4 volunteering opportunities in Manchester

Helping the community

The most common reason people choose to volunteer is to help their local community, however that may be, and help generate positive social change. Want to feel like you’re really making a difference? Here’s your chance to make a real difference among the most vulnerable in your community.

Re-engage Call Companion Volunteer

Are you the type of person who can chat for England? Love brightening up someone’s day? Then this opportunity may be perfect for you.

Re-engage are a charity dedicated to making life less lonely for older people through monthly tea parties, activity groups, and by matching older people with a Call Companion — someone who regularly gives them a ring to have a chat, a laugh, and keep them connected to the outside world.

This opportunity requires a minimum time commitment of one hour, or two 30-minute phone calls with the elderly person you’re matched with — and Re-engage ask for volunteers who can ideally commit to at least 12 months of volunteering with them. This is a flexible, home-based role that can easily fit in around your day-to-day life, and full call training will be provided to successful applicants. So, why not give it a go and make a real difference to someone’s life?

Interested? Find out more about this opportunity.

Smart Works Wardrobe Volunteer

Have you got a mega sense of style? How about a meticulous eye for detail? Great! This just might be the opportunity for you.

Smart Works is a national organisation that helps women secure employment through dedicated one-to-one coaching, and providing them with high-quality, professional clothing. Combined, this gives them the confidence they need to ‘reach their full potential, secure employment, and change the trajectory of their lives’. Sounds pretty amazing, right?

This opportunity is for weekday mornings and afternoons, and would involve sorting donations, organising Smart Works’ sustainable wardrobe, and generally making sure the clothing stays looking lush. Sound like your cup of tea? Find out more.

With children and young people

If you’re looking for a volunteering opportunity with a difference, look no further. From chaperoning and supporting young people on a range of exciting outdoor activities, to helping children express themselves through creativity, there are so many opportunities to make a difference by volunteering in this sector.

If this sounds like the place for you, here’s an opportunity to help inspire, mentor, and improve the lives of young people in Manchester.

Volunteer Outdoor Adventure Youth Worker - Manchester Youth Zone

Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) is based in one of the ‘worst wards in England for the effect of long-term deprivation on children’. This means that children in this area are more vulnerable to poor educational attainment, unemployment, and potential offending behaviour.

Manchester Youth Zone aims to combat this by giving these young people a chance to ‘change the story for themselves’, through new activities, new surroundings, and building skills and confidence in the outdoors.

This is where you’d come in. The Outdoor Adventure Youth Worker role is an exciting opportunity that would see you chaperoning young people and their families on a range of outdoor trips like hiking, mountain biking, archery, water sports, and more — all while acting as a positive role model and promoting an inclusive, accepting culture. This opportunity has slots on weekdays and weekends, for mornings and afternoons. So, what’s stopping you?

Want to get stuck in? You can find out more and apply here.

Arts and culture

Hey, we get it — everyone’s different. The good news? There are volunteer opportunities to suit everyone, wherever your talents lie.

If you’re looking for some experience in the art world, or even just want to put your passion for all things creative to good use, we’ve got an opportunity on this list for you to consider. Here’s one for the arts and culture buffs…

Volunteer gallery assistant

Do you consider yourself an art-lover? Could you happily spend a day getting lost at an art gallery, or do you dream of working in art curation?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, this Volunteer Gallery Assistant opportunity at Castlefield Gallery is the one for you.

This is a varied, interesting, and exciting role at a registered charity, with the chance to gain experience in a huge range of areas — gallery administration, exhibition installation, art handling, front-of-house, and visitor services, to name a few. What’s more, you’ll have the opportunity to help with the changeover and installation of new exhibits, as well as the organisation of artist talks and gallery events.

Top tip: volunteers should be available to volunteer for at least one day per month (6.5 hours) for a minimum of three months. To get the best experience, Castlefield Gallery recommend three-four days per month over a longer period of time.

Fancy applying? You can find out more info here.

Planning to volunteer at one of the opportunities on this list? Let us know over on our socials @mapartments_.