Please tell me about any voluntary work you have done that has been both sociable and mentally stimulating.

[alwaysandnever]

Post-covid restrictions, my job is likely to remain working from home. I work 4 days per week and have teenage children who are just a few years off flying the nest.

I don't mind working from home but would like some connection with the outside world on a weekly basis, and to feel like I am doing something useful. My job has always been a bit stand-alone so lacks face-to-face social interactions. I like learning new things and spending time with knowledgeable people. I guess I am looking for something that fosters a sense of camaraderie and coming together for a shared goal. Does anyone volunteer in a role which ticks all these boxes?

I could probably offer half a day or one or two evenings per week.

I am a Guide leader. We are meeting on Zoom and have been for the past year almost. We are a sociable team of adults, we have a chat at the end of each Guides meeting once the girls have left the zoom and we have planning meetings where we have discuss plans and have a social chat too. There is lots to learn for new leaders if you want to do the Leadership Qualification (you don't have to, you can just come along and help and you will still learn a lot). I have been doing it for years and still learn new things. It is 1.5hrs a week plus planning meetings every so often, plus maybe time to plan if you are running an activity. In not-covid times we also go on trips and have sleepovers and go camping that take up extra time, but I have younger DC and a crazy shift-based job so can't go to everything and that's ok.
However, we are a very friendly and active unit, and I don't think they all are. Some units have not been meeting online at all, and some probably don't have such a friendly team as us.

Meet and greet/garden guide for the national trust in one of their many amazing gardens, the kind of place people travel for hours to see. One day. ...

I suppose it depends on what you have near you and what you are interested in?

I live in a village so with a very active community association (not UK though) and there is always something to get involved with from helping out at the local fetes to community clean ups and gardening days so I have got to know lots of like minded people and I really enjoy the camaraderie.

If there is nothing similar where you live, is there a nature reserve or community cafe?

Alternatively I used to work sometimes with an organisation called home start, which provides support to young or struggling mums - you would meet lots of people and be part of a team of volunteers and they give training, support etc.. I think its national so possibly one locally or something similar?

You could just google a list of local organisations / charities and if any sound interesting to you, contact them to see what they have?

I’ve volunteered at our local food bank.

I enjoyed it because there were specific tasks to complete and usually worked as part of a team. It to know team regulars and there were some group outings or social events as a result however, this may be dependent on each place rather than the volunteering work specifically.

There’s quite a bit of variety, in that it’s a place that needed lots of jobs to make it run. I never dealt with people using the food bank, mainly as much of it was delivered but a team of us would organise stocks, put boxes together etc,

Guiding or Scouts.

Chair on charity committees for a food bank and Help the Aged as it was called then.

Fundraising but back office so approaching companies for sponsorship, discounts and writing grant applications as opposed to collecting in the street though I did do this a couple of times.

I did spend a few months as an assistant at an art project for pensioners many years ago that was great fun.

I’m an event director for a parkrun. A lot of work, very sociable.

I've done two I really enjoyed
Food bank
Dog walking for a rescue (as a group or alone). I ended up bringing a dog home for the day, my friend saw him and adopted him

• Telephone befriending (eg. Age Uk)
• MyGuide (Guide Dogs Association)

You could start the telephone befriending immediately once the charity has completed the relevant checks.

STEM ambassador. Going into local schools (not at the moment obviously) to do science demonstrations and competitions.
I do it with a small group of other volunteers, so we plan the activities together, sometimes meet up at each others houses (again, not at the moment!) to plan things. So quite social. Also help out with science fairs etc - through this I've expanded my own knowledge hugely and met some lovely people working in fascinating areas.

Although that's obviously specific to STEM related jobs, there may well be volunteering opportunities related to your career/interests. I think that this sort of volunteering can be quite intellectually stimulating and also counts towards CPD etc.

I foster rescue cats and kittens.

Part of the role is to host people wanting to adopt so I get to chat to them about the cats etc, although we're as hands off as possible with this at the moment. We do a Zoom initially and then short visits sometimes.

I also have additional vet trips so again, when covid doesn't get in the way, it's nice to take a load of kittens to the vets and they all want to play with them.

I also participate in our fundraisers and have met the other fosterers socially. If animals are your thing, there's probably opportunities within rescue for cats, dogs, horses or other animals.

What do you enjoy doing? You could: do volunteer gardening. Help out at a day centre for age UK. Hospices need everything from laundry, cleaners, drivers, medical care, help with activities, fundraising. Charity shops are always looking for staff. They may have an on-line presence they need help with. Local wildlife reserves, often need help with maintenance of paths, hedges, educational visits. Since covid there are lots of community projects that have sprung up, befriending, or sorting/delivering food parcels or meals. Local homeless charities will also need all kinds of volunteers.

School governor. But how rewarding it is depends very much on the circumstances in the school.

I've been a governor at 5 schools. The most rewarding was a school in special measures that eventually turned around and got Good from ofsted.

Rewarding but very hard work, and astonishing responsibility for a voluntary role, although it's all as a team. Recruiting head teachers, commissioning safeguarding reviews, not to mention acting on them, plus all manner of staffing issues - redundancy and disciplinary. Then there's finance, many schools are skint with big deficits and governors must oversee these matters.

Academy schools whatever the ofsted grade confer all sorts of additional responsibilities on governors (also called trustees in academies) especially with finance.

There is always training, professional advice and support available for governors but the quality can be variable and can depend on what the school is prepared to pay for.

On the other hand you will find plenty of people bored silly by the role because they feel they can't make a difference and it's just endless boring meetings.

If you're interested there's an organisation called Inspiring Governance which can put you in touch with schools needing governors and give you other information.

I've been a Cub leader for about 3.5 years now, and was a Rainbow leader before that. Love it. Timewise, it's about an afternoon for planning/admin and one evening a week, and the odd weekend. Depending on your team, the afternoon isn't every week.

I've done committees and running community events in the past, but tbh they end up with being more stress than it's worth as people always complain you aren't doing enough.

Thanks for your suggestions so far. There are lots of things I would enjoy doing. I like animals, being outdoors, helping people, solving-problems. I feel strongly about a myriad of issues: sports, women's rights, young people, education, and many more. That is the problem, I'm indecisive and want to do everything.

It's more that the setting has to be right. I need something that takes me out of my house and allows me to see some of the same people every week, build some relationships and work on something collaborative if possible, since I mostly work alone.

I have volunteered in Guiding in the past, and although I had a good experience, I am not looking to go back to that. Of the suggestions so far, perhaps National Trust or the Wildlife Trust or some kind of gardening activity programme might suit me.

Volunteer advisor at a Citizens Advice Bureau? Problem solving, helping people, being part of a small team, lots to learn, and the chance to get involved with social policy projects.

When I was a student I was part of a conversation group for refugees wanting to practice English which was a lot of fun and really interesting.

I also enjoyed a stint running a kid's club at a women's refuge, although the fundraising part was a lot more draining.

parkrun or junior parkrun volunteering? Lots of different roles to do and very sociable.

I was a volunteer special constable for several years. Very rewarding and very varied work.

I'd quite like to volunteer at our local food bank but it's never got openings.

Cab isn't for the faint-hearted, governments treat like an arm of the Civil Service for form-filling to help vulnerable people. Do learn loads & very interesting tho.

I need to get out of the house too but very aware of getting sucked into charity politics.

Anyone volunteered for the Red Cross?

I really like volunteering in my local charity shop. You meet all sorts of people. I've learned loads too, about vintage clothing, hallmarks, spotting fake handbags, china marks, old books. If you're even just a wee bit interested in history or antiques it's brilliant fun.

I do one morning a week in "normal" times which is 4 hours.

National trust wise - being a volunteer gardener might be a possible for you if you like the team thing. My role means I see little of the other volunteers but met loads of lovely visitors. Worked perfectly for me and hope to do it again.

The best voluntary work I ever did was for my local youth offending team. I was a ‘reparations supervisor’ - basically being the responsible adult present while young people serving non-custodial sentences carried out community service.

It was really varied, as their community service varied - from making lunches and doing activities in a day centre with older people, to mucking out and grooming horses at a stables, to painting the local community centre.

I’d get stuck in to whatever the youngsters were doing, while striking up conversations with them and helping them to interact with others. Very rewarding and a lot of fun.

Eventually the YOT gave me some great training, too. Safeguarding, restorative justice, drug and alcohol awareness etc. I did it for about 3 years and it actually led me to a career change in the end (not youth justice, but related). Was a brilliant experience.

parkrun ticks your boxes although it's paused at the moment because of Covid. Team effort, sociable, outdoors. Satisfaction of contributing to improved mental and physical health of hundreds of people every week. You don't need to be a runner or walker yourself.