Volunteering for a week- any ideas??

[Bubbless31]

I’ve got a childfree week in the summer holidays, Friday to Friday and I’d LOVE to volunteer with a project during that time. I do a lot of volunteering normally anyway, but something different to get me away from home, being social with other people, and doing some good would be great. I have a campervan so at a project where other people are staying in tents or caravans for the duration would be preferable… any ideas/ thoughts/ links would be appreciated. It seems to be a difficult thing to google!

Festival volunteering?

I think it is quite hard to just 'find' a specific week's worth of volunteering... I work for a charity and we have a lot of volunteers but the application process, reference checks, training, safeguarding policies etc etc is (rightly) very rigorous. Most organisations would expect you to have already shown some commitment before taking you on for a full week. But maybe something like the National Trust ... they used to offer a sort of 'volunteer residential week', not sure if they do any more.

Festival volunteering is a good shout. Something like Welfare - you’ll need to do some training sessions beforehand, but if you aren’t medically or psychologically trained/qualified then they’ll allocate you to things like offering comfort, a person to chat to, making cups of tea and being a person in a safe space. I’ve done it at Wilderness and Secret Garden Party in years past and it’s a nice way to give back. Also not too heavy a commitment: they give you shifts so you can enjoy the festival as well.

As you are already a volunteer, you will know that taking on someone is not without cost. Reference, CRB checks etc. it is hard to think which organisation would find it worth their while to engage in this expense for such a short time.

Would you be willing to say what skills you have and what interests. With this extra info someone might be able to make a suggestion.

Have a look on the Doit website. It is a volunteering database and you will be able to put in your location and see what volunteering opportunities are local to you

Mostly reasonable sized towns and cities will have a volunteer hub - eg voluntary action, who you can approach. they will hold a central register of volunteer opportunities from local voluntary organisations.

I would get in touch soon - as they will have to ask for references, apply for DSB etc etc. Like previous poster I think you'll be hard pressed to find an organisation to take you for a random week. However have you thought about an volunteer holiday - a former colleague would often go on these - eg National Trust path maintenance, dry stone wall building. The deal was you worked for half a day, free accommodation but you paid for travel and food

YHA do (or certainly used to do) volunteering weeks
National Trust the same.
RSPB
Volunteering in Wales

There are lots of organisations that need volunteers to take young people away - PHAB camps..... SENSE ..... Jumbulance