Thanks to Kelly for sharing this news with VB readers. Well done to all those who take part in the hugely valuable voluntary service. Ed
Volunteers have provided 300 hours of support to young carers over the summer. Staff and volunteers celebrated this massive achievement with a social event held at Ryde Super Bowl.
The YMCA Young Carers Project supports children and young people (aged 5 – 18) who care, or help to care, for a relative at home in various ways including: individual and family support, ‘befriending’, and by providing breaks away from their caring responsibilities to enable young carers to meet others in similar circumstances and to have some fun.
Georgina Westhorpe who has volunteered with the Project since 2003 tells her story, “I have found volunteering to be a most rewarding experience with lots of laughs, but mainly I’ve met some pretty amazing young people who I feel humbled to be around. It has been a pleasure and privilege to support the families and young carers and I would recommend the experience to anyone.”
Heidi Kurowska, Manager of the YMCA Young Carers Project says, “We really appreciate the time and commitment offered by our fantastic team of volunteers. Recently, two of our volunteers were on the support crew accompanying the SQ2SQ team on their 2-week epic cycling challenge to Gibraltar to raise additional funds for the Project. However, we have recently extended our support to Young Adult Carers (aged 18-25) in addition to the 160 young carers we currently support throughout the Island – and therefore need more volunteers to compliment our small staff team and dedicated volunteer base.”
Fancy volunteering?
Any individual interested in volunteering should be aged 21 or over, have experience of working/volunteering with children/young people and have access to a car (full driving licence holders only).
Volunteers are regularly required during school holidays and occasionally weekends (flexible approach). Professionals working in education or childcare would be encouraged to apply. The project also welcomes applications from individuals and/or couples who may wish to volunteer together.
If you would like more information about volunteering, please contact Kelly Matthews, Targeted Services Volunteer Co-ordinator, on 01983 861071 or email [email protected].
Group Photo top row – Luke Jeffries, Matthew Drysdale, Jennifer Swindon, Heidi Kurowska (Project Manager), Georgina Westhorpe, Gareth Maydew, Jo Ansell. Bottom Row – Trudie Augustus-Harris (Activity Co-ordinator), Joanna Pearson.
