Volunteer Resources

Tools and resources to help you feel confident as a volunteer.

Volunteering helps to build kinder, fairer and more welcoming communities where people of different cultures, races and faiths live well together. We have a number of resources to help you feel confident while volunteering.

Getting Started with Volunteering

Initial Training

We are committed to ensuring you feel equipped before you start volunteering with us. It is important to complete the training before you get started. If you are unsure about volunteering, come along and get to learn more about the roles.

The training will be held at Easton Family Centre (BS5 0SQ) and will cover:

  • Bridges for Communities: What We Do
  • Working with Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Including Safeguarding)
  • Guidelines for Volunteering with Bridges for Communities
  • The Different Volunteering Opportunities Available
  • Guidelines for the Volunteer Opportunity of your Choice.

Support, Guidance and Volunteer Dinners

No matter which volunteering role you choose, a team member will make sure you are introduced to the right people and have the tools you need to feel confident as you get started. 

A Bridges staff member will be in touch with you in the first month to check how things are going. But we are available for you to call us before then if you have any questions or concerns. 

We host dinners  three times a year for volunteers during the first year you are with us. This is a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and Bridges staff, as well as feedback and hear about what other volunteers are doing in the charity.

After each time you volunteer, you are invited to submit a short report on the Volunteero App, sharing updates about your time volunteering. We read and follow up on these updates when needed. 

We will together review your time as a volunteer, after 6 and 12 months, to make sure we have set opportunities to discuss your volunteer experience, wellbeing and development.  

We are available for you to contact via email and phone if you have any questions during your time volunteering with us.

Our Values

How we work is as important to us as what we do. We require all of our volunteers to act in a way that reflects our values:

We Value People

We believe that all people have intrinsic and equal value, and that everyone deserves justice, peace and opportunity. We don’t view people as projects or statistics and we seek to keep relationships at the centre of our work.

We Celebrate Difference

We celebrate the richness of diversity in human cultures, traditions and faiths and we look to build on common ground and similarities while not minimising or ignoring differences. We recognise that people’s identities are multi-layered and that simple labels are often problematic.

We Practise Hospitality

We believe that everyone deserves to be welcomed and included, and that nobody should be isolated or lonely. We recognise that people coming together around food or other shared experiences can be transformational for our communities.

We Act With Integrity

We recognise that people will have different motivations for getting involved in this work. We create safe, open spaces, without hidden agenda, where people can discuss their experiences and beliefs, learn from and build trust with one another.

We Are Reflective

We seek to learn from what is happening around us and from our mistakes. We are flexible, adapting to opportunities and needs as they arise, innovating to find creative solutions, and continually reviewing the language and terminology we use. 

Volunteero | The Volunteering App

Volunteero is a volunteer management app we use to: 

  1. Keep your volunteer data safe and secure in a single location
  2. Assign you volunteering opportunities and keep track of their progress
  3. Receive mini reports and updates from you as a volunteer

There are a few steps to take when signing up to become a volunteer.

  1. Complete the sign up form
  2. We confirm you references with the details you’ve shared
  3. Register for a basic DBS (we’ll show you the process and pay the cost)
  4. Attend two training sessions
  5. Start volunteering

Volunteer

Sign up to volunteer today to make a positive difference in the lives of those new to Bristol.

Donate

Donate today to make our communities more welcoming for people who have fled war and persecution.