PAPYRUS

Introduction and purpose of role:

PAPYRUS believes that suicide is everyone’s business and only by engaging with everyone can a community become truly suicide safer.

Champion volunteers help us to build awareness of suicide prevention in local communities. They deliver a SP-ARK (Suicide Prevention – Awareness Resources and Knowledge) session to groups and let them know what help is available to those struggling with suicidal thoughts.

What would you be doing?

• Outreach to local groups/ workplaces/ communities to tell them about PAPYRUS and find opportunities for us to deliver training, talks and provide information leaflets
• Network within your own community to find opportunities to build suicide awareness
• Face-to-face sessions and attend community events, information stalls and sometimes conferences
• Presenting to groups delivering a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation is a key element of this role – we will train and support you with this

Where would you be volunteering?

• In your local area – by agreement with us in a variety of settings
• Supported by our regional teams
• Online via Teams/Zoom

About you

We are looking for volunteers who:

• Enjoy public speaking – both presenting and conversing with new people
• Can show care and sensitivity when speaking with people
• Like meeting new people
• Are comfortable using IT
• Confident communicators

What you can expect from us:

Training

You will:

• Receive a champion volunteer induction
• Be trained to deliver the Suicide Prevention: Awareness, Resources, Knowledge (SP-ARK) 30-minute briefing
• Undertake SP-EAK and safeguarding training
• Undertake ASIST training (if delivering independently)

Support

Our regional teams will be available to answer questions you might have, respond to your requests for more materials and provide both face-to-face and telephone support to help guide you through your role. Support is also given in Session Reflections, which are after every activity and Keep in Touch Sessions, which are roughly every three months. Keep in touch sessions will be held with your named PAPYRUS representative who will be your main point of contact.

You will be invited to regular volunteer meetings to share ideas with other volunteers.

Time commitment

Champion volunteer is one of our more involved volunteering roles. Our champion volunteers typically attend four events per year on behalf of the charity, as well dedicate time to preparing for those events. Training for this role typically takes two or three days spanning over a few weeks so please bear that in mind if you are expressing an interest in this particular role.