volunteeringwith

four square

Opportunities information pack

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

Welcome to Four Square 3

How We Help 4

What are the Benefits of Volunteering? 5

Your commitment to us 6

Our commitment to you 6

Volunteering Opportunities: 7

n Connected – Learning & Employability 8

n EFI Superstores – Used furniture social enterprise 10

n Number 20 – Supported accommodation for young women aged 16-21 12

n Stopover – Emergency accommodation for young people aged 16-21 13

n Corporate Services –

PR, marketing, fundraising, web, social media & other key services 15

Training Opportunities 16

How to Volunteer 18

Contacts 20

2

Contents

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

3

Welcome to

Every year our charity helps hundreds of disadvantaged people

in Edinburgh and beyond to overcome the barriers they face.

Volunteers play a vital role in our charity. Without the countless hours

they contribute to our essential work we wouldn’t be able to provide

our support, advice, shelter and employability to some of the most

disadvantaged people in our society.

Volunteering can also be a very rewarding experience for you the

volunteer. It can help you develop new skills, refresh existing ones and

introduce you to a wide range of new opportunities. There is also the

great feeling you get from being part of a team making a difference to

people lives.

This information pack is intended as an introduction to Four Square, its

services and some of the opportunities we offer our volunteers. We hope

it will help to answer many of the questions you may have but if not, one

of our Service Managers, listed on the back page, will help you with any

other questions you may have.

We look forward to helping you, help us to help people in need.

GreatAdviceGreatAdvice

ThankYou

ThankYou

A safeplaceA safeplace

very helpful

veryhelpful

qualityservicequalityservice

freeupliftfree

uplift

A Place to stayA Place

to stay

a freshstart

a freshstart back on

my feetback on my feet

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

4

How we help

Four Square provides accommodation, advice & advocacy services, education & training and practical support to homeless and other vulnerable groups in Edinburgh.

Those services include:

Accommodation & Supportn Stopover (Emergency accommodation for young people aged 16-21)

n Number 20 (Supported accommodation for young women aged 16-21)

n Follow Up (Visiting tenancy support service for ages 16+)

Advice & Advocacyn EHAP (Housing information, money advice, advocacy services)

n Prison Outreach (Housing advice, information and advocacy for people in prison)

Enterprise & Sustainabilityn EFI ( Collecting and selling donated furniture and white goods through their social

enterprise superstores)

Learning & Employabilityn Connected ( Employability support services for unemployed and

disadvantaged people)

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

5Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

Almost anyone can become a volunteer, all you need is enthusiasm, commitment... and some time to spare.

The greatest benefit of volunteering is that it leaves you feeling satisfied that you are helping others.

Other benefits include:

n The opportunity to do doing something worthwhile

n An opportunity be productive with your spare time

n Learning new skills and/or developing your existing skills

n Opportunities to meet new people and make new friends

n Opening gateways to other opportunities

n Experience which looks great on your CV

n Provision of travel expenses and lunch if you volunteer for more than 5 hours in a day

What are the Benefits of Volunteering?

Volunteer worker a

t EF I Superstore

Volunteer worker at EF I Superstore

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We need to work safely and as a team if we want to achieve our goals, so we have some expectations from our volunteers. As a volunteer you agree to:

n Abide to Four Square’s values, policies and procedures

n Attend induction training

n Follow all Health and Safety Policies so that all staff and volunteers are working in a safe and secure environment

n That you wear all protective clothing provided at all times when required

n Work in such a way that promotes Four Square and the services it provides in a positive manner

n You are reliable and punctual in attending the volunteering hours as agreed

Your commitment to us

We value our volunteers highly and are committed to ensuring that your volunteer experience is rewarding and enjoyable. We aim to achieve this through providing:

n A full induction programme

n Training appropriate to the tasks to be undertaken

n Clear lines of communication

n Support and supervision from line management

n A pleasant, safe and secure working environment

n Recognition for your achievement

n Provision of travel expenses and lunch when you volunteer for more than 5 hours in a day

Our Commitment to You

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

7

Many of our important services have an ever present need for volunteers. Other services needs fluctuate dependent on a whole range of factors, many outwith their control.

You can find a complete list of our services current requirements by visiting www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

Below is a list of some of our services who are always on the look out for volunteers. Check out the following pages to find out more about them and some of their volunteering opportunities.

