When young people suffer, talking helps, we listen, things can get better.

Feel Good Group Volunteer Role Description

This role is subject to enhanced PVG Disclosure

  1. Role details

Role title / Details / Timescale/Hours
Feel Good Group Volunteer / We are looking forvolunteers who are able to engage with young men and young women supportingthe delivery of our Feel Good Group in Craigmillar/Portobello.
Our Feel Good Groups encourage young people to engage in physical exercise, supported by health education activities, to improve well-being. / The young women’s group runs every Monday between 4 and 6.30pm
The young men’s group runs every Friday between 1 and 4pm.
Both groups are based in Craigmillar.
Training and supervision will be provided.

Responsible to:Health Opportunities Team Manager

Base:1a Queens Walk. Edinburgh. EH16 4EA

  1. Role and responsibilities

The Feel Good Group Volunteer plays an important role in support the development and delivery of the Feel Good Group. Specific roles include:

  • Being a role model to young people who attend the group
  • Supporting promotional activities to recruit young people into the group
  • Ensuring refreshments are prepared for the group
  • Ensuring young people respect the confidential nature of the service and also know the limitations of this confidentiality
  • Supporting the planning and delivery of physical activities and emotional health group work sessions
  • Signposting young people to information and other services
  • Reviewing and evaluating each group session with Feel Good Group workers

The Feel Good Group Volunteer will always be supported by a member of staff during the delivery of the group.

There are additional opportunities to contribute to the on-going development of the group and in nurturing the potential of young people in terms of facilitating young people to participate in community and fundraising activities and supporting young people into Peer Education.

  1. Time commitment required

It is important that the Feel Good Group Volunteer is able and willing to build up a good relationship with young people who attend the group. Therefore it would be essentialthat the Feel Good Group Volunteer is able to commit to the weekly sessions.

The Feel Good Group Volunteer isexpected to attend a programme of induction and training before starting their volunteering. Additional training and review sessions will be arranged when appropriate to suit the Volunteer’s personal and professional development.

  1. Communications

Internal:

The Feel Good Group Volunteer is expected to communicate any positive benefits or challenges they are experiencing as part of their role to gain appropriate support from the Lead worker for the group or the Manager. Equally any areas of development that the Feel Good Group Volunteer wishes to undertake should be highlighted when appropriate.

External:

Depending on the activities that the Feel Good Group Volunteer chooses to be involved in, liaison can be expected with community workers, youth workers, police, teachers, health professionals and others, both within the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.

5. Feel Good Group Volunteer: Person Specification

This role is subject to enhanced PVG Disclosure

Essential / Desirable
Results & Qualities / The volunteer is expected to be able to perform the role and responsibilities (listed page 1 and 2) and demonstrate the Key Competencies required of the role (listed page 3 and 4).
Education & training / Understanding of the health and social issues affecting young people in Scotland. / Interest and/or experience in sports coaching or mentoring
Relevant experience / Understanding and/or interest in engaging with young people through physical activity and providing education and support around issues of emotional health. / Experience of engaging with young people in a range of formal and informal settings.
Personal Qualities / Enthusiastic, positive, self-directed, energetic and flexible approach to service provision.
A proactive approach to involving young people.
An effective ‘team-player’.

6.Key Competencies

All volunteers at Health Opportunities Team are expected to carry out their roles in the following way:

