Living Well Smokefree volunteers

As a remote mentor you do not need to travel. The role requires just one 10 minute phone call every fortnight during a 12-week period. It may not sound like much but the impact could be huge! 

This is all about offering regular telephone support and encouragement for those trying to give up smoking.

You will need to arrange with the client the best times to call for your once a fortnight ten minute slot. This will be an informal, friendly chat to encourage and support the client (following an easy, user-friendly template) allowing the client to lead the conversation throughout. It is important that we listen to what they have to say and to what they are feeling. Just to be listened to may be all they need right now to help keep them on the right path. 

The role will involve the following:

• supporting clients within a mentoring partnership
• offering a fortnightly check and chat call - before, during and after treatment programme
• social interaction, that is conversing with clients and our practitioners within the team
• support around the Living Well Smokefree process
• completion of client paperwork
• agreeing and negotiating suitable days and times for check and chat calls 
• supporting the administration of the service

Training

Remote mentors will be offered online training which will lead to the Stop Smoking Practitioner Award certified by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training. If you wish, other training can be provided to help with effective listening, support and encouragement type skills.

Skills required

If you have quit smoking yourself, then we would especially love to hear from you. Having experience as a past smoker would certainly be a very useful skill that you could draw upon, especially if you tried to quit smoking numerous times before you eventually stopped. 

However, if you are a non-smoker we, of course, would still love to have you on board, as your empathetic nature would be invaluable in supporting clients during their journey.

This is a hands-on, practical role within your own local communities with a 'boots on the ground' approach. 

As we have an active calendar of events throughout North Yorkshire, you would have the opportunity to support and help out at local events, mixing and engaging with your neighbours and within your local communities.

We are looking for volunteers who are sociable, chatty and confident in a face-to-face role in your own local communities. You will be volunteering within various social settings such as schools, libraries, community centres, village halls, homeless shelters and our local libraries.
 
You might find yourself assisting with a workshop one moment, supporting a Stop Smoking stand at a local fair the next, helping us build connections with schools or community centres, or even assisting with questionnaires and signing up new clients. We would also appreciate your help in distributing promotional materials if you can.

You have the flexibility to choose your level of involvement - you can contribute as much or as little as you prefer. 

The role will involve the following:

• social interaction, such as chatting with members of the public and our own staff in community settings
• helping out within smoking cessation workshops to support those who are interested in stopping smoking 
• helping to set up smoking cessation community stands within your own local area
• helping with surveys or questionnaires in our communities
• helping us to create links with other bodies such as community centres, village halls, churches, pharmacies, and so on 
• signing up new clients
• agreeing and negotiating suitable days and times for attending our regular key dates throughout the year within local hospitals, job centres, village halls, libraries, and so on 
• helping to regularly keep local notice boards / shop window fronts / local community services up to date with our promotional materials
• the ability to travel within your geographical area

Skills required

This role is definitely for you if you enjoy engaging with your local community and meeting new people, and are also quite chatty and sociable. 

The role may require you to use your own initiative, and you will need to be confident dealing with the general public. You may enjoy being a great communicator by getting your message across clearly. As this role involves going to different venues, good organisational and time management skills would be useful.

It would also suit someone who has an open mind and appreciation for people’s differing circumstances. Plus, there is also an opportunity to be creative and independent as you may want to create some new links with other places in your own area such as a village hall or a community centre.

There are other potential roles being developed such as:

• volunteer consultation assistant - this role will support practitioners with Living Well Smokefree clients and shadow their work within our clinics
• volunteer guest speaker
• workshop volunteer
• research volunteer

If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact us.

For some of the roles, you will need access to transport. Remote roles can be carried out from your home. 

Travel expenses will be reimbursed in line with our volunteers expenses policy.

As our roles are varied, the times when you will be required to volunteer may vary depending on each role and in line with mentors / volunteer availability.

We can be flexible, especially with the more remote roles.

You will be invited to an induction session which will cover all the basic information to get you started, including health and safety. After that, full instructions will be given as new tasks arise. 

The Peer Mentor Lead is available for ongoing support. We will also arrange a number of local volunteer / mentor social gatherings. We also hold an annual event for our volunteer awards.

• no DBS check, or other checks are required for these roles
• to confirm your identity we will need to see a form of identification such as a passport or a driving licence
• there will be some initial online training such as safeguarding, data protection, and health and safety which can be carried out in your home
• you must be over the age of 16