Volunteering
Volunteer Handbook 2011
Lighthouse is run entirely by volunteers. Can you give up some of your time before, during or after the week?
Click on the links below to find out more:
Volunteer Positions
Training
CRB
Volunteer Positions
There is no upper age limit for volunteers - our eldest helper last year was 85! Even if you are not a churchgoer or personally committed Christian yourself, you are welcome to help at Lighthouse, so long as you're happy that it's run on a Christian basis. We'd love you to come for the whole week, but even if you can only do one session, an afternoon or an evening you will have something worthwhile to do! In fact you may find that like many of our volunteers you will look back on Lighthouse as the 'highlight' of your summer and return year after year.
AGE GROUP LEADER
Children are divided by school year into Age Groups and then put into groups of 10 – 15 called Lighthouses. Each Age Group is managed by an Age Group Leader. The job of the AGL is to be responsible for all the Lighthouse Keepers, Lamplighters and children within the age group. They coordinate the activities for the year group, and lead and support the Lighthouse Keepers and Lamplighters. They work with the Age Group Teacher to implement the teaching programme.
AGE GROUP TEACHER
Each age group has an Age Group Teacher who prepares and delivers the teaching session each day for the whole group. The AGT prepares teaching materials and ‘funbooks’ for each child for use in the afternoon Lighthouse session and enable the Lighthouse Keepers to use the materials with the children.
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER
Lighthouse Keepers are responsible for a group of 10-15 children, called a ‘Lighthouse’. The LHK supports and manages the Lamplighters in the group. The LHK and LL’s spend the whole day with their group and help, encourage and assist the children during the various sessions of the day.
LAMPLIGHTER
Each Lighthouse has one or more Lamplighters (who are usually teenage helpers) who assist the Lighthouse Keepers in looking after the children throughout the week.
**All lamplighters must be aged 13 or over. Persons aged 12 can volunteer to help for 2011 as long as they have attended a minimum of two previous Lighthouses with at least one in Agents **
ACTIVITY TEAMS (Age 14+) - working directly with children
You could be part of an activity team providing a daily session each day for each age group (5 in total each day):
Games: helping to provide organised sport activities like ball games, obstacle courses, parachute games
Craft: helping to prepare the craft for each day, help and support the children with the craft activity
Drama: providing fun drama sessions for the children with movement, song, dance and games. Also assisting the Main Stage team during the morning and afternoon sessions with dancing, singing and helping with sketches.
Helpers Children supervisors (8.00 – 10.00 am): We also need volunteers to help supervise the helpers children in the morning before Lighthouse begins.
SUPPORT TEAMS (Age 14+) - not working directly with children
Main Stage Band: experienced musicians and singers for the morning and afternoon Main Stage sessions.
Techies: experienced ‘techies’ for the main stage and teaching tents sound and lighting equipment.
First Aid: to provide first aid assistance to all children and volunteers at Lighthouse. Relevant qualifications required
Crèche team: The Lighthouse crèche is run for helpers' children only aged up to 4 during the Lighthouse day
Registration: helping to welcome and register in both volunteers and children each morning
Refreshments: Manning the Café for parents, carers and Lighthouse volunteers & preparing tea, real coffee and squash
Merchandising: looking after the Lighthouse shop
Prayer area & quiet tent: providing valuable prayer cover for Lighthouse and assisting when needed in the quiet tent – a ‘time out’ area for youngsters that need it.
Site Office: general assistance in the site office
Car parking: assisting volunteers, parents / carers and visitors to Lighthouse to designated car parking
Reception: welcoming guests into the Lighthouse site
Site Support: General maintenance work, cleaning, bin emptying etc
Day Site security: during the day to ensure that the Lighthouse site remains safe
Most activities take place during the week between 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday, however if you are not able to volunteer during these times there are lots of other things that you can volunteer for as we also need help before and after the event as well as during the evening and night, so there really is something for everyone!:
Night Security (18+): A team to provide full night security for the site
Building up and dismantling the site: there are always plenty of jobs to be done during the build-up and break down of the site including cleaning, making sure the field is safe and clear of all rubbish, putting up & taking down fencing, transporting equipment onto site like staging, back drops etc. and returning to storage at the end of Lighthouse. We also set up backdrops for the Main Stage, Agents tents and teaching tents and need budding artists to help paint the scenery.
