Recently we sat down with our new Community Inclusion Coordinator, Jo Ball to discuss what her new role will entail and what she’s looking forward to the most.
Can you tell us about your new role and what this will entail?
Can you tell us about your new role and what this will entail?“My new role is about celebrating our wonderful volunteers and their invaluable contribution to the work of Stonepillow. To provide our volunteers with opportunities to connect with Stonepillow and each other to help increase their understanding of the work we do. Another area I will be focusing on is encouraging new volunteers to join us. We have some incredible opportunities to volunteer at Stonepillow such as working in our retail shops, driving, gardening, preparing and serving food, decorating, events and fundraising, administration, creative endeavours, hair dressing, the list goes on.
I will also be exploring great opportunities for our clients to contribute to our service, to make clients voices heard, and to explore the best ways to connect with and provide services to our client group.
We are reviewing our training and volunteering roles and hope to appeal to more people than ever. We will be building teams so that people with a variety of skills can come together and give of their time and know they are part of our mission to prevent homelessness and restore lives.”
How can your previous experiences working at Stonepillow help you to be successful in this role?
“About 17 years ago I volunteered for one day a week, for two years at Stonepillow’s Bognor Day Hub. I enjoyed it so much that a few years later I returned to apply for relief work then eventually moved to a regular staff contract. I’ve had experience of working in nearly all our services, and of course several years of interacting with and supporting our clients. Some of the key things I like to consider are, what’s the most respectful way to interact with each client and what opportunities can we offer? My experiences will help to listen to peoples stories and seek to tailor our support to the individual.
We are very keen to encourage people with lived experience to become involved in volunteering for us. To become part of a team of volunteers, to help co-produce services that are relevant and accessible to those who are living complex and challenging lives. The hope that those in recovery can offer to people contemplating or beginning their own journey of recovery is priceless. I have had the privilege of seeing clients progress in their recovery and become part of our volunteer teams and some have become part of our staff teams. That’s hope in action!”
What areas of volunteering are you looking to develop?
“That all who volunteer for us are aware of the value of their contribution to the vision and work of Stonepillow. The integration of staff, volunteers and people with lived experience seeking to ensure the client voice is heard. This can be achieved by offering multiple experiences of volunteering, sharing client stories, fundraising events, working with partner agencies and inviting our local community to be involved.”
What are you most looking forward to?
“I’m most looking forward to having time to meet with our volunteers and matching the skills they have with the needs of the charity. I’m also looking forward to connecting with our clients and understand their needs and how best we can meet them. I’m hoping to encourage a collaborative approach to all we do as a charity and for us all to recognise the part we play as individuals, be that staff, clients, volunteers, in preventing homelessness and restoring lives.
Find out more on volunteering for Stonepillow: https://stonepillow.org.uk/volunteer/
