In-person and/or digital opportunities! 

In-person Befriending

About the In-person Befriending project

• This project is an invaluable opportunity for to befriend an adult with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or mental health conditions in a community setting (social distanced).

Role of an In-person Befriending volunteer

• The role of the volunteer is to befriend a beneficiary (in person) by going on socially distanced walks or meeting at a beneficiary's garden. 

Digital Befriending

About the Digital Befriending project

• This project is an invaluable opportunity for volunteers to befriend an adult with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or mental health conditions in a digital setting; 

Role of Digital Befriending volunteer

• The role of the volunteer is to befriend and facilitate digital activities for an adult with disabilities and/or mental health conditions; 
• SVC will pair a volunteer with a beneficiary based on shared interests. Each volunteer will support a beneficiary by getting in contact for a weekly catch up via phone call, video call, letter or a gaming website;
• We encourage volunteers and beneficiaries to be creative with their digital activities. Our amazing team of volunteers have done a variety of digital activities over video call such as karaoke, charades, bingo, cooking and quizzes;
• Please note: volunteers are required to have a DBS certificate in order to befriend beneficiaries over video call.

Befriending (additional information)

Aims

• The aim of this project is to offer social and emotional enrichment to beneficiaries through befriending and facilitating a range of activities;
• In addition, volunteers will provide compassionate support and amity, and help relieve feelings of boredom, loneliness and isolation;
• Through engagement, the beneficiaries will develop their social skills, gain confidence and achieve personal goals;
• This project is invaluable to beneficiaries as befriending improves perceptions of well-being, reduces stress and increases self-esteem and empowerment. Seeing the progress beneficiaries make is always a very rewarding experience for volunteers!

Supported living

• The individual volunteers will be befriending might be residing in supported living accommodation;
• Supported living is a concept that was developed to ensure that people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or mental health conditions own or rent their home and have control over the support they get, who they live with and how they live their lives; 

Application process

1. Complete SVC's volunteer application form;
2. Complete a short matching form;
3. DBS check;
4. Informal interview (short listed applicants).