Our Volunteer Induction comes with a side of tea, chocolate biscuits & the kind of laughing that requires tissue!
An induction is the process of preparing volunteers for a clear relationship with SOAR/the organisation they’ll be volunteering with. It should make volunteers feel comfortable and ensure they understand the group or organisation's history, ethos, structure and procedures.
On a wet November morning, a group of SOAR volunteers joined our Sofeena (Learning & Development Coordinator) at The Learning Zone to go through the new volunteer induction and provide constructive feedback. The induction is for volunteers so why not have volunteers contribute to the way it looks and is delivered!
It started with an ice breaker sharing something personal with the person next to you. One volunteer has a whopping 28 tattoos and counting! It then moved on to SOAR and the different teams responsible for the different activities and support we deliver. Safeguarding, confidentiality and health and safety was next up. There were some amazing conversations between volunteers and between the whole group and Sofeena.
The session overran & we got pretty deep into safeguarding, but this is why we test run these things! Volunteers had invaluable input and feedback, with one saying
“Thank you for today, it was amazing. It’s an amazing team, with all different attributes to put forward, like a big jigsaw.”, whilst another volunteer said
“The volunteer induction was very informative and welcoming. Must also add engaging. Glad to be part of a great team!”.
Our Sofeena has taken on board everything shared and a new version is ready to be launch, with the first session planned this month!
If you’re interested to find out how you can start volunteering, please get in touch with our Communities Team on communities@soarcommunity.org.uk or 0114 213 4067.
Check out our Volunteering webpage here.
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