Welcome Session Peer Volunteer (Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire)

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone deserves understanding, connection, and the chance to live a fulfilling life. Our volunteers play a vital role in supporting people affected by mental illness and helping create communities where no one feels alone.    About the role Location: Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire Hours: Approximately 3-6 hours a month As a Welcome Session Peer Volunteer, you will be a vital part of making sure that people coming into the service are made to feel comfortable, safe and represented from the beginning of their journey. You will attend Welcome Sessions and alongside Sequoia staff, will meet with and talk to individuals interacting with the Sequoia service for the first time. You will be on hand to answer questions and be a friendly face who uses their own experience with the service to assist and comfort individuals accessing support. Attending a Welcome Session for the first time can be very nerve-wracking and is a big step for many people. Your presence at the session will have a great impact in reducing the anxiety people may experience. The fact that you have been in their position, and now have the confidence and capacity to volunteer, can provide hope that they can also develop and grow within their own journey.    Full training and regular supervision will be provided, so you’ll feel confident and supported in your role.  This role requires a Basic DBS check, which will be arranged and paid for by Rethink Mental Illness.  Please note, this role is only available to those who have previously accessed support with Sequoia. If you have not participated in a Sequoia intervention, we will not be able to progress your application. As a Welcome Session Peer Volunteer, you will:  Attend and be part of Welcome Sessions in your local area   Support the set up of the session and greet individuals attending   Speak with those attending and let them know that you have been in the position they are in   Assist individuals in understanding the service based on your experiences, ensuring you listen to their concerns and preferences   Remain aware of safeguarding concerns and report back any worries to Sequoia staff   Help individuals to feel comfortable and less anxious at the Welcome Session    About the service   Sequoia has been developed to support people who currently fall through the gap between primary and secondary mental health care. In partnership between AWP and Rethink Mental Illness, it offers a choice of psycho-social interventions to people with emerging, mild or moderate difficulties regarding Complex Emotional Needs and Personality Difficulties. All service users are over the age of 18, and interventions run across the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucester area. Service users first attend a Welcome Session to learn about the service and then have the choice of four different interventions. We invite people to re-access the service and try a number of interventions, with a consolidation period in between.   The Welcome Session timetable is currently as follows:   Once a month on a Friday in Worle, North Somerset (10.30am-12pm)   Once a month on a Thursday in Yate, South Gloucester (10.30am-12pm)    Once a month on a Monday in St Paul's, Bristol (10.30am-12pm)   Volunteering hours would be 9.30am-12.30pm.    What will make you a great fit for this role?   Experience accessing Sequoia (it is a requirement that you yourself have accessed support with Sequoia) Lived experience of Complex Emotional Needs/Personality Difficulties or experience as a carer of someone with CEN/PD   The ability to talk to a range of people in a friendly and non-judgemental manner   The confidence to approach and communicate with individuals who may be feeling very nervous   Empathy and compassion for those who are on their mental health journey   Respect for people's differences and a desire to help everyone feel included   The willingness to follow Rethink Mental Illness's policies and procedures   Organisational skills and punctuality       How to apply  To apply, please click the “apply now” button and complete a short interest form. You will have the opportunity to upload a CV and/or cover letter however, this is not mandatory.  A member of the team will review your application and be in touch to update you on the next steps. If your application is successful, you will be invited to take part in an informal volunteer discussion.  If you have any questions about the role or would like to find out more before applying, please contact the volunteer manager:  Gracie Smith – gracie.smith@rethink.org      Who are we?   We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”       It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.       Diversity, Equity, Inclusion     Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.     Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation     We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.