Community Advocate

Do you want to play your part and build confidence in your local community by sharing first aid skills? Are you looking for a flexible volunteering opportunity? Then join our team of Community Advocates and together we will build confident, more health resilient communities.

What? Community Advocates deliver first aid information sessions with the principle aims of providing skills, challenging myths, and growing participants’ confidence. Free community sessions can be delivered virtually or in person (adhering to social distancing guidance).

Where? Community Advocates have held sessions in community centres, sports halls, youth group buildings, and faith meeting places. Sessions are informal, there are no requirements of prior learning or literacy, and do not contain any assessments or practical elements, so it is fully inclusive for all.

Value? Community Advocates develop knowledge and skills in first aid, confidence in presenting and speaking, networking with local groups, and increasing their awareness of local health related issues. The community have an increased awareness of the health care services available, enabling people to become proactive health citizens, improving the health outcomes of themselves and their family. By using the right service, NHS can easier meet patient needs and ensure the most urgent cases are treated as priority.

Impact? The positive impact for communities has been proven, participant feedback confirms a greater understanding of first aid, increased ability to recognise and respond to every day first aid needs, and significantly improved confidence to react in an emergency.

Your role is to raise awareness of the importance of first aid, increase confidence by addressing misconceptions and myths, so people feel competent to recognise and respond appropriately to situations they may come across.

You’ll be sharing information and resources to the public and delivering sessions to community groups, you may know or discover, local to you.

Advocates may have the option to attend their local St John volunteer unit. This is a great opportunity to gain more skills, grow wider topic knowledge and confidence, meet other volunteers, and attend community events.

A Community Advocate is a fantastic local, flexible volunteer opportunity, providing your community with first aid knowledge and confidence to act. Community Advocate sessions are a great way to ensure local groups, clubs and organisations have access to short informal sessions, where they will receive up to date first aid information, discuss and challenge myths, and feel confident they could recognise and respond to an emergency.

St John Ambulance is inclusive, and we are keen to ensure all Community Advocates are welcomed, supported, and feel valued. Our volunteers will reflect the diversity in our society, celebrating lived experience and growing our knowledge.

To engage and respond to the needs of local people, we need volunteers who understand the communities they will meet.

What you would be involved in (responsibilities):

• Raise awareness of the importance of first aid skills through engagement with targeted communities (e.g. adult support groups, places of worship groups, community centre groups). 
• Provide first aid information to local community groups and associations through 1-hour awareness sessions
• Distribute promotