News Archive
Providence Row is a charity working to provide support and hope to homeless people in Tower Hamlets and the City of London.
Everyone Wins!
21 June 2010
Our Trainee Volunteer Programme was launched on 25 January 2010. It offers clients and ex-clients the opportunity to volunteer with us and develop interpersonal and employability skills. The programme currently focuses on work experience in the kitchen and dining room. We serve up to 200 cooked breakfasts a day to clients, along with hundreds of sandwiches to take away.
Trainees prepare food, clear the dining room and serve the day centre clients under the direction of the catering manager. We have a variety of volunteers from the local community who work alongside the trainees. Our aim is that more than 50% of volunteers should be clients or ex-clients by 2012.
Each programme lasts seven weeks, with a fresh one starting when the previous ends. Each has on average 5 trainees, working for approximately 8 hours a week. Trainees also participate in basic employability training, a detailed induction and must complete a set of competencies and self review journal to receive their certificate. The competencies include health & safety awareness, customer service skills and CV creation.
We feel that programmes like these are necessary to the progression of our clients, whether it be toward improved mental health, recovery from addiction, better self esteem or finding employment: all are keys to finding and sustaining a home and settled place in the community.
We have just completed our third programme, and 13 out of 14 participants have successfully completed. So far, three have stayed on as regular volunteers and four have gone on to further training. If you would like to know more about the programme, please contact info@providencerow.org.uk
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