York St John Volunteers Fair - 10th October 2019

The Island • September 19, 2019

CALLING ALL YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

We're delighted to announce that we're going to be at the York St John University Volunteers fair which will take place between 11am and 2pm on Thursday 10th October.

Taking place in the Foss Sports Hall, this will be the perfect opportunity for students to meet The Island team and find out more about the work we do with local children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental, emotional and social wellbeing.

Volunteering at The Island is very fun, rewarding and gives you the opportunity to build up a unique skill set. We have several roles which we are actively recruiting for, including:


One to One Mentoring

This flexible 12 month programme can be tailored around your university and out of term commitments. Many of our past mentors have credited our mentoring programme as one of the main reasons why they were able to get onto their chosen career path, especially in the education, counselling, social care and youth work sector.

As a one to one mentor, you will meet with your mentee on a regularly basis and help develop their confidence, self-esteem and resilience levels through recreational activity. No experience is required as we'll provide you with full training.


Content Writer

We are currently looking for a volunteer content writer who is able to come into our office two Thursdays a month and help to write up content to be published on our blog and news section. We ideally would like someone who can commit to us for six months and you'll be working alongside our Marketing and Media colleague who will teach you how to write digital savvy content.


Ebay Listers

We regularly receive a number of items which we are unable to use in-house due to the lack of space. Many of the people who donate items to us have kindly given us permission to sell these items at car boot sales or to list them on ebay where we can raise vital funds for our charity work. We are keen to get our ebay channel up and running and are currently looking for a few volunteers who can come into our office on a monthly basis to photograph and write up content for our ebay listings.


Cook

Are you passionate about cooking? We are searching for a kitchen volunteer to prepare meals for our youth groups. If you have a Food Hygiene course, Great!! However, this will be available if you do not currently hold this. This will be from 4pm-7pm, every Wednesday, and consist of cooking for 2 x groups.


You will have the help of the young people attending these sessions and the opportunity to ignite the passion of food and cooking into the next generation!


The volunteers fair is perfect for York St John University student who are looking to get themselves work-ready post-university. For more information on the event, please click here .

Alternatively, if you would like to get in touch with The Island directly, then click here .

An interview with a Volunteer Mentor

By Emma Bewlay • September 28, 2023
What interested you about becoming an Island Volunteer Mentor? I was interested in volunteering and personal development to enhance my career prospects. I was at a stage where I was confused as to where I wanted to go next but I knew I was good with people, and I knew that my personality would suit working one to one with a young person. I knew that I could pass on good advice and life experience. How long did you mentor for The Island? I mentored for around 15 months. Every week for around 2 hours on a Thursday night. Sometimes we would miss a session due to various factors, but these sessions were caught up on. What did you enjoy most about the Mentoring? I enjoyed being able to experience many different activities with my young person and being able to see their confidence grow. I enjoyed catching up and hearing stories from the week and focusing my attention on that session. Different social settings allowed me to guide my young person and relay stories from my experience which I knew would be helpful. This was enjoyable as I knew I was passing on vital helpful advice for adulthood. Why do you think Mentoring is important for young people? I think in today's world with social media and the stresses on life can be overwhelming for everyone. For a young person to be guided by a mentor, they can step away from that world for a short while and express themselves or let off steam in an environment where they can be nurtured and not judged. With the guidance of a mentor, the young person can take the advice into everyday life which will hopefully help them in difficult and stressful situations. The young person can build up a relationship with the mentor and know that they have trust in them to be able to openly talk about their feelings away from a family, friend it school setting. Please let us know how you have found the support from the island and which aspects you have found the most valuable? I found the support very good and easy to access. I knew that if I needed any support or advice, I could email or call my supervisor. I found the group sessions with other mentors helpful as we could come together and talk about our experience and use any advice in future sessions. Hearing stories from other mentoring experiences was highly valued. Has the Island supported you with any future plans personally or professionally? If so, could you share this with us? The island has kept in touch with me regarding several career opportunities throughout the mentoring process that I have considered. I know that I could sit with the island and discuss any plans if I needed to. Most of all, they have helped my confidence and gave me a platform to express myself and follow my goals which has put me in good stead for next move in my career as a health trainer. The skills and experience I have gained from my mentoring will be transferred over to this next role. At the Island, we are constantly looking for people who have the ability to listen, and who feel that they can develop a positive rapport with children and young people in an honest, challenging and non-judgemental way. All prospective volunteer mentors receive training, support and supervision. This covers such areas as communication, child protection, equal opportunities and often, in the process mentors learn more about themselves, too. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities please click here www.theislandyork.org
An image of a female child sat at a table wearing a pink jumper &a cream woolly hat.

