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Every Tuesday we run Creative Surgery, which is our volunteering session. It is a drop-in session where people can help with a variety of tasks. We ensure there is a mix of activities such as creative tasks where people can learn to work with mosaic and ceramics as part of a live project, and there will be general studio tasks such as getting materials ready for workshops, some gentle gardening or organising the food donations. It is important we provide a large range of tasks to suit all abilities, as we are also part of the Dementia Friendly Venues Charter.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life; they are students studying a creative degree, they are retirees giving back to the community, they are people changing their careers and wanting to get some experience in the arts, and they are people out of work/training and needing a special sanctuary to go to as part of their weekly routine – and this is exactly what we provide.
A huge part of our work at Art4Space is looking after our mental health and practising mindfulness exercises therefore as part of looking after our volunteers our staff who facilitate the volunteering sessions are Mental Health First Aid certified, so we are open to talk to our volunteers when they are experiencing mental health challenges, we are always compassionate and equipped with resources to sign-post them for further support. We are always encouraging progression, whether it’s personal development, skills and career development for example we would direct volunteers to our free courses and training programmes. Furthermore, there is a monthly Volunteers Newsletter that highlights some of the big projects they’re involved with, and promotes other services, training and events in the local area. A lot of our volunteers develop artistic skills at Art4Space so to celebrate their achievements, they get the opportunity to present their work at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts.
We are always grateful for all the work they do, they are vital to the existence of our community organisation. To show our appreciation volunteers benefit from generous discounts at our shop and non-free workshops. Not only for Volunteers Week, but throughout the week we organise exclusive volunteers-only events such as day trips, private exhibition tours, lunches and crafty Christmas party. They will also get first priority on other events and new workshops.
We are endlessly grateful to our volunteers for their time, creativity, and kindness; Your dedication keeps our community thriving and makes everything we do at Art4Space possible.
