Voluntary Service

Through the Voluntary Service section you can volunteer in your community, and see how your service can make a positive difference. It can also help improve skills such as team work and communication, building your self-confidence as a result.

Here’s a LIST OF IDEAS that you could do for your Voluntary Service section, or use as a starting point to create a programme of your own.

How long does the Voluntary Service section take?

At Bronze level = 1 hour each week (or 4 hours every 28 days) over 3 months/13 weeks (note that Bronze participants are required to do an additional three months in one of the following activities: Skills, Voluntary Service, Physical Recreation. If a participant chooses the Service section to do their extra 3 months in, the time requirement for Service would become 6 months/26 weeks).

At Silver level = 1 hour each week (or 4 hours every 28 days) over 6 months/26 weeks.

At Gold level = 1 hour each week (or 4 hours every 28 days) over 12 months/52 weeks.

For direct entrants  (i.e. new participants with no previous Award) to Silver or Gold levels, participants need to add 6 months to one section of their choice (i.e. Skills or Voluntary Service or Physical Recreation)

Important things to remember:

It must meet a genuine need. It must not be a vocational or work experience activity, especially for a business or a for-profit organisation

Service can be done for neighbours or people in the community (not family members) however, this must once again meet a genuine need. For example, gardening for an elderly neighbour could be counted whereas gardening for a professional couple could not as they could pay for the work the participant does.

Participants cannot get paid for their activities.