The important role that youth work plays in society

By Jamies Duffill • May 9, 2023
In this article, we explore the nature of youth work, its social value, and how you can volunteer to support young people in York. Click “continue reading” to find out more.
Image of several Great British coins including 2ps, 10ps, 20ps and £1 coins

Poverty and Inequality in York and the North

By Jamie Duffill • March 28, 2023
Recent research indicates that the cost of living crisis has further entrenched inequalities between north and south. How is this crisis affecting levels of poverty in York, and what can you do to support many of the city’s most vulnerable children? Click "continue reading" to discover more.

The Island joins Easy Fundraising

By The Island • March 7, 2023
We’re delighted to announce that we have joined Easy Fundraising and would love for you to support us through the platform to continue enhance the lives of vulnerable children and young people who use our services. Click "continue reading" to find out more.
A mother and teenage son sat together at a desktop computer.

How to manage what your child sees online

By Jess Mitchell • February 7, 2023
The online world allows everyone to access a vast amount of information and services. As we already know, there are many websites and platforms that help to educate and entertain our children, but there is also inappropriate content out there. As a parent or carer, you may already have rules on how much screen time and which sites your children are allowed to access; but how can you make sure your child is safe surfing the internet whilst giving them a sense of independence and freedom? Click "continue reading" to find out more.

More one-to-one volunteer mentors urgently required

By The Island • January 23, 2023
We urgently need more one to one volunteer mentors to support the next generation. Can you help us? Click "continue reading" to find out more.
An image of a pile of Great British coins including 1ps, 2ps, 10ps and 20ps

How does economic insecurity affect children and young people?

By Jamie Duffill • January 20, 2023
Millions of families across the country are facing greater financial pressures than ever before. In recent years, the cost of essentials like food, fuel and energy has increased dramatically. In 2019, the average annual energy bill was £1289. Today, that figure stands at £2500, with the government price cap set to rise to £3000 in April 2023. Click "continue reading" to find out more.
An image of four teenage girls writing on a piece of white paper.

Trustees' Week Interview with Linda Barrie

By The Island • November 9, 2022
Trustees' Week is a five-day-long event to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK. To mark the occasion, we sat down with one of The Island's trustees, Linda Barrie to get her thoughts on the charity sector and what it is like to be a trustee for a small children's charity. Click "continue reading" to find out more.
An image of several different definitions of the word CV. The word CV is highlighted.

How to create a CV for teenagers

By Work with York, With with Schools and Work with Yorkshire • October 12, 2022
Work with York, Work with Schools and Work with Yorkshire have joined The Island’s Business Hub. They are local recruiters who help all kinds of people find the right opportunities to match their skill set and experience. Being wholly owned by City of York Council, they also reinvest a share of their profits back into the local community - so being ‘community focused’ is an integral part of their company values.
Four teenage girls walking on a road talking to one another. They are surrounded by trees.

Coping strategies during challenging times

By Marie Dove • October 3, 2022
There is no denying that we are living in challenging times. Times where what has previously felt stable and secure, now feels unsteady and fragile. Since the announcement of lockdown in March 2020, there has been a fundamental shift in how we approach and live our lives. The collective shock of that time, whether it directly impacted us, in terms of work, or we knew anyone who became ill, there can be no doubt that we felt and experienced it in some way.