Volunteering is a great way to find out what sort of work you like doing, and to gain some valuable skills and experience, you also get to meet new people too. Finding volunteering opportunities isn’t always easy and could take time, but there are places you can look. Before you start to look you might want to think about things that you have an interest in, what skills you have that could be used to help you decide what you might like to do.

If you’re still in school or college, you could speak to your careers advisor or ask a teacher for help. Someone in your family, or family friends might be able to help, so it’s worth speaking to them too.

We’ve listed some websites below which have more information about the types of opportunities there are and ideas about where to look.

• Volunteer to develop skills | Disability charity Scope UK
• GOV.UK Volunteer
• Worcestershire Community Volunteering
• Volunteering with Worcester Community Trust 

Real examples:

You can find out about H2O Café, which is run using volunteers by watching the video.

Taken from the Skills 4 Worcestershire magazine.

James an ex pupil from Chadsgrove School is now working in a charity shop, on the tills, 3 days a week and his confidence and maturity has flourished. His mum has said how, since becoming an adult, professionals like to speak to him directly and as a result of this and working in the shop, his confidence has rocketed!

A high percentage of charity shop workforce is voluntary, you can find your local one here: Find a charity shop (Charity Retail.org.uk).