Anyone who knows of a young person who could use a little extra support for some reason can refer them to the service. Please contact Befriending Services at The Volunteer Centre for specific criteria. The permission of the family and young person is always required first.

We recruit, select, train and prepare adult volunteers and match them one to one with a young person. Their contact would average around 2 - 4 hours, once a week. The purpose is to build a relationship based on sharing activities and spending fun time together.

Befriending offers a unique experience for young people and volunteers, because a key feature of the arrangement is that the relationship which develops is a social, not a professional one.

As a result, some of the benefits for the young people are:

• A greater degree of self confidence and emotional growth
• A greater capacity to form and maintain relationships
• An enhanced ability to make use of their own personal resources and access wider community resources

The volunteers gain a great deal too. Apart from the knowledge that they are contributing positively to someone's development (and the tremendous satisfaction that brings), they have the opportunity to engage in all kinds of activities. Sharing these with a young person brings a different perspective to the experience.

Most Befrienders maintain their commitment because of the personal gains alone. Some find the experience becomes a stepping stone to a career change or development. Many volunteers who have left us in the past have done so to take up training, further education or employment in a care environment.

Befriending poses a paradox. From the volunteer it requires total commitment - but only for a few hours once a week.

So if you are reading this and would like to find out more, call us. Who knows this might be just what you're looking for.

Young Persons' Befriending Service

84 Miller Street (Fourth Floor)
Glasgow
G1 1DT

Tel: 0141-226-3431
Fax: 0141-221-0716
E-mail: befriending@volunteerglasgow.org