A new volunteer mentoring project aims to help both individuals who have experienced mental ill health and community groups that need more support.
The Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) Guiding Lights project sets out to train a team of mentors to support individuals who have experienced mental ill health or distress to take their first steps into volunteering.
Ruth Copleston, senior community development officer at LCVS, said: “We know that people who have experienced mental health issues can feel isolated, stuck at home and lost as to how to move forwards.
“Volunteering can have a life-changing impact on their wellbeing and sense of self worth but taking those first steps can be very daunting.
“This project is all about developing a team of people with the knowledge, experience, compassion and time to offer support to help individuals to begin making a valuable contribution.
“We understand that charities and organisations would love to have more volunteers but don’t always have capacity themselves to offer a lot of additional support. Through this project we aim to put in place what’s needed to help individuals get up-to-speed and help groups have a bigger pool of volunteers to help them achieve their goals.”
Initially, the Spalding-based project aims to identify and train volunteer Guiding Lights mentors who will receive ongoing support.
They will then work alongside individuals and organisations to help make their volunteering a success. Guiding Lights mentors will either take on the role as a stand-alone volunteering opportunity or may take it up as an additional responsibility in a role they already hold.
Dawn McClements is the project officer. Originally trained as an occupational therapist – a profession that involves working with people to set goals in the face of physical and mental illness, Dawn also has personal experience of volunteering.
Her occupational therapy career grew out of volunteering, then when she left it behind to have a family she took up various volunteering opportunities, including with LCVS, to remain involved in professional settings.
She said: “This is a fantastic project that could have very far reaching benefits for both individuals and community groups.
“I’m really excited to be on board and very keen to hear from groups and individuals who would like to get involved.”
The project has been funded with £15,000 from Lincolnshire’s Managed Care Network Mental Health Promotion Fund.
For more details or to register an interest in the Guiding Lights project email [email protected] or call 01205 510888 ext 3. More information can also be found at www.lincolnshirecvs.org.uk
