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Work Background
Queen's Students' UnionSU Volunteer Manager
Nov. 2017Belfast, Northern Ireland, United KingdomI established, implemented and currently lead the volunteering unit (SU Volunteer) at Queen's University Belfast Students' Union, developing and implementing volunteering policy, procedures and strategy which supports meaningful student engagement and community impact. I manage the day to day operations of the unit, ensuring it is effectively resourced, runs efficiently, provides a quality service and is well placed to influence where necessary. I support and manage a skilled and effective staff team in achieving ambitious targets in a fast paced and dynamic environment, alongside managing a delivery budget.
As a Youth Work practitioner, I create the environment where students feel empowered to address the inequalities, injustices, and causes they are passionate about.
I have developed and delivered a range of innovative volunteering programmes and events to address the ever changing and current needs of students and our community. I am a skilled volunteering professional and support/advise students and University/Students' Union staff around volunteering policy and best practice. I work in partnership with local community groups and volunteer involving organisations to assess needs, deliver solutions through student volunteering and manage expectations.
I am responsible for assessing the impact of Volunteer SU and I work collaboratively across the Students' Union and University to ensure we are working together and supporting each other to achieve our mission and common goals.
I am experienced in using Microsoft Office and Teams, and various marketing platforms such as Mailchimp and Canva.
Queen's Students' UnionVolunteer and Development Support Officer
Nov. 2013 - Oct. 2017Belfast, United KingdomI champion the ethos of volunteering, ensuring students are supported to find their perfect volunteering opportunities and that student volunteering is recognised and celebrated. I develop and manage the promotion and delivery of volunteering initiatives enabling students to make a positive contribution within the local and global community as well as build on their skills and personal development. Each initiative is project managed by myself from marketing, recruitment, co-ordination and delivery to evaluation. I build and continually develop relationships with volunteer involving organisations, ensuring a multitude of voluntary opportunities are on offer to students. I match students to appropriate volunteering opportunities based on their interests, availability and location. I also co-ordinate large scale events such as The Volunteering Excellency Awards which is a gala award ceremony recognising and celebrating the voluntary efforts of the Queen's community. I manage Volunteer SU (Queen’s volunteering department), being responsible for volunteering best practice, securing financial income, budget & resource administration, and effectively meeting the volunteering needs of the student body. I also effectively line manage student interns ensuring they are motivated, feel valued and are supported to successfully perform their role.
I promote Volunteer SU as a vibrant unit, delivering increased awareness of the brand and encouraging maximum participation of students. I produce statistical information and qualitative reports on the levels of student participation in volunteering and it’s impact for relevant boards and committees. I also perform administrative tasks in line with job requirements e.g. email correspondence, database maintenance etc.
Probation Board for Northern IrelandVolunteer Mentor Co-Ordinator
Nov. 2012 - Nov. 2013Belfast, United KingdomI developed and implemented a volunteer mentoring scheme to assist the work of Probation Officers in reducing the risk of reoffending of their clients. I co-ordinated the volunteer mentoring scheme (recruiting, training, supporting and supervising volunteer mentors who were matched to offenders on community probation orders). I worked closely with Probation Officers to generate referrals to the mentoring scheme as well as gain a deeper understanding of the needs of their clients.
NSPCCSessional Supervisor - Childline
Nov. 2011 - Apr. 2013Belfast, United KingdomTo ensure the smooth running of the ‘call room’ by monitoring volunteer counsellors on voice calls and online chats with distressed children. My role involved briefing and debriefing volunteer counsellors, supporting them during their shift and reading when it was necessary to guide a counsellor during their counselling session as well as being sensitive to high risk situations and acting upon these. The role also included operation of specialised callroom software.
Northern Health and Social Care TrustResidential Social Care Worker
Mar. 2010 - Aug. 2019AntrimTo provide an individual planned residential child care resource for families, children and young people in accordance with statutory responsibility. Attending to the care & protection of young people; responding to their individual needs; encouragement and support of their educational works and leisure activities. My role involves responsibility for the day to day running of the unit and safety of the unit, diary management, emotional support to children/young people, safeguarding, occasional crisis management and developmental work with children/young people.
Include YouthPersonal Development & Mentoring Worker
Jul. 2008 - Nov. 2012Belfast, United KingdomSupporting young people aged 16-21 who are unable to access/participate in mainstream education, employment or training.
My role was to improve the communication skills, health & wellbeing, employability and social skills of young people engaged in the Give & Take Scheme, in balance with helping reduce their risk taking behaviours. The role heavily revolved around building trusting and supportive relationships with young people, emotional support and developing and delivering a tailored personal development & mentoring programme relevant to the young person’s needs.
I also recruited, trained, matched, supervised and supported volunteers mentors who were tasked with supporting their mentee to achieve their personal goals.
Positive Futures: Achieving Dreams. Transforming Lives.Project Co-Ordinator
Oct. 2007 - Jul. 2008Coleraine, Ballymoney & MoyleEstablished and co-ordinated the Face 2 Face project (a befriending scheme of parents whose child has been diagnosed with a learning disability). Duties included creating promotional material, networking, publicising the project, budget management and co-ordinating the day-to-day running of the project: recruitment, training, matching referrals, supervision and support of volunteer befrienders.
MUST HostelSenior Project Worker
Nov. 2005 - Oct. 2007CookstownProviding advice and support to homeless Service Users with the aim of promoting their independence, build confidence and ultimately enable them to resettle in the community with minimum support. Responsible for the day to day running of the project called for self discipline, lateral thinking and problem solving intuition along with along with keyworking roles, crisis intervention and conflict resolution. I was frequently involved with external agencies in obtaining and meeting the project’s specific and significant aims.
As a senior member, I was called upon to ensure the supervision and management of relief staff, project workers, volunteers and those engaged in student placement, chairing staff meetings, on-call duties, managing petty cash, management of staff rota, dealing with complaints, fundraising and realising the importance of team working and co-workers feedback in making final decisions regarding service users or introducing/re-establishing agreed working objectives.
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