V-Bite, Week 7 Autumn

V-Bite 15th November 2010 Hi Everyone There are still some spaces left on the gardening project happening this WED 17th NOVEMBER undertaking garden Clearance and Preparation.

You will volunteer alongside University of Brighton students on the Brighton and Hove’s Food Partnership’s Harvest project, specifically their ‘Grow Your Neighbours Own' Scheme, a landshare scheme designed to help gardeners with little or no space grow on land that is not being used for growing. You will help to clear a care home garden so that it may be used for growing.

Date: Wednesday 17th November Time: 9.30 AM- 3 PM (actual volunteering 10.30 AM-2.30 PM) Activity: basic gardening skills such as tearing up weeds, bushed and clearing a garden to make it ready for growing vegetables.

Food, transport and gloves are provided. There are 5 volunteer spaces available.

To take part in this volunteering opportunity, you need to register with us, just email projectv@sussex.ac.uk to make an appointment.

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES We have over 250 volunteering opportunities registered with us of which most recruit all year round. This week we registered two new volunteering placements from Working Together- Congo: Working Together – Congo: Years of fighting and civil war have made the Democratic Republic of Congo one of the most dangerous places in the world to live, and yet the scale of the humanitarian crisis there gets little or no publicity.

Nearly six million people have died since 1996, either from the violence itself or the poverty it has created. Many thousands of Congolese villagers have had to flee to

the relative safety of the towns only to find themselves unable to get work and left in absolute poverty. Working alongside 'Congo Action', 'Working Together - Congo’ intend to set up a training college for the many displaced Congolese including many ex-child-soldiers. The organisation plans to ensure that the money raised gets used on the projects that it supports. For this reason, it does not have any paid employees in the UK and expenses are kept to an absolute minimum. They plan to be internet based and have no offices or similar overheads.

1) Online Developer (553).

This is a brilliant opportunity to join a newly established charity and genuinely be able to make a difference. It should be fun, exciting, rewarding and look good on your CV. You can get involved in many different areas of work, but your main role will be to develop and plan fundraising events: coming up with fundraising event ideas and then helping to set up and organise fundraising activities e.g. gigs, fun runs.

The scope of the opportunity is vast and may require more than 1 person or even a small group of volunteers. As part of the project, you will have a say in the overall development of the charity.

You need to be able to pay close attention to detail, have excellent communication skills (including writing, proof reading skills, and speaking); be highly organised (manage administration and logistics, ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments); have the ability to prioritise; good marketing skills; be tenacious and empathetic; have excellent interpersonal skills both in person and by phone; have the ability to accomplish projects with little supervision and when needed as part of a team; have the ability to be creative and imaginatively.

2) Fundraising/Events Co-ordinator (554) You can get involved in many different areas of work, but your main role will be to develop and plan fundraising events: coming up with fundraising event ideas and then helping to set up and organise fundraising activities e.g. gigs, fun runs. The scope of the opportunity is vast and may require more than 1 person or even a small group of volunteers. As part of the project, you will have a say in the overall development of the charity.

You need to be able to pay close attention to detail, have excellent communication skills (including writing, proof reading skills, and speaking); be highly organised (manage administration and logistics,

ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments); have the ability to prioritise; good marketing skills; be tenacious and empathetic; have excellent interpersonal skills both in person and by phone; have the ability to accomplish projects with little supervision and when needed as part of a team; have the ability to be creative and imaginative.

The following project is also especially keen to recruit volunteers:

Cherish: Cherish provides services for children, young people and young adults with learning disabilities and associated physical disabilities. Cherish is part of Brighton and Hove Council's Children's Disability Services.

They have two volunteer roles: 1) Youth Club Volunteer: working with 12-18yrs olds. Volunteers work alongside the staff team to provide play and leisure activities for 12-18 yr olds with learning disabilities in a term-time youth club setting and on various trips.

Volunteers assist in enabling the teenagers to make the most of activities and support the young people with their friendships/interactions with each other.

2) Young Adults Group Volunteer: Volunteers work alongside core staff providing leisure and life skills activities with, and for young people aged 19-25 year olds with learning disabilities.

For both roles, you require a good sense of humour, fun and imagination, and ability to work as member of a team. Volunteers undertaking either of these opportunities are also welcome to volunteer on the project's Easter and/or summer schemes. Furthermore, depending on experienced gained as a volunteer, this opportunity can lead to paid seasonal employment during the Easter and Summer Cherish holiday Play/Youth schemes.

To get brief details of these opportunities (and all those we have registered), use the ‘Opportunity Search’ facility on our website: www.sussexstudent.com/volunteering/ Then if you wish to find out more about how you can get involved in any of the opportunities, contact us on projectv@sussex.ac.uk to make an appointment to register with us.

That’s all for this week. Any questions, comments, concerns, just get in touch.

Michaela Rossmann and Naomi Ashman Volunteering Manager & Volunteer Placement Co-ordinator Project V, Students’ Union Activities Centre 1st Floor, Falmer House University of Sussex projectv@sussex.ac.uk www.sussexstudent.com/volunteering (01273) 873387 The aim of V-Bite is to keep you up to date with volunteering opportunities (new ones come in every week) and to let you know about anything else related to volunteering that we think you may wish to know about.

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