Role Purpose:

For someone with lived experience to help facilitate our peer support groups on MS Teams with a staff member from our Peer Support Team.

Main Responsibilities:

• You will need to manage the “room” to make sure everyone has a chance to share and feel heard.
• Facilitate one of our fortnightly groups: Wednesday 2-3:30pm, Wednesday 9:30-11am, and/or Thursday 6-7:30pm.
• Help meet the goal of our peer support groups to give people a safe space to open up about their mental health, share their achievements, and to connect with others.
• Occasionally attend relevant meetings and check ins with the Peer Support Team.

To run and co-facilitate a gardening group for our service users within our outdoor space at Winchester Wellbeing Centre.

This will include guiding the group in tidying up the space, weeding, general maintenance of the space and caring for the garden. The group may also include potting, planting, upcycling and other more creative mini projects for the group to collaborate on.

In your role as a peer support volunteer, it is important to use your lived experience to support others through supportive listening and sharing an understanding of the positive impact being active outdoors can have on people's wellbeing.

DBS NOTE TO APPLICANTS - This role requires an Enhanced level of disclosure.

The course assistant volunteer will be based at the Winchester Wellbeing Centre helping the course facilitator to deliver recovery focussed courses aimed at support people wishing to manage or improve their mental wellbeing. (Note: this volunteer role does not require leading a group or facilitate sessions).

Core courses will include Anxiety Management, Self-esteem, Lifting Low Mood, and Managing Emotions, and one-off wellbeing workshops.

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 6 months due to the level of checks and training required. 

When: To start as soon as possible, for at least 6 months. 

The Cuppa Club is a small peer support group for people living independently with long-term and complex mental health issues. The group provides a relaxed safe space to socialise, play board games and find support for any challenges that may come up while they are maintaining their mental wellbeing.

The Wellbeing Volunteer will operate closely alongside the other volunteers and/or with Winchester wellbeing co-ordinator in co-facilitating the group. The volunteers will be joining in with any activities, chatting with the attendees, checking in on how their doing each week and discussing any changes they’ve noticed or concerns they have about service user with relevant members of staff.

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 6 months due to the level of checks and training required. 

As a Digital Skills volunteer you work with the same group for 6 weeks at a location across Hampshire between Mon – Thurs.  We need volunteers to assist staff in supporting the participants to engage with the material delivered during the course and in turn improve their digital skills.

Find out more here: Digital Skills - free courses and advice for improving your digital skills (solentmind.org.uk)

Volunteers will work with participants directly and encourage them to learn new skills and build confidence. IT expertise is not required, but a basic understanding of everyday digital usage is essential such as Google, online shopping and general computer skills.

As the location is often remote, we ask you can drive (expenses covered) or can get to The Avenue, Southampton to car share with a staff member.

When: To start as soon as possible, for at least 6 months. 

To co-lead a group of service users from the Wellbeing Centre on walks around the City of Winchester, encouraging physical activity and positive social interaction, in conjunction with other volunteers. To help create a welcoming get-together at the beginning and at the end of the walks, at the centre or the meeting place

To spend some time with Service Users after the walks, back at the Centre or the meeting place, in an informal, welcoming and professional way, for an end-of-walk brief get together. 

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 6 months due to the level of checks and training required. 

The Winchester peer support group is a loosely structured group for current and past service users that are experiencing a range of mental health challenges. The group provides a safe, confidential space where they can share their stories without judgment, feel heard and learn from others.

The Peer Support Volunteer will operate closely alongside other volunteers and/or the Winchester volunteer co-ordinator in co-facilitating groups. You will be using your own lived experience of mental health challenges to support, encourage and inspire other group attendee facing similar difficulties.

DBS NOTE TO APPLICANTS - This role requires an Enhanced level of disclosure.