Local charity, Helm, is seeking volunteers from businesses in Dundee.

Helm is Dundee’s largest youthwork charity. The team support disadvantaged and disengaged young people from across Tayside to gain life skills, SQA qualifications and work experience to help them ‘dare to dream’ about their futures.

One of Helm’s goals is to give young people the skills and confidence they need to enter the world of work.  For this reason, Helm is looking for local professionals to come to its office in the centre of Dundee to work directly with young people.   

By sharing stories and expertise, Helm’s volunteers will inspire, motivate and upskill young people as they start their employability journey.  Volunteers might do this by leading a session on what they look for in a CV or at an interview, or by delivering a ‘master class’ on a topic that would be beneficial to young people looking to progress.  Alternatively, it’s invaluable for Helm’s volunteers to share their personal career journeys to demonstrate to young people that there are lots of different jobs available and ways to achieve success which are unique to an individual’s own situation, strengths and ambitions.  If you have a skill or background to share that you think would be useful to Helm’s young people, they’d love to hear from you.  

Additionally, there’s also lots of practical ways you can get involved such as working on their allotment or in the practical trades unit. As a small charity, volunteers ‘mucking in’ is absolutely priceless.  It’s also a great option to explore as a company away day if you’re looking to give back to your local community and to support a worthwhile cause.  

There are currently the following volunteering opportunities available at Helm: 

·        Opportunity to deliver ‘Master Classes’ on a range of topics, for example, how to write a good CV, what does professional behaviour look like, how to give good interviews, how to develop a growth mindset, overview of vital ICT skills, etc.    

·        Opportunity to undertake mock interviews with young people 

·        Opportunity to tell young people about your personal journey or talk to young people about their industry and role  

·        Opportunity to deliver specialist talks focusing on, for example, overcoming substance misuse, overcoming a criminal background, working with a disability or limiting condition,  

·        Opportunity for mini-projects professionals or specialists come in to share something interesting for young people, for example how to create a film, how to DJ, how to build a computer game. This could be a one off session or a project over a couple of weeks.  

·        Opportunity to provide support in day to day activities, for example around cooking, life skills and literacy 

·        Opportunity to provide practical support, for example in the allotment, in the practical unit and in Helm’s building (e.g. painting and decorating) 

If you have a few hours (or a few days) to spare and would like to get involved in any of these areas, or have creative ideas of your own, they’d love to hear from you.  Email hello@helmtraining.co.uk today and one of the team will get back in touch.