{"id":7567,"date":"2024-07-19T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7567"},"modified":"2024-07-17T11:20:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T10:20:07","slug":"volunteering-your-gateway-to-great-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7567","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering \u2013 your gateway to great things"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lauren,<\/a><\/p>\n

As a mental health charity, volunteers are a big piece of the picture that makes up Mind BLMK<\/a>. Their value is felt every day at all levels in the charity. The volunteer picture looks very different to what it used to pre-Covid. We have seen a big decrease in the average age of our volunteers with lots of people who have just finished college or university, or are currently studying, signing up to volunteer with us.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the value of volunteering and how to apply on the Volunteering page<\/a> in the Help Centre and browse opportunities in the Monthly Volunteering Update.<\/p>\n

A range of roles starting small<\/h4>\n

At Mind BLMK we offer a wide variety of volunteering opportunities<\/a> as we understand people have different motivations for volunteering and so are looking for different things. Some of our roles offer less commitment with just a few hours a month and others require a bigger time commitment. Regardless of the role, we ensure our volunteers feel their value and in return gain valuable skills, experiences, and training. Many of our staff members started as volunteers with us and some continue their volunteer journey alongside the work they do.<\/p>\n

Just bring your own experience<\/h4>\n

You don\u2019t need experience of working in mental health to volunteer with us. Our only requirements are compassion, empathy, and your own lived experience of mental health struggles which can be your own or someone close to you who you have supported. Lived experience of poor mental health informs everything we do and is a very important part of the delivery of our services.<\/p>\n

A sense of purpose<\/h4>\n

Volunteering is also great for your wellbeing. Studies have shown that giving back to the local community through volunteering can improve your outlook on the world, give you a sense of purpose and connection.<\/p>\n

Fits around your time and interests<\/h4>\n

Volunteering can give you valuable experiences you wouldn\u2019t otherwise have, and it can be fitted around what time you have available. My advice for anyone who doesn\u2019t know what they want to do, who feels they need more real-world experience, who is curious about what\u2019s out there, or just wants to do some good in the world\u2026 find something you\u2019re passionate about and volunteer doing that thing.<\/p>\n

Volunteering is a gateway to all great things, including employment.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Image<\/a><\/p>\n

Lauren Booth is the Volunteer Coordinator for the mental health charity Mind BLMK. She passionately champions volunteers, highlighting their essential contributions within the third sector. Lauren’s dedication ensures that volunteers are empowered and supported in their goals, making a significant impact in the community, and advancing Mind BLMK’s mission of promoting mental well-being.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a mental health charity, volunteers are a big piece of the picture that makes up Mind BLMK. Their value is felt every day at all levels in the charity. The volunteer picture looks very different to what it used to pre-Covid. We have seen a big decrease in the average age of our volunteers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,90,41],"tags":[73,30],"class_list":["post-7567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-planning","category-carers","category-volunteering-2","tag-careers","tag-volunteering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7567"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7573,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7567\/revisions\/7573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}