Canongate Youth Project (CYP) started life as a church based youth club staffed entirely by volunteers. From that first day in late 1977 when funding was secured to take on paid professional staff, volunteers have always had an important central role in contributing to and shaping the services offered to the children, young people and families served by the Project. Quite simply, without working in partnership with a large, dedicated and skilful pool of volunteers we would be unable to offer the range and quality of service we strive to achieve.

We recognise that everyone benefits from the involvement of volunteers:

• The paid staff in the way that we are able to increase the range and quality of opportunities on offer.
  
• The children and young people in having access to these increased opportunities and access to a diverse group of adult role-models.
  
• The volunteers for a variety of reasons including gaining experience relevant to career choices, increasing their social circles, gaining confidence or quite simply having the chance to make a positive contribution.
  

For that reason we invest staff time and finance into volunteer recruitment, support and training in the full knowledge that the returns are always worthwhile. Clearly then, it is in the interests of the Project and wider community to ensure that volunteers are offered an enjoyable and rewarding experience at CYP.

We welcome anyone who offers to be a volunteer with the Project subject to interview, references, criminal records checks and completion of a four week trial we refer to as “shadowing”. We believe that provided the prospective volunteer has a genuine interest in and commitment to working with young people, the Project is diverse enough to be able to accommodate most people regardless of their level of experience or ability.

Volunteers manage the Project, fund raise, drive the mini bus, work in youth and children’s clubs, offer individual support and advice, are involved in groupwork programmes, lobby on the Project's behalf and “muck in” with some of the less glamorous but nonetheless important things that need to be done. While we would never use a volunteer to replace a paid member of staff, we encourage volunteers to get the most out of their experience of volunteering and strive to supply appropriate support and training to enable them to do so, but we also try to remember that everyone has a level they feel comfortable with and endeavour to ensure that no volunteer ever feels that they are being pushed into anything they may feel uneasy or unconfident about. We have always managed to attract a large and diverse group of volunteers from different backgrounds who bring with them different skills and hopefully reflect the realities of life beyond the confines of the Project.

All volunteers are linked to a member of staff who has responsibility for negotiating the terms and nature of their involvement, providing support and supervision, keeping the volunteer up to date with opportunities for training both within CYP and externally and attempting to ensure that the volunteer is satisfied with their experience of volunteering with the Project. In addition paid staff are allocated responsibilities for the co-ordination of volunteer recruitment, training and the organisation of social and “thank you” events.

The volunteer agreement and recruitment flow chart outline in more detail how volunteers are screened and selected.

Volunteers are given copies of all of the Projects policies and procedures relevant to their involvement. These include Child Protection, Equal Opportunities, Bullying, Health & Safety, Confidentiality and Complaints Procedure. These documents clearly outline our position in relation to the implications for our practice. We believe that adherence to the guidelines and principles outlined in these policies is essential to the promotion of best practice with the children and young people we work with.

Volunteers will also receive relevant materials giving them information on the work of the Project including our Mission Statement and Service Delivery Statement to children, young people and their parents or carers. A folder on the desk top of the PC situated by the door in the Youth Work Office is provides information about the Project for volunteers including copies of our business plan, annual reviews and annual work plans.

Volunteers are actively encouraged to offer their views on Project policy, practice and procedures on a regular basis. They also take part in decision making at all levels through club staff logging meetings, club reviews, youth work annual review and membership of the Project Management Committee.

Any out of pocket expenses incurred by volunteers will be refunded by the Project on production of receipts.

All volunteers are covered by CYP's insurance policy whilst carrying out work on behalf of the Project, details of which are posted on the volunteer’s notice board.

On completion of their commitment to CYP volunteers will be asked to fill in an exit questionnaire and be given a certificate outlining the nature of their involvement and any training they have been involved in. Project staff will provide references for volunteers throughout and post involvement.

See next: CYP Volunteers' Testimonials or return to CYP Volunteering page