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What we do

Volunteering and Peer Mentoring

Using lived experience to help others.

Case Studies
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What is Volunteering and Peer Mentoring?

Volunteers and Peer Mentors are an integral part of our work at Konnect Communities. We believe them to be a lifeline in helping a client to continue their journey towards fulfilling their potential.

Volunteering and peer mentoring provide opportunities to learn further transferrable skills such as interpersonal and communication skills, understanding boundaries and confidentiality and gaining role-specific skills for the workplace.

Our ultimate aim is to create a bank of trained and skilled volunteers and peer mentors who can be deployed to support and thrive within the Konnect system and in the local community.

Konnect volunteers are drawn from a pool consisting of the wider community, including those with lived experience, as well as previous or current Konnect clients.

Volunteers undergo an induction process to enable them to establish and promote a safe professional working relationship with clients.

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volunteering and peer mentoring
volunteering and peer mentoring

We provide formal training for our volunteers to empower, inform them and progress professional development.

As a volunteer, you may be asked to provide the following support:

  • Befriending people who are socially isolated
  • Providing a listening ear or practical support for those in need
  • Supporting our in-house training programmes and workshops
  • Supporting and promoting Konnect at events and outreach days
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Once someone has completed the Volunteering Course, then they will be assessed to progress on to a Peer Mentoring programme. Peer Mentors are an integral part of our Volunteer Team; they often provide valuable lived experiences relative to the clients Konnect works with.

The Peer Mentoring programme includes ongoing professional development and supervision to further strengthen our peer mentors’ skills and resilience for future employment opportunities.

We provide a Level 2 Mentoring Qualification, which can be fully or part-funded by Konnect depending on an individual’s circumstances.

Peer mentoring is perfect for those who prefer to work on a more personal 1-to-1 level and through this pathway, our peer mentors use their lived experiences to help others avoid or navigate life challenges.

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volunteering and peer mentoring

Highlighted Case Study

Find out more about how we’re making a difference to real people in the community.

case-study-may-sara-peer-mentoring-volunteering

May and Sara’s* Stories

May came to Konnect after leaving a relationship with a controlling partner. Sara was looking to volunteer with Konnect and wanted a balance of activities that used skills from her previous profession.

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Konnect Communities

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Confidential Information
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When a client comes to us, we work to address and resolve multiple barriers that might prevent them from moving forward. By putting the right support system in place, we can overcome these barriers.

Our clients include those who have complex and diverse needs, those who have been involved in the criminal justice system and individuals who feel lost or ‘stuck’. We empower every individual to find pathways to enable them to progress with their lives.

We provide practical support in matters such as finance, housing, health and well-being, education, training and employment. And, we guide individuals through personal challenges using a trauma-informed approach towards our mentoring and support.

Our experience allows us to provide non-discriminatory and non-judgemental support, including to those involved in the criminal justice system or who have complex and diverse needs.

We see the value in everyone and we understand that self-worth is the foundation for a brighter future. We enable everyone to feel heard and to feel that they belong; empowering them to rebuild their lives.

Based in the heart of Cornwall, our team members work across Cornwall and into the South West. We work in partnership with local and national services to provide a whole-person approach to our support and advocacy.

We are a not for profit organisation and as such, we rely on grants, funding and support from allied trusts. If you would like to see how you can support our work, please click the button below to find out more.