Youth Volunteering Volunteering is a fantastic way to try something new, develop skills and encounter new experiences, and we aim to have opportunities to suit all young people keen to volunteer within a healthcare environment! We have some youth volunteering opportunities in the pipeline which are being created specifically to provide supportive experiences for young people aged 16-25, who may require a bit more help before independently volunteering. We hope to launch these programmes in early 2025. If you wish to be added to a mailing list about programme launch dates, please email caitlin.nisbet@nhs.scot, stating the name of the programme(s) of interest and your nearest hospital site. In the meantime, please read about some of our previous programmes to gain an understanding of what to expect in the coming months. Youth Volunteering Taster Programme The aim of this four-week structured programme is to give young people aged 16-25 the opportunity to try some of the varied and fulfilling volunteering opportunities we have across NHS Lothian, whilst learning more about available routes into a career within the NHS and developing a better understanding about what it’s like to be in a healthcare environment. This is a supported volunteering programme meaning applicants will be matched to experienced volunteers when on placement and to a Volunteer Manager on site for any queries, they will attend a training and info session at the beginning and end of the placement to help them to get the most out of the opportunity and will keep track of their progress through reflective workbooks. Above all we hope our participants will have an enjoyable time whilst building their confidence and trying new things! Recruitment for this programme will open in early 2025. Please see our impact reports below for information on previous iterations of the programme: Meaningful May 2024 impact report Summer Programme 2023 impact report Step into Volunteering Our Step into Volunteering programme for 16-25 year olds provided a stepping stone into our Core Volunteering Opportunity. Volunteers on this programme received face to face, small group training and the opportunity to participate in additional training and check in sessions from our dedicated Youth Volunteering Service Manager over a 12-week period, before graduating into our Core opportunity. This programme allowed volunteers who need to build their confidence and communication skills the chance to ease into volunteering with NHS Lothian and to hit the ground running after a little bit of extra support. This programme is undergoing redesign and will relaunch in early 2025. If you feel you are aged 16+ and ready to try volunteering without extra support in place, please check out the Core Volunteering Programmeavailable hospitals across the Lothians.
