The ‘Travel’ volunteering scheme helps homeless and vulnerable people to build their self-confidence, develop new skills and make their way back into the workforce.
Travel participants attend an eight-week volunteering training course, which covers issues such as office etiquette, communication skills, teamwork, assertiveness and time management.
They then spend two months working two days a week as a volunteer for Thames Reach.
The volunteer placements vary to match the skills and experience of each participant. Previous jobs have included administration and reception duties, gardening, and running activities in one of our hostels.
During their placements, volunteers are given support from their supervisor, the Travel tutor and a ‘buddy’ within the office with whom they can share any concerns. They also have the chance to talk about their experiences in a peer support group that meets every fortnight.
At the end of the scheme, Travel participants are helped to identify and achieve the next step forward in their lives. This may be to do more volunteering, take up education or training, or start looking for a paid job.
What Travel participants have said about the scheme:
“I came on the course to do something with my life – I realised I was worth something and I wanted to prove it to myself.”
“I’ve picked up lots of tools on the course and it’s given me the courage to use the ones I had already.”
