Volunteering
Develop your skills, build your confidence, find new friends, enhance your career opportunities, and have fun at the same time.
Volunteering in Oxfordshire
Volunteering is a great way to spend your free time, and a brilliant way to feel useful, meet new friends, and learn new skills. If you're a young person in Oxfordshire looking for somewhere to start volunteering, then Activities Oxfordshire is a great place to start.
Step 1: research
Many of the organisations on this database rely on volunteers donating their skills and time. Many young people start by attending clubs or groups, and go on to help support or organise them. Whatever you are interested in, there are opportunities to work and develop your skills, as well as to have fun and socialise.
Start by looking for local organisations, checking out their websites and looking for opportunities in the local press, on community notice boards and online.
Step 2: register
If you are serious about volunteering, you need to let people know. Contact organisations where you would like to work, offering to volunteer. Tell your Connexions Adviser or Job Centre Plus Adviser that you are interested in volunteering. Ask about helping out at any clubs you already attend.
You should also register with Do-it - Volunteering Made Easy, an online database of volunteering opportunities.
Step 3: commit
There is a volunteering opportunity that is suitable for everyone. From one-off jobs to challenging internships, you can find the right volunteering placement for you.
Then the work really begins; it's time to make a commitment and start volunteering!
More places to find out about volunteering
These are some other local sites where you can find out about volunteering:
- Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action links to volunteer centres and more voluntary groups - www.oxnet.org.uk
- Oxfordshire Children and Voluntary Youth Services lists voluntary and uniform groups in Oxfordshire - www.ocvys.org
- Oxford Hub - connecting students with causes - www.oxfordhub.org
These are some national sites where you can find out more about volunteering and volunteering opportunities
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You can also look for opportunities using the Connexions Oxfordshire Opportunities Search.
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ingVOX inc – working in Oxfordshire with volunteers aged 16-25 who either have a learning disability or who want to volunteer for and with people who have a learning disability - www.voxinc.or
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