Volunteer with us
The project depends on volunteers to achieve its objectives, and we welcome volunteers of all ages and from all backgrounds. The skills and gifts that you offer may be creative, practical, organisational or, importantly, the ability to chat and listen to our young people.
If you wish to volunteer with us, please speak with our Youth Worker, Richard, or our Administrator, Alison. You can use the contact page on this webiste.
Here are some of the ways people currently volunteer with the Dunbar Area Christian Youth Project:
Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG)
As an organisation, we adhere to the Government's PVG scheme for our volunteers and we also require people to undertake safeguarding training, as needed, depending on their role.
Pray
As a Christian project, we appreciate the prayer support of many people in the Dunbar district and further afield.
Folk from different churches meet monthly for breakfast and to pray for DACYP. The Prayer Breakfasts are a great way to meet folk from the wider Christian Community in Dunbar. Prayer Breakfasts are held the last Saturday of most months. Check our Events Page for more details.
Trustee
The Trustees are responsible for making sure that DACYP works to achieve its key purposes. This role is an extremely important one and is very rewarding.
The Trustees appoint the Management Committee.
From time to time we are looking for new Trustees to join the team, bringing experience and knowledge from other aspects of their life experience.
You can see our current Trustees on the page labelled "Our Team".
Management Committee
The Management Committee meets every six to eight weeks to receive reports from the Youth Worker and the Treasurer. The Committee directs and supports the Youth Worker and volunteers and addresses policies and statutory requirements as needed.
There is also a fundraising sub-committee.
You can see who is currently on our Management Committee on the page called "Our Team".
Primary Schools
With more than a dozen volunteers working in the primary school, DACYP supports the school community in a number of ways.
Weekly classroom support and paired reading is a role that volunteers gain a lot of satisfaction from.
You can read more on the "Primary Schools" page.
Dunbar Grammar School
The "Lad's Group" and "Our Group" for girls are the key opportunities for volunteers to work with the students at Dunbar Grammar School.
These are weekly groups and volunteers are on a rota.
Youth Group
Harbour Lights Extra is weekly youth group for young people in high school which meets in
St Anne's Church on Friday afternoons.
Volunteers are on a rota, so might not be needed every week.
You can read more on the "Youth Group" page.
Life Bites
One of the newer activities in the DACYP calendar. Life Bites are run during school holidays.
Volunteers are on a rota and can help with just one or all of these events. An interest in food is a help, but the key criteria is an interest in young people.
Life Walks
Like Life Bites, this is one of our newer activities and runs during school holidays.
Walking and talking are what it's all about, but of course that means we need volunteers who are good at listening too.
Volunteers are on a rota and can help with just one or all of these events.
New Volunteer Process
Like most organisations, we do have some policies and procedures.
The steps to becoming a volunteer with us are:
1. Familiarise yourself with the organisation.
2. Think about how you would like to volunteer with us.
3. Discuss with our Youthworker, or someone you know already volunteering with DACYP.
4. Complete the New Volunteer Application Form. This will ask for two referees.
5. Lodge the application and then the Administrator will request references.
6. One of our senior office bearers will review the application and references.
7. A PVG will be applied for, or if already a member of the scheme, a link will be made.
8. Attend a safeguarding training session. (These are run two or three times a year.)
9. Then, after the legal necessities are seen to, you can
get to know some young people as you work with them!
10. Other training will be offered later e.g. first aid or food hygiene.