Volunteering - is this an option for you?

Have you ever thought about becoming a volunteer? 

As today marks the start of National Volunteers’ Week, we take a look at the benefits of becoming one.  

As a military spouse, it is common to have gaps in your employment history, normally as a result of being a mobile family. By taking up a volunteering role, you can fill these gaps and learn new skills, which will be useful to add to your CV.  

Volunteering can take many different forms too. It could be working in your local charity shop for a couple of afternoons a week, or perhaps you could be a Scout or Guide leader? Could you walk a dog for a vulnerable owner, or call them for a chat perhaps? Maybe you’re supporting a COVID-19 vaccination centre? The possibilities are endless. 

Being a volunteer opens up a lot of opportunities to develop your employability skills too. It can help you feel like a part of the community, take on a new challenge, meet new people, build your confidence and feel a sense of reward that you are giving something back. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/volunteer  

As an employer, there are also benefits to recruiting volunteers. It can help to develop the diversity of your workforce with added skills, knowledge and experience, as well as enabling you to reach a wider audience for your business. It can help you to build relationships with the different groups within larger communities, and enable you to provide opportunities for social inclusion, development of skills and possible routes into paid employment. 

If you are an employer who is interested in offering volunteering opportunities, please do get in touch with the FFJ team and we will happily promote this on our volunteering page.