volunteering opportunities

We are really pleased to announce that over the coming months, we will be launching a programme of sessions designed to improve young people’s mental health, which has suffered over the last 18 months.

Many of us at the Leisure Centre have children and have witnessed how hard it has been for young people when their social life, education and routines have been massively disrupted.

The local council have made funding available to community groups to provide these sessions, and we were delighted to hear that our application for funds was successful. Part of the conditions of receiving the funding is that there is a degree of volunteer involvement with the sessions, so we are now hoping to recruit new volunteers for these sessions. So, if you’ve got an interest in young people’s mental well-being or have skills to share, we would love to hear from you! We provide specialist training free of charge, as part of your volunteering, which can help you gain experience which is of benefit to you in other areas of your life too.

The sessions we have planned are-

• ‘Sensational!’- A sensory session for pre-school aged children and their parents/carers. This session will allow for children to explore their developing senses and socialise in exciting and different set ups each week. We are looking for patient and creative volunteers who love small children to assist in these sessions. Role would include setting up exciting invitations to play, and joining in with parents/children to make sure everyone’s having a lovely time.
• ‘Calm Kids’- A session using exercise and techniques of mindfulness/yoga to help children learn how to bring themselves from a high energy state, to a calm state. This session is aimed helping children of primary school age manage their feelings and emotions. We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about helping children understand their feelings and who don’t mind joining in!
• ”Resilience Bootcamp’- Starting the session with some HIIT, Boxing or Circuit training breaks down barriers in high school aged kids and then allows us to move on to some group work and exercises around managing mental health. We are looking for volunteers who are good listeners and care about improving the lives of teenagers.
• ‘Glow!’ The Teen Skate Disco- This is a fun environment for teens to meet their friends for some much needed social time! Think Roller Skating, with loud music, UV lights and glow sticks etc. We are looking for confident friendly volunteers who can build a good rapport with teenagers to make sure everyone has a fun time!

All of the volunteer roles that we are recruiting for all include specialist training from people who run similar sessions at the inspiring ‘Live Well North East’

We know we have a fantastic community here in Penistone, so if you would like to be part of the solution to a big problem facing our young people we would love to hear from you!

Applications for the volunteer roles are now open! Please fill in our Volunteer Application Form here, and tell us a little bit about yourself and which session you are interested in helping at, and why! You don’t need any special skills to volunteer- EVERYONE has something to offer!