Number 20

Stopover

Corporate Services

Volunteering Opportunities

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

8

Learning & Employability TrainingConnected provides a broad range of skills development opportunities, work-focused training and flexible employability support for unemployed and disadvantaged people in Edinburgh.

Connected provides the following benefits:

n Access to individually tailored learning and employability support

n Supported routes into education, training, volunteering and work

n The opportunity for agencies to add value to existing support

Connected offer the following services:

Employability skills coaching and person-centred guidance, advocacy and support for unemployed people and disadvantaged individuals of working age.

A range of training programmes designed to develop personal effectiveness, motivation, skills and employability.

A 13-week work preparation programme for young adults aged 16 to 30, incorporating accredited work skills and competencies training, a practical work placement and dedicated progression support.

Training covering a range of practical work skills, including: customer service, manual handling and workplace health & safety.

Connected is located at the Four Square Hub.

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-connected Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-connected

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AdministratorA volunteer administrator will help staff to manage a busy workload through taking telephone calls and inputing data into our Management Information System.

Group Work AssistantA volunteer group worker will help a group trainer to prepare and deliver training to groups. Tasks will include photo copying, taking the register and assisting the project worker to manage the groups.

Volunteering Opportunities with Connected

Connected clients on the JUMPSTART course

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-connected

for a free upliftCALL: 0131 557 7900

10

Raising Funds by Selling Donated FurnitureEFI sells quality used furniture and appliances that have been donated by the residents of Edinburgh. Every day people from all over the city visit one of our two used furniture superstores to grab themselves a bargain.

Raising FundsEach EFI furniture store is run by a manager who is supported by paid staff and a team of volunteers. We sell a wide range of household & office furniture and appliances. The money we raise goes towards supporting the many other Four Square services which help homeless and disadvantaged people Edinburgh.

All income raised locally, stays locally

Free furniture pick-up serviceEFI runs a free van service all over Edinburgh to pick-up donated furniture and appliances, which is then taken to our furniture stores. These vans also provide a competitively priced delivery service to our customers.

Help for those who need itEFI also provides an Assist scheme card which gives people who are on low incomes or benefits a substantial discount on our furniture. The card is available city wide through our network of caring partner organisations.

EFI is located at Four Square Hub and Sighthill.

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11Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-efi

Due to the nature of its activities, EFI is ideally suited for volunteers of varying ages, skills and availability. These opportunities include:

Van DriversDriving the vans to collect donations and deliver furniture to customers.

Van AssistantsVolunteering alongside the drivers to collect donations and deliver furniture to customers.

Warehouse AssistantsVolunteering in the warehouse to keep it neat and tidy and help to ensure that the furniture is in good condition before it goes on sale to the public. Also helping to deliver a good service to our customers.

Electrical PAT testingOpportunity for people to develop their skills in the testing of electrical appliances.

Note: while no experience is required for any of the above opportunities the type of skills needed are:n Reasonable fitness for physically handling heavy and items of furnituren Communication and customer service skills for dealing with members of the public

Administrative AssistantsWe also have opportunities that would suit someone who has good organisation skills and could support store managers with daily admin tasks. A good telephone manner and comfortable using a PC are an advantage.

Retail marketing AssistantsWe often have opportunities for people with knowledge of sales and marketing techniques. Duties would include placing ads on our website and Gumtree, updating and placing promotions on our website as well as helping to keep in touch with customers with visits, phone and leaflet distribution. Requires a confident individual with good written and PC skills.

Volunteering Opportunities with EFI

12 Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-number20

Supported Accommodation for young womenNumber 20 provides 6 fully furnished bedsits within one building for young women, aged 16 to 21, who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness. It is a safe and friendly place to stay, where young women can develop their skills and confidence to live independently.

Number 20 is located near Edinburgh’s town centre. The service is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round, ensuring the young women will have support when they need it.

Each young woman has their own Number 20 worker who helps them find more permanent housing, and offers support in a variety of other areas. These areas include; health and wellbeing, money management, education, training and employment opportunities, tenancy preparation, social and support networks, and accessing other services and resources.

Number 20

“Thanks for all the advice

to help me on my way”

Emergency AccommodationStopover provides emergency accommodation in Edinburgh and support for young people who are homeless or at risk.

