Become A First Stop Volunteer

Volunteers have always been the lynch pin of the operational work of First Stop.  They bring with them a wide range of skills and experience which is invaluable to the clients and staff team.  Many volunteers have used their experience of working within First Stop as a stepping stone in to further education or employment. 

There are various ways you can volunteer:

Whichever you choose we are sure you will gain a great deal from the experience.  Here’s an exert from one of our previous volunteers story; 

Julie

When I was asked to write a piece on volunteering at First Stop, I felt very honoured, as I did when I worked there.  First Stop is an amazing place as are the people who work there.  Volunteering at First Stop Darlington was a life changing experience for me, it really brought home to me that I took for granted the fundamental things in life that others who visited the project were missing in abundance.  A roof over my head, being warm and always having food when I was hungry.  There are hundreds of people in Darlington who do not have these and that’s why a project like First Stop is vital and people like myself need to keep volunteering.  The personal rewards I received at First Stop were staggering, in the sense that at the end of the day I felt for the most that I had achieved something worthwhile, and after five months I was lucky to be offered paid work with the project as a part time Project Worker.  I now had a job that I loved and I was being paid for as well.  I continued working for a further eleven months, sometimes as a paid worker and sometimes in a voluntary capacity, but there is no doubt in my mind that volunteering was the best thing I ever did in my life, it opened up my mind and opened doors to a new career. 

More stories from past and present volunteers 

Some other benefits of volunteering with First Stop Darlington include: 

  •  Full training and support

  •  Giving something to your local community

  •  Meeting colleagues with similar interests

  •  Supporting people

  •  Finding out about what’s on offer in Darlington 

Some of the tasks that we need our volunteers to do:

  • Welcome clients into First Stop and explain our services

  • Assist people to access information

  • Providing a listening ear

  • Sign-post people to their choice of services

  • Support people when contacting or going to other services

  • Be part of our Youth night and help support our young members         

  • Provide Counselling services to those that need greater support

  • Filing, photocopying, posters and many more admin tasks

  • Maintenance duties around the building 

So now that you have read all the information and are raring to go, here’s what you need to do: 

  •         Click on the application link and fill in the application form, then click the send button.

  •         You will hear from us within the next few days to make arrangements for you to have an
    initial visit, informal chat and tour of the project. (You might want to come and have a look round before you fill in the application form, you would be very welcome to do so)

  •         If you like what you see and hear then we can choose a suitable time for you to come along and shadow one of our Project Workers, this will give you a brief understanding of the work we do with our clients.

  •         Once you’ve had a go at shadowing, you will feel in a better position to decide whether First Stop Darlington is for you.  We sincerely hope it is!

  •        Then we can fill out a Criminal Records Bureaux form for an enhanced check

  •        Begin your shadowing programme and become an valuable member of our team