's website
What is the v programme like at the Red Cross?Our v project is up and running in London, East Anglia, Devon and Sheffield. If you live near these areas and want to volunteer, there are loads of opportunities for you.
We offer short-term, part-time and full-time opportunities, meaning you can get involved for just one day, for a few hours over a couple of weeks or for even longer. | |
| Short-term placements give you a taste of what it’s like to volunteer for the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, while part-time and full-time placements give you the chance to manage projects, work with our service users and make your mark on the Red Cross. | | |  | |
Not in school, on a gap year or looking for a job? Then check out our full time placements. You could be volunteering for 30 hours a week over 13 weeks claiming up to £60 per week for travel and expenses.
Want to tell us what you think? You could also get involved in our youth action teams, advising us on youth volunteering issues and acting as a voice for young people in the organisation. Teams get £800 a year to spend on a celebration event to thank v volunteers for their hard work.
How would I be helping people?
Our voluntary services are so varied that your opportunities for helping people are endless! This year, some of our volunteers have:
- set up creativity projects with destitute asylum seekers and refugees
- trained as peer educators to deliver first aid, humanitarian education and HIV awareness sessions
- done things they never thought they would do, like, mass vaccination training, skin camouflage and supporting our international tracing and message services.
What skills and training do I need?
We provide all the training and support you will need for our v placements. Any skills you need will depend on the particular placement you choose to do and will be discussed with you before you start your placement.
Why are volunteers needed?
Our services in the UK are run almost entirely by volunteers. In fact, we have nearly ten times more volunteers than staff at the British Red Cross. Without volunteers we would not be able to give people the help they need in a crisis.
How do I apply?When enquiring about a volunteering opportunity, please make sure to include your date of birth, as well as details about your preferred location, when you could start, for how long and what you are interested in.
In Devon, contact Marie Nichols at MNichols@redcross.org.uk
In the London area, contact Emma Johns at EJohns@redcross.org.uk
In East Anglia, contact Isobel Brownie at IBrownie@redcross.org.uk
In Sheffield, contact Helen Allan at HelenAllan@redcross.org.uk
For all other enquiries, please contact Samantha Robertson at SRobertson@redcross.org.uk
True storyAndrew Neale was looking for a volunteering opportunity when he got in touch our northern v project manager, who set him up with some peer education training. Before long he was presenting HIV education to young people in schools.
In the run up to World AIDS Day, Andrew planned an event in Bradford city centre to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV.
He remembered: “The experience has been amazing, insightful and inspirational. I’ve had fun and met fascinating people. It has made me value the importance of long-term volunteering.” | |
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