Welcome to Bright Futures UK Volunteering

Become a Volunteer Befriender to a Young Person Living with a Long-Term Illness!

As a Befriender, you will play a key role in boosting a young person’s confidence, being an extra person in their support circle and providing a distraction from their illness to enable them to feel a sense of normality.

We like to tailor programmes to the young person’s individual needs and will ensure that we match you in a programme with someone you may have common ground with. Sessions can involve activities such as crafting, gaming, music, or just general chat.

As a volunteer befriender, you will:

• Be understanding and patient with the young person’s illness/
• Be able to talk to them about their interests and hobbies
• Be able to do activities with them if you are providing in-person support
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Be reliable and trustworthy

We are looking for volunteers who have:

• A desire to support vulnerable young people
• Empathy and understanding for young people with chronic illness
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Reliability and trustworthiness
• A friendly and approachable manner

Locations:

We are seeking to recruit befrienders to provide support either online or in person.

Time commitment:

We ask that each volunteer befriender commits to offering a minimum of 14 sessions, each lasting up to 1 hour. These will be run weekly.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer befriender, please contact us today. We would love to hear from you!

Become a Volunteer Mentor and Inspire Young People with Long Term Illness!

We are looking for people who can help young people develop the skills and knowledge they need to design their future. Whether you are a professional with years of experience or a recent graduate, we want to hear from you.

As a volunteer mentor, you will:

• Work within everyone's limitations to provide a positive and supportive environment
• Help build resilience and hope for a positive outlook towards their future ambitions
• Offer encouragement and guidance to help young people express themselves
• Share your story and advice with young people
• Help them to explore their interests and options
• Provide them with practical support, such as help with CV writing or interview skills
• Inspire them to achieve their goals

We are looking for volunteers who have:

• A passion for sharing their skills and creativity
• Empathy and understanding for young people with chronic illness
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Reliability and trustworthiness
• A friendly and approachable manner

Locations:

We are seeking to recruit mentors to provide support either online or in person.

Time commitment:

We ask that each volunteer mentor commit to offering a minimum of 6 sessions, each lasting up to 1 hour. These can be run over a period or sequentially to be discussed and agreed upon as required by the young person to meet their needs.

Become a Volunteer Tutor to Support the Education of Young People with Long Term Illnesses!

We are looking for tutors to provide educational support to young people whose education has been compromised due to a long-term mental or physical illness. On a one-to-one basis, you will engage with the young person and provide a comfortable, friendly environment for them to catch up on their studies, gain confidence, and strengthen their academic skills to help them progress.

As a volunteer Tutor, you will:

• Work within everyone's limitations to provide a positive and supportive environment
• Help build resilience and hope for a positive outlook towards their education and learning
• Familiarise yourself with a young person’s subject content to teach them to the best of your ability.
• Listening to a young person’s educational needs and planning appropriate sessions that work for everyone to meet them.
• Ensuring you create a friendly, comfortable, and safe environment for you and the young person to work in.
• Help them to work towards and achieve their educational goals and aspirations. 

We are looking for volunteers who have:

• Appropriate knowledge of the chosen topic and relevant qualifications in the chosen area
• A desire to support vulnerable young people
• Empathy and understanding for young people with chronic illness
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Reliability and trustworthiness
• A friendly and approachable manner

Locations:

We are seeking to recruit tutors to provide support either online or in person.

Time commitment:

We ask that each volunteer tutor commit to offering a minimum of 14 sessions. With each session lasting up to 1 hour. These will be run weekly.

Become a Volunteer Workshop Leader and Inspire Young People with long-term illnesses!

Bright Futures UK is a charity that supports young people who are forced to take time out from education due to chronic illness. We provide programmes that stimulate learning and offer a social aspect, offering respite to young people who have become extremely isolated due to their unfortunate circumstances.

We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about sharing their skills and creativity with young people.

As a volunteer workshop leader, you will:

• Design and deliver interactive workshops that inspire and engage young people
•  Work within everyone’s limitations to provide a positive and supportive learning environment
•  Offer encouragement and guidance to help young people express themselves through practical activities
•  Ensure that young people can access education support, learn new skills and knowledge

We are looking for volunteers who have:

•  A passion for sharing their skills and creativity
• Empathy and understanding for young people with chronic illness
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Reliability and trustworthiness
• A friendly and approachable manner

Locations:
We are seeking to recruit workshop leaders throughout the boroughs of London with workshops to be held in hospitals, including (but not limited to):

•  University College London Hospital
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• The Royal Brompton
• The Royal Marsden
• The Evalina Hospital

Time commitment
We ask that each volunteer workshop leader commit to offering a minimum of 2 workshops.  The workshops can be run over a period or as an ongoing project to be discussed and agreed upon by the programme’s leader.