Children's Residential Group Leader

What will I be doing?

• Free To Be supports particularly vulnerable children to begin to change their stories about who they are, and who they can be. We help children who have often grown up with significant adversity or hardship to more often feel proud of themselves and to experience feeling brave, adventurous, included and successful - often for the first time in a long time.
• We do this via overnight adventures and nature based residentials; weekend groups; and mentoring support. We work using the inherent power of the outdoors, animals, nature and self-expression - all of which are integral to the programmes we run. Children experience meeting animals at the farm, building dens in the forest, building rafts in teams to paddle across a lake, standing on the beach for the first time, cooking together in groups, camping out under the stars and a wide range of other activities all carefully designed to both broaden horizons, but also to scaffold the building of self-confidence, resilience, and trust in others.
• As a residential Group Leader, you’ll stay on-site for 1 week, and gain invaluable experience working with a dynamic range of truly incredible children to help them have a break and a chance to get continual positive adult support. Alongside at least one other volunteer, you will help foster the empowerment of young people from a variety of underprivileged backgrounds, showcasing their individual spirits through inclusivity and togetherness. You’ll be there to help them to discover how brilliant they are; showing them kindness, and teaching them to be proud of themselves as they explore and grow through the week.

What impact will this have?

• You will help foster the empowerment of young people from a variety of underprivileged backgrounds, showcasing their individual spirits through inclusivity and togetherness.
• You will help the young people to build trust, self-confidence and resilience.
• You’ll be there to help them to discover how brilliant they are; showing them kindness, and teaching them to be proud of themselves as they explore and grow through the week.

Commitment

• We ask that you commit to volunteering for a 6-day residential programme, where you will stay on site for the duration.

What else do I need to know?

• We need a whole range of attributes from different volunteers. Our current volunteers may love sport and jumping into every activity with our children, whilst others may prefer having reflective chats over hot chocolate with the children about their days. Whatever your skillset, so long as you want to provide some deserving young people with the fun break they need, we would love to have you!.
• We are particularly keen to encourage applications from those who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background.
• We run our residential projects throughout the Easter and Summer school holidays. Each residential lasts 6 nights, 7 days, and volunteers are required to stay on-site for the duration.
• You will have the support of experienced volunteers and staff, who will check in with you daily to assess your current wellbeing on the project. You will also have access to a more in-depth discussion at the end of the week to reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement whilst volunteering with us.

Expenses

• Unfortunately, we cannot cover travel costs to and from our project site/ Orpington train station.
  Otherwise, full training, DBS checks, food, board, and activities are covered by us.

Background checks

• A DBS check is required

Training

• Food, board and activities during your time volunteering is covered by us. Full safeguarding training (online); Full induction training with team and other new volunteers (online).