TECHNICAL
Knowledge
The Volunteer will be expected to demonstrate a sound understanding of:
 The local community and its cultures and needs;
 Young people’s cultures and needs;
 Professional networks and practices;
 Relevant sexual health and mental health promotion theory and practice;
 Groupwork and individual theory and practice relevant to the role;
 Evaluation principles and practice.
Skills
The Volunteer will be expected to demonstrate their skills in:
 Engaging positively with challenging young people in different settings;
 Engaging positively with professionals from a variety of backgrounds;
 Evidencing the impact of health promotion interventions;
 Analysing and responding to evaluation and feedback evidence;
 Writing concise, accurate and reflective reports appropriate to the relevant audiences;
 Use information technology effectively (specifically Microsoft Word, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer).
Focus
The Volunteer will be expected to demonstrate their abilities to:
 Plan their workload with support from line manager;
 Prioritise competing demands appropriately;
 Manage time and priorities effectively;
 Provide accurate information relating to work activities;
 Implement practice that is specific to the needs of young people and which contributes directly to the Vision and Aims of Health Opportunities Team. / INTER-PERSONAL
Communication
The Volunteer will be expected to:
 Interact with young people and colleagues (internal and external) in a respectful, dignified and professional manner at all times;
 Network effectively and with purpose;
 Share appropriate information, verbally and in writing;
 Express ideas, thoughts and feelings in a meaningful and constructive manner.
Negotiating and Influencing
The Volunteer will be expected to be able to:
 Present sound arguments relating to practice priorities;
 Compromise;
 Hear other people’s points of view and take them on board;
 Act assertively (rather than passively or aggressively);
 Meaningfully influence others where appropriate;
 Encourage and nurture best practice.
Empathy
The Volunteer will be expected to be able to:
 Recognise and demonstrate an understanding the emotional needs of young people and colleagues;
 Actively seek support to develop further understanding of the emotional needs of young people and colleagues;
 Adapt to the emotional dynamics within the teams;
 Demonstrate emotional sensitivity to others at all times;
 Take responsibility for their own emotional needs and allow others to do likewise.
SELF REGULATION
Self Control
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Remain composed and calm under pressure;
Manage impulsive feelings appropriately;
Identify and respond to personal and emotional needs appropriately.
Self Directedness
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Take personal responsibility for implementing their practice;
Assess and implement their own learning and development needs;
Take appropriate responsibilities;
Demonstrate initiative and drive.
Integrity
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Express feelings and thoughts with honesty;
Demonstrate regard for others;
Act ethically at all times;
Nurture trust through consistent application of Health Opportunities Team Values. / LEADERSHIP
Vision and Aspiration
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Understand the broader policy and environmental context of the work of Health Opportunities Team;
Demonstrate abilities to develop new ideas;
Think creatively.
Inspiring Others
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Act as role models for young people and fellow professionals;
Maintain high standards of conduct and volunteering practices;
Demonstrate a passion for, belief in and commitment to the work of Health Opportunities Team.
Innovation
The Volunteer will be expected to:
Demonstrate creativity and flair;
Seek fresh ideas from a variety of new and existing sources;
Be enterprising within realistic limitations.
VALUES
Health Opportunities Team has a clear set of organisation Values which all volunteers are required to demonstrate at all times.
These Values can be described as:
Dignity, Respect, Diversity, Rights, Responsibilities, Partnership
Health Opportunities Team believes that:
  • Everybody should be treated with dignity and respect
  • Our world is diverse. Different individuals and different communities have different needs
  • Everybody has the right to achieve their full potential
  • We all have responsibility for our own actions
  • By working in partnership with young people, communities and practitioners, we can make a greater difference in the lives of young people

7. What will the Feel Good Group Volunteer gain:

We believe this is a fantastic voluntary opportunity during which a volunteer would gain:

  • A huge amount of experience providing young people with physical activity and health education support
  • An opportunity to develop skills and increased confidence in engaging with young people in a community drop-in group work setting
  • Regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and learn new methods of engagement with young people
  • Recognition for your volunteering in terms of getting references from HOT and certificates (including the Saltire awards if you are under the age of 25)

8.About the Feel Good Group

Our Feel Good Groups encourage young people to engage in physical exercise, supported by health education activities, to improve well-being. The Feel Good Project supports vulnerable young people to participate in physical activities which interest them and explore health issues. By providing them with a range of coping strategies that they can implement in their daily lives we increase confidence and self-esteem. The idea of combining physical, emotional and sexual health is supported by evidence which shows the benefits of a more holistic approach

Feel Good Group Objectives:

  • To encourage and support young people to become involved in physical activity,
  • To provide young people with the opportunity to explore their physical activity interests and to develop individual programmes to improve their physical health,
  • To provide young people with information about diet and nutrition and to encourage them to try new healthy food,
  • To provide young people with the opportunity to explore their sexual and emotional health,
  • To provide young people a range of coping strategies for their individual sexual and emotional health issues,
  • To provide young people with peer education opportunities,
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of this project.

The weekly session consists of 3parts: physical activity (programme of activities planned in consultation with participants) followed by healthy food and then a health education session which can take many different formats such as speakers, discussion group or workshop. These sessions are planned in partnership with the group members, depending on which issues they want to learn more about including sexual health, alcohol/substance use, bullying and healthy eating.

9.About Health Opportunities Team

When young people suffer, talking helps, we listen, things can get better.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide evidence-based learning and development opportunities, in a variety of settings, to improve young people’s emotional, social and sexual well-being

We work in partnership with a wide range of individuals and organisations to develop innovative and flexible services and to promote and share best practice

Our Aims

Health Opportunities Team has three core organisational aims:

  1. To deliver a variety of learning and development opportunities that are freely available for young people to access in the following environments:

a. Schools

b. Informal community settings

c. Streets

d. Drop-ins

  1. To enable young people’s voice to be heard through advocacy and youth participation
  1. To build the capacity of professionals through training, development and consultancy

Our Work Focus

Our current areas of work focus on:

Mental Health and Well-Being

Sexual Health and Well-Being

The work of Health Opportunities Team targets young people in the 12-19 age range, some of who may be experiencing various kinds of disadvantage. The Health Opportunities Team may, in some cases, work with vulnerable young people aged 10-12 and 19-25 years, although this will be dependent on available resources.

For further information contact:

Eric Chen

Project Worker (Fundraising and Volunteer/sessional worker coordination)

1A Queen’s Walk,

Edinburgh

EH16 4EA

0131 468 4600 (direct line 4603)

Registered Charity SC031463

Registered Company SC217791