This service is open to up to 16 individuals, aged between 16 and 21 years inclusive, and can be accessed 24 hours per day 7 days per week. The users of this service often either contact Stopover directly or ask someone else to refer them.

Young people can stay for up to 3 months and are allocated a key member of staff to support them to find more secure accommodation.Support is also given to access other support services such as health, benefits, counselling, training and employment opportunities. Stopover runs a tenancy preparation program to teach and improve skills young people will need to live independently.

Stopover also provides opportunities for young people to get involved in a variety of physical activities such as swimming, football, cycling and going to the gym. Cooking groups are held every week.

Stopover is located in Edinburgh’s West End, near Haymarket Station.

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Stopover

Resident helping out with

decorating at Stopover.

Resident helping prepare food at Stopover.

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteer-stopover

Volunteer Opportunities with Number 20 & StopoverProject Assistant and BefriendingAs a Befriender, you would take some time to get to know the young people at Stopover and Number Twenty and offer a listening ear. You may help a young person become more confident in looking after themselves and their homes, for example supporting them with shopping, cleaning, laundry, budgeting, appointments, telephone calls, filling in forms, applying for courses, training and work. You may help a young person find out about their rights and opportunities available to them and help them try new things, for example, accompanying a young person to the gym, classes, and youth services.

A Project Assistant would be both a befriender and help with reception and administrative duties, gaining a fuller experience of residential social care.

Specialist ActivitiesWe would welcome volunteers with specialist skills who could offer training sessions or experiences of new hobbies and interests. For example, DIY sessions, music workshops, arts and crafts, beauty classes.

HandypersonThere are ongoing repairs and maintenance to be carried out at both services. If you are a trained electrician or plumber, or a dab hand at painting, decorating and fixing stuff, we would love to hear from you.

AdministratorIf you have experience in administration and would like to offer your support in this area, please do contact us.

Note: Volunteers at Stopover and Number Twenty need an enhanced PVG Scheme disclosure check.

14 Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering-corporate-services

15Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering-corporate-services

Every charity organisation requires the support from key functions in order to deliver on front line services... Four Square is no different.

OpportunitiesIf you have the time and skills that match any of these opportunities, we’d like to hear from you.

PR and MarketingRaising awareness of what we do.

WebsiteHelping to create and publish content on our website through our DRUPAL content management system.

Social MediaKeeping everyone updated about what we do on Facebook & Twitter

FundraisingOrganising activities to help raise money to fund what we do.

AdminHelping us out in a variety of head office functions including Finance & HR.

Interested? Want to find out more?

Contact us now to find out how you could help us with these key tasks.

Corporate Services

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Many of our volunteering opportunities come with provision of training in key skills, skills that can enhance any workplace. These include:

EFI Superstore, you will receive a full induction into the company that includes training in:

n Health and Safety at Work

n Manual Handling and

n Customer Service

With services with young people, you will receive training in:

n Maintaining boundaries

n Confidentiality

Training Opportunities

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering 17

“Comming to EF I to help out was one of the best things I have ever done!”

Frank (above) started helping out at EFI as a volunteer and is now a member of staff – volunteering can help change peoples lives.

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Our volunteers come from lots of different backgrounds including:

n People with a commitment to helping the city’s homeless and vulnerable

n Students

n Unemployed people looking for work experience

n Part-time workers

n Early retirees

n People looking to get back into the world of work after a career break

Interested? Want to find out more? visit our web site (address below) or phone 0131 557 7930 or email us at volunteer@foursquare.org.uk

Note: n Volunteers are recruited to meet specific needs and work

priorities as determined by the Service Manager.

n Volunteer involvement beyond the immediate needs of each service will be considered at the discretion of the Service Manager.

n Volunteers must complete the Volunteer Application Form as part of our recruitment process.

How to volunteer with Four Square

Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

19Find out more at www.foursquare.org.uk/volunteering

For further information on any of the opportunities in this pack please contact the relevant service manager who will happily discuss the opportunities in more detail.

Connected Service Manager0131 557 7909 jamesg@foursquare.org.uk

Four Square is a registered charity. Registered in Scotland No 78319 Scottish Charity No SCO 17242

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EFI 5 Bankhead Medway, Edinburgh, EH11 4BY

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EFI Service Manager0131 557 7902 mattl@foursquare.org.uk

Stopover and No 20 Service Manager0131 221 2293lindam@foursquare.org.uk

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