Volunteering
Volunteering can be a great way to participate. It can be a great way to learn new skills or even make friends. The knowledge that your action, however big or small, is making a difference to the world in which we live, is reason enough to think about volunteering. It's a great way to share your time, skills and experience to contribute to your community and ultimately shape the world in which you live.
Where do I start?
A good place to start is to think about what you care about. Once you have done this its good to find someone who shares the same interest as you who may be able to suggest some ways to get involved.
How to volunteer
The range of volunteering opportunities then, are vast. There are organisations that represent most issues, like Oxfam GB and international development and poverty, and some volunteering opportunities that are more locally based. A simple post code search in the search box will give you a range of volunteering opportunities in your area. These range from one-off opportunities like attending a litter picking day to more long term commitments like becoming a Scout leader. Whatever time you have available, there will be something to suit you that can fit into your lifestyle.
National
You can often find out about local charities and organisations through your local authority’s website. If you are interested in national or even international campaigns, umbrella bodies such as the National Council for Volunteering Organisations (NCVO) have more information
International
British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) are a good place to start. Most organisations that fall into this category are registered charities. To get more information you can go to the Charities Commission website (England and Wales), Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (Scotland) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.