Coronavirus Update: We are grateful to our current volunteers who continue to support our members remotely. We are not looking to recruit any additional volunteers for the time being. Other opportunities to volunteer in the community can be found on the JVN website (www.jvn.org.uk)

Each year over 350 people kindly give up some of their free time to help AJR members. Drawn from all backgrounds and age groups, the AJR volunteers are a wonderful bunch of people that we couldn’t do without. The Volunteers Coordinators department at AJR oversees their team of volunteers who provide on the ground assistance for AJR members across Britain. Assistance comes in different ways – some AJR members would like someone to play cards or board games with, others like to go for a walk or be taken to the supermarket, or perhaps need help sorting out old photos or keeping filing up to date. And some people just want someone to chat to.

The crucial element in running a successful volunteer service is matching clients with the right volunteer. Criteria to consider include the personalities of the people involved as well as the type of support the AJR member needs. For this reason, the volunteers are very carefully recruited and closely supported in their roles. Our rigorous application and induction process gives us a good feel for every volunteer’s particular qualities and skills. Someone from the team accompanies every volunteer on their first visit to a client and conducts a telephone debrief after the second visit. Thereafter we touch base at least every six weeks. We provide volunteer support all over the country as well as offering relevant and interesting training sessions. There is also an annual evaluation study to identify areas where we can improve our service to both our members and our volunteers.

In the 2016 volunteers’ survey, conducted by the Jewish Volunteering Network on the AJR’s behalf, 100% of respondents felt their efforts were welcomed and appreciated while nine out of ten agreed the volunteers’ programme was well organized. Similar positive feedback is received from clients. As for the volunteers’ own motivations, one comment in the JVN survey said it all: “It gives me great pleasure in helping all the AJR members who have suffered so much and are so giving. My life is enriched by meeting the families I visit.”

Read our Summer 2018 Volunteer Newsletter here, written by our ARSP intern Julie Manseck.

How do I become a volunteer?

If you would like to volunteer at the AJR, you will need to sign up to a third party website called MyVolunteerPage.com which is managed by Better Impact.
Once registered, you will then be able to fill in the online application form and view the available roles. In signing up via MyVolunteerPage, please note that you are creating a profile that you can use if you wish to volunteer for other organisations. The information that you submit is owned by you and can be transferred to other organisations if you so wish. If you decide to no longer volunteer with AJR, the link will be broken with us but not with the other charities that you may have selected. Should you wish to remove your record, you will need to contact Better Impact – support@betterimpact.co.uk

Personal data will be processed in a manner compliant with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It will be stored in Canada, one of the twelve countries outside of the European Union that the European Commission has determined favourable for data storage.

Please note that an enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check will be mandatory for some of the roles (arranged and paid for by AJR).

Many AJR members are now elderly and live alone, sometimes with few friends or family members close by. The days can seem very long without either leaving the house or welcoming someone through the front door. This is where our Befrienders can really make a difference. Our volunteers provide a friendly face that can brighten the life of someone who is lonely and isolated

Why volunteer for the AJR?

Our members are a unique group of people, who have survived a turbulent history. They have lived through times of great change, and have many interesting stories to tell. It is hugely rewarding to offer help and support to those who have endured so much. One volunteer described her experience as:

What AJR Befrienders can expect:

-Clients and volunteers are carefully matched.
-Induction training.
-Regular support from a volunteer coordinator.
-Group meetings with other volunteers in your area.
-Ongoing training as needed.
-Travel costs and expenses reimbursed.
-Invitations to AJR events.

As an AJR Befriender you will:

-Visit on a regular basis, usually weekly or fortnightly or sometimes monthly.
-Visit someone in their own home or a Care home.
-Accompany someone for a coffee or for some shopping or perhaps a stroll.
-Making a meaningful difference to the life of someone who is lonely.

Volunteer Stories

Mrs H

Mrs H arrived on the Kindertransport as a small child. Her husband passed away many years ago, and she does not have children. Although she has relatives, they do not live close by. She is visited each week by volunteer befriender, Mrs G. They chat about current affairs over coffee and cake, and quite often they go out for lunch together. When asked recently if she had a volunteer visitor, Mrs H said she did not. She felt such a friendship with Mrs G, she had forgotten she was actually a volunteer!

Mrs D

Mrs D survived the war in hiding outside Vienna, mostly on her own in the forest. She is widowed and feels very isolated. She is visited by a rota of befrienders, who ensure she sees someone at least once a week. Having a rota means that she sees a variety of people, which she enjoys. Her volunteers have helped her with her painting, taken her to concerts and spent time chatting and reminiscing. One volunteer pops round on a Friday afternoon to help Mrs D light her electric Shabbos candles. She describes her visits to Mrs D as, "A privilege and a pleasure".

What our members say about having a befriender:

"Her visits enhance the quality of my life!"
"He is a truly caring and reliable person. In the last 5 years I have really enjoyed his company."
"Her visit gives me something to look forward to."

What our volunteers say:

"Giving so little, but receiving so much in return. I always leave with a smile on my face and a great sense of wellbeing".

Like Having A Friend

Yiwei Wang is a second-year BSc Psychology student at UCL. In February 2017 she became a volunteer befriender for the AJR, regularly visiting our member Helga in Wembley. This extract is taken from an interview she recently gave to her students’ union, the full version of which can be seen on http://studentsunionucl.org/articles/at-first-i-just-wanted-to-try-something-i-really-enjoy-and-now-its-like-having-friend

“I’m really interested in German history and WW2 – I was interested in finding something related to the Holocaust and what happened to Jewish people. My client is in her 80’s and we talk about many different things, like she remembers things in Germany, or about living in London. She once let her house to some Japanese people, so she actually knows a lot about Asian culture, and asks me about differences between Japanese and Chinese culture. At UCL you mainly deal with younger people but she has a lot more to talk about because of the experiences she’s had in life. So I can really talk to her about everything.

Dementia and memory loss can be a taboo subject leaving many of us uncertain about how to communicate with the sufferer. AJR has clients in the North and South of England who are dealing with such issues.

AJR provides a service to clients who are affected by memory loss. We have volunteers across the whole of England who understand the importance of individual support. They appreciate how difficult life can be when suffering from memory loss and volunteer an hour or so out of their week to visit a client in their own home.

Training is provided to each volunteer. This covers all aspects of what to expect when carrying out the volunteering role. We provide ideas that would help to engage the client in the visit. Some may think that clients with memory loss would not benefit from a visitor. There has been research carried out to disprove this, as spending time with someone who shows compassion has been shown to improve the individual’s wellbeing.

AJR aims to improve the wellbeing of our clients and everyone who experiences memory loss is entitled to a volunteer befriender.

We provide comprehensive training to equip the volunteer with the knowledge needed for their visit. The volunteer is then matched with their client by the project co-ordinator.

Every client is different, which makes every visit unique. Volunteers use a number of means to communicate with the client. There are a number of useful tools that volunteers can use when visiting a client that can ease anxiety and create a positive, relaxing environment. Some activities volunteers encourage are listening to music, playing a game, looking through photographs or chatting over a cup of tea.

The memory-loss befriending project helps to stimulate the client. The clients and families who use our befriending service have expressed gratitude to our volunteers. They see them as an asset, offering great comfort and support.