There are many opportunities to help or volunteer in your local community. You may choose to work with a particular group of people, such as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who are unemployed, the old or frail, people with disabilities, children and families, early school leavers or indigenous people. Yyou can also work with a recreational or interest group, such as a sports club or an historical society.

You can choose from a huge range of volunteering activities, covering most fields of human endeavour.
You could help in a shop, drive elderly people to social occasions, provide skilled managerial or professional help, serve or deliver food with a cheery smile, teach line dancing - the list goes on...

You can volunteer in many different ways, too. You can work in a team or alongside another volunteer in a ‘buddy system’. You can build a rewarding one-to-one relationship with someone in need. Or you can carry out your volunteering from home, such as organising events or working on your computer. You can make volunteering your major occupation, or just give a few hours every month, or even a day here and there when you can. Every volunteering contribution helps build a vibrant and connected community.

There are many ways in which doing voluntary work can be rewarding, including having fun, meeting new people, learning new skills, and getting experience in a field you'd like to work in one day. Read more about this in the attached file.

Volunteering is good for your health!
Did you know that volunteers live longer and are healthier and happier?

Did you know that when you volunteer, you improve your overall health, happiness and wellbeing - volunteering makes you feel good! It helps you feel connected with other people, and to feel valuable and worthwhile.This has been proven to have health benefits, such as delaying ageing and even lowering blood pressure in some cases! So even if you volunteer to help others, you'll be helping yourself as well.

Keep scrolling down - there's lots more to find out about on this page

You can choose from a huge range of volunteering activities, covering most fields of human endeavour.
You could help in a shop, drive elderly people to social occasions, provide skilled managerial or professional help, serve or deliver food with a cheery smile, teach line dancing - the list goes on...

To help you find just the right volunteer position, Volunteering in Manningham has produced this chart showing the different volunteering activities and the agencies at which they're carried out.

Looking at this chart could save you hours of research on the Internet and the phone. Good luck!

4 March 2010 - The volunteer with the infectious smile