If you can volunteer as little as 2 hours a week we need you to connect with isolated people in your community!
Community Connector: Role information
A mutual human resource, supporting people to have more connected lives
Community Connector activities look like….
- Peer-mentoring: Meet a person who is feeling less empowered for an informal recovery focused chat; over a cuppa or whilst on a walk sharing peer experiences and increasing hope.
- Walk alongside: Attending of a local group or activity where there is a shared interest for both the Community Connectors and the Community Requester. Enjoying it together and both feeling more connected.
- Local support and partnership: Linking up with local resources to create a new group or activity. Sign posting and supporting people to access resources such as the Moray Council Buddy Service if they require a different support.
Community Connectors…
- Spare a couple of hours a month to support fellow peers of life challenges in their local area. Expenses, supervision and training are provided.
- Are interested in self-management and increasing their own wellbeing as well as supporting others. Instilling a sense of meaning and purpose to progress in life.
- Are all Champions of Moray Wellbeing Hub who share peer-values such as mutuality, intentionality and authenticity- they take personal responsibility to opt out of the project at any time.
- Are PVG checked (Protection of Vulnerable Groups), covered under insurance and are provided with orientation training and regular support by a local supervisor.
- May even become friends or companions in the long term who support each other in their community to get the most from life, but respect boundaries and are willing to negotiate, commit to and reflect on these.
As this is a new style of volunteer role it can be confused with other roles. Community Connectors focus on a mutual trade of human resource – one human supports another to engage and connect in their local community. In return they are also helped to connect.
The role is not:
- Befriending: This is a role were someone volunteers to support someone in need. Whilst the befriender feels good when helping another person, this is not a mutual trade of equal support.
- Counselling: This is where a trained person supports another person using a talking therapy. Community Connectors may happen to have training in this, but they are not counsellors and are not insured to do this.
- Support work: Where someone helps with tasks like dressing, trips out to get shopping etc. This is usually a paid role, but some people do volunteer to deliver this and when they do there is a clear job description.
- A service: This is supported as a pilot approach until May 2020 by Wellbeing Connected Moray project hosted by Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC.
To sign up or to request a community connector please get in touch or complete this form.
