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Your Volunteer Guide

Courtesy of SAYiT Young Person

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Caroline Rawle

Volunteer Coordinator

Contacts and Online Volunteering: caroline.rawle@sayit.org.uk

Administration: info@sayit.org.uk

Phone: 0114 2412728

Twitter: @SAYiTSheffield

Facebook: SAYiT Sheffield

Website: www.sayit.org.uk

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Contents Hello and Welcome… 4

What we do… 6

Why we’re here… 8

Volunteer roles… 10

Useful information… 14

Volunteer agreement… 16

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Hello and Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with SAYiT. By offering time, skills

and experience, volunteers enable us to extend our support and help to

transform the lives of young LGBT+ people up to the age of 25, particularly

those who are most vulnerable or marginalised.

With your range of skills, experiences, ideas and background you can help us

reach more people, build relationships and raise our profile with the wider

community and stakeholders and stay relevant to changing issues.

SAYiT has been supporting young people since 1999. We are proud or our

reputation and our commitment to providing professional services and safe

spaces for our young people.

Young LGBT+ people are at the heart of all we do and we strive to ensure that

their views are always listened to, that we actively engage with them and that

they are consistently consulted on the future direction of the charity.

We want to do all we can to help you settle into your role and this guide will

give you some useful information about volunteering with us. Some roles are

regular, others just ‘as and when’, so no matter how much time you can give

you can be a huge help to this much needed work.

I hope that you find your volunteer role fulfilling, and that your experience

with us is rewarding and positive.

We are genuinely grateful for all the great work our volunteers contribute in

many different ways. I look forward to meeting you and thanking you

personally for your commitment to supporting our work.

Steve Slack

CEO, SAYiT

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‘By offering time, skills and experience volunteers enable us to extend our support and help to transform the lives of young LGBT+ people up to the age of 25, particularly those who are most vulnerable or marginalised.’ Steve, SAYiT CEO

Steve Slack, SAYiT CEO

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What we do…

SAYiT is a charity of 20 years standing, and we employ

staff who run a variety of programmes for young

people. We provide:

• 1:1 support for young people who identify as

LGBT+ between the ages of 11 – 25

• Weekly social support groups, for under 16s and

16-18 year olds

• Group work/socials for 18 – 25 year olds

• Arts based projects for young people

• Outreach sessions in schools and youth settings on

LGBT+ awareness, HIV and Sexual Health

• School Assemblies

• Support GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances) in

schools

• Training for external organisations

• A presence at fairs and festivals to raise awareness

of LGBT+ issues

• Conferences, Think Tanks and Good Practice

Seminars

• Training and Awareness around LGBTQ+ domestic

abuse issues

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Youth Worker with Young Person at IDAHOBIT 2018

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Our Vision:

To create an environment that supports the sexual and

emotional wellbeing of young people and empowers LGBT+

young people and those affected by HIV to transform their

own lives and that of their peers by addressing issues of

awareness, developing knowledge and addressing

organisational discrimination and inequality.

Our Mission:

To build an integrated youth-led service that balances service

delivery and activism in order to support the sexual health and

emotional well-being of all young people through the provision of

specialised support and social opportunities, with a particular

focus on empowering LGBT+ young people and those young

people affected by HIV.

Fruitbowl Group activity

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Our Values

As a values based organisation, staff, volunteers and trustees

have a strong sense of shared values of equality, diversity

and inclusivity. We constantly strive to ensure that our

values are enshrined in all that we do.

We have a belief in defending the rights of all young people

and empowering them to fulfil their potential. We believe

that as adults we have a duty to ensure their safety and their

welfare and that they have a voice and that they are heard.

We are an ethical organisation and believe in contributing to

a future where all people are accepted and valued - free from

oppression, discrimination, coercion and violence.

SAYiT Workers with Young People on a residential trip

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Volunteer roles…

Group Session Volunteer

Thursday evenings 3pm - 6 pm and/or 5.30 pm – 8.30pm

Mainly for volunteers who can commit to attend these

sessions. On a weekly basis. All welcome but we’re particularly

happy to welcome men for this role, to maintain equal

representation. The role would be to support the worker

running the group, and will involve helping with activities,

engaging with the young people, accompanying the group on

trips and visits, and making drinks.

One off Sessions and courses

One – five days in school holidays, or evenings

You may have skills, talents or hobbies that you would like to

share with young people (arts and crafting, life/career skills etc)

as a one off talk/session or a short course. These are vitally

important not just as an interesting event for the young people

but to provide them with role models. All will be supported by

a staff member.

Schools Outreach Team

This is an exciting brand new volunteer team at SAYiT. Our

young people say that education about LGBT issues for their

peers is one of the most important things we could do to help

them. We want to be available for every school in the city that

asks for our help.

a) One off sessions

At an in-house training session we’ll show you some of the

materials you can use in schools, for example short films,

games and discussion topics. You will then shadow one of our

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staff at a school session, then when you feel fully confident, go

into a school and deliver a session yourself, first supported by a

staff member then on your own.

b) GSA Group Facilitator

Another way to help in schools is to facilitate a GSA (Gender

and Sexuality Alliance) group. These are weekly groups run by

the pupils. Our role is to support these groups, advising on

setting them up, offering one-off sessions and filling in when

teachers aren’t available.

Helping with Events and Activities

You name it – we are there! Pride, BAMER

Pride, Idahobit, Trans Day of

Remembrance, Pinknic, Rotherham Show,

Doncaster Show, and Rainbow Laces

football tournament were just some of the

events our volunteers helped at last year.

In fact volunteers planned and ran the

BAMER Pride event. This is vital for raising

awareness of SAYiT and LGBTQ+ issues in

the community and also for fundraising –

we sell merchandise and encourage

donations.

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Volunteers Planning Bamer Pride

Fun at BAMER PRIDE

And Pride

Young

People at

Pride event

2017

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SAYiT training LGBT Domestic Abuse issues, University of Sheffield

Fundraiser

As with most charities we are always looking

for ideas for fundraising This could be:

Generating funds in a variety of fun and

creative ways- we have lots of

suggestions!

Arrange or attend fundraising events

To make contact with key individuals

and organisations who could donate.

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SAYiT volunteer Vicky delivering speech at IDAHOBIT 2018

“As a volunteer for SAYiT, I

feel that I am able to

connect with local people in

the whole of the LGBT+

community, that I may miss

on social media sites.

Furthermore, volunteering

for this great Sheffield

Charity, has also enabled

me to go to various

educational places and

educate the young before

they to potentially develop

hurtful and bigoted

attitudes towards this great

diverse community. This

Charity has also equipped

me with the skills to be able

to carry out these tasks and

deliver my knowledge and

experience in this

community”

Vicky, SAYiT volunteer

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Useful information…

Expenses

SAYiT can pay reasonable travel expenses and other expenses directly in

connection with your voluntary activities or agreed training. You won’t receive

payment for any volunteer activities or training.

Insurance

SAYiT volunteers are covered for Public Liability (defined as legal liability for

death, injury or illness to any person, or accidental loss or damage to material

property of any person happening in connection with the organisation) and for

Personal Accident (accidental bodily injury which, directly and independently

of any other cause, results in death or disablement).

Equal Opportunities

SAYiT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and

volunteers. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals

are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or

harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

Health and Safety

SAYiT is committed to providing a safe environment for staff and volunteers.

Grievance Procedure

It is SAYiT’s policy to ensure that any employee or volunteer with a grievance

relating to her/his employment / volunteering can use a procedure intended to

help resolve grievances as quickly and fairly as possible.

Confidentiality

SAYiT will comply with all current legislation regarding data protection. We will

not use volunteers’ details for any purpose other than those directly required

by the day-to-day organisation of duties.

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“Volunteering for SAYiT has given me the opportunity to

have a positive impact on young LGBT+ people's lives in a

way that I wish I could have had when I was younger. The

whole team is fantastic and I hope they learn half as much

from me as I do from them”

Chev, SAYiT volunteer

Group activity

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Volunteer Agreement:

SAYiT recognises and values the skills that all our volunteers have to offer and

we aim to provide a safe and supportive environment.

SAYiT will provide relevant induction, training and support to all volunteers.

SAYIT will pay reasonable travel expenses and other expenses incurred directly

in connection with your voluntary activities or agreed training.

Volunteers are covered for Public Liability (defined as legal liability for death,

injury or illness to any person, or accidental loss or damage to material

property of any person happening in connection with the organisation) and for

Personal Accident (accidental bodily injury which, directly and independently

of any other cause, results in death or disablement).

You will work reliably to the best of your ability, and to give as much warning

as possible whenever you can’t work as expected.

You agree to abide by SAYiT’s Codes of Conduct, Policies and Guidelines as

covered in your training session.

You will be aware of safeguarding issues and comply with current safeguarding

legislation (training given).

SAYiT young person’s art project

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Residential 2019

“I volunteer at SAYiT because I believe it’s young people who

can change the future for LGBTQ+ people. They are inspiring

and determined, and seeing them grow as people through the

opportunities SAYiT gives them makes me happy and proud.”

Rin, SAYiT volunteer

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Plus!

Volunteers are expected to demonstrate their commitment to SAYiT

and to comply with its professional approach. In your volunteering

activities you will be a representative of SAYiT and you will safeguard

its reputation.

You will maintain confidentiality about the young people you support

and the organisation. A breach of confidentiality will lead to a

termination of the Agreement.

You also understand and agree that this is an agreement for unpaid

voluntary activities and that this agreement does not constitute an

employment relationship between you and SAYiT.

SAYiT reserves the right to terminate your agreement at any time it is

felt that your involvement is no longer in the best interests of the

young people or the organisation, or if there is a breach of the

volunteer agreement. This would be discussed with you, if possible,

before any action is taken. There is no right of appeal against

termination.

We love to share what we do, but if you post SAYiT related

information on social media, please do it from your personal

accounts and not as an official representative.

Your signature on the agreement indicates that you have read,

understood and agree with SAYiT’s Mission and Values and SAYiT’s

Volunteer Agreement. You agree to perform the activities agreed

with your supervisor. You agree not to perform any additional

activities without the prior agreement of your supervisor.

You give your permission for us to use photos we take of you for our

publicity.

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SAYiT staff Kath & Liz at Developing Future LGBT+ Leaders event, Sheffield Town Hall, 2018

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The difference we can make…

Stonewall data – The School Report 2017

Nearly half of LGBT+ young people are bullied for being LGBT at school. 9% are

subject to death threats.

More than half of transgender young people have self-harmed, and 45% have

attempted suicide.

Fewer than one third of teachers respond to homophobic language and bullying

in schools.

In 2019 at SAYiT:

125 young people attended weekly Fruitbowl social groups

99 x 18-25 year olds have attended regular ‘Prism’ meetings

134 x 1-1 sessions with young people

59 volunteers gave us just over 1000 hours of their time to help make it

all happen

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YOU can make a positive difference! The more

we grow, the more young people we can help!

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“You can easily judge the character of a person by

how they treat those who can do nothing for them.”

James D. Miles

Volunteers are not paid - not because they are worthless,

but because they are priceless…

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NOTES

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