We also need professional help including electrics and plumbing
For more information about volunteering at Lighthouse please contact us at: info@lighthouseburnham.org.uk
Training
We very much appreciate people volunteering their precious time to provide the children with a week full of fun and love learning about Jesus and we aim to equip all our volunteers with the information and training that will help them to have an amazing and safe week. Details for all the Training sessions can be found on the calendar.
TRAINING DATES
Dates for 2012 training will be published nearer the time.
LEGAL REQUIREMENT
Not only is this training a legal requirement but it is important to attend for the protection of the children we look after and to protect you the volunteer.
Training is compulsory, so any volunteer who has not done the training will not be able to help at Lighthouse.
Please ensure that you go to the relevant training session as described below. Dates of training sessions are posted on the calendar and shown above. If you have any queries on training please email to: info@lighthouseburnham.org.uk
YOUTH VOLUNTEERS AGE 13+**Persons aged 12 can volunteer to help for 2011 as long as they have attended a minimum of two previous Lighthouses with at least one in Agents **
For the first two years of volunteering you will need to attend one SAFEGUARDING training session and one TEAM training session.
Youth volunteers that have completed 2 years volunteering at Lighthouse need to attend the REFRESHER training or a SAFEGUARDING session (unless they are 16 – then see below)
Youth VOLUNTEERS 16+ ALL youth volunteers that have not attended a full NEW ADULT VOLUNTEER TRAINING course before will need to complete the New Volunteers Training on either the 8th or 14th July
VOLUNTEERS 16+ WHO HAVE ATTENDED A PREVIOUS YEAR'S NEW VOLUNTEERS TRAINING SESSION
Refresher training is undertaken during the AGE GROUP, ACTIVITY and SUPPORT team Meetings by the team leaders and will be organised by them. You will be required to attend the refresher training session for your group, and if you are unable to attend your own team meeting for any reason, you will be required to join another for the training session. Please liaise with your team leader to find an alternative training session to attend which will be advertised on the Lighthouse Calendar. If you are unable to attend another team meeting then you will be required to attend the NEW VOLUNTEER training session again.
**TRAINING IS COMPULSORY AND ANYONE WHO HAS NOT ATTENDED THE APPROPRIATE TRAINING SESSION(s) WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOLUNTEER AND HELP DURING THE WEEK AT LIGHTHOUSE**
For any queries on training please contact your team leader or email info@lighthouseburnham.org.uk
WHAT DOES THE NEW VOLUNTEER TRAINING INVOLVE?
FUN AND INFORMATIVE
We endeavour to make the training a fun informative evening to prepare you for your role at Lighthouse, as well as giving you a little taster of what Lighthouse is all about.
TEAM BUILDING
Individual teams will organise their own preparation meetings in the run up to Lighthouse, so that you can meet ‘The Team’, and get to know your fellow helpers before Lighthouse.
CRB
WHAT IS CRB?
CRB stands for Criminal Records Bureau. You may well have heard about CRB in the media, this is due to the Government making it compulsory for all people who have contact with children or vulnerable adults to have a CRB check.
WHY DO I NEED TO HAVE A CRB CHECK?
It is a legal requirement, as you will be in contact with children. We want to ensure that our volunteers will be trustworthy with our community’s children.
WHO WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A CRB CHECK?
Adult role volunteers aged over 16 on site during the times 08.30 - 16.30 irrelevant of duties involving contact with children or not.
I ALREADY HAVE BEEN CRB CHECKED, DO I NEED ANOTHER ONE?
If the CRB check is less than 3 years old and was checked in relation to helping with children, then no. Bring the original CRB check and a photocopy along to one of the above dates and we can check it for you.
WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?
Next CRB afternoon is 11th June at Burnham Library between 1 – 3pm
Due to the recent changes in CRB applications, the following information is now mandatory to your application and you will need provide the information from these if you have them as well as showing them to the person checking your application form:
I'M NOT VERY GOOD WITH PAPERWORK, WILL SOMEONE HELP ME?
Of course, we can help you complete the form and give advise about documentation. We have people who will be present who are experienced in CRB applications.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Nothing, CRB checks are FREE for volunteers!
All disclosure applications forms require National Insurance number, please ensure you complete this, irrelevant of providing NI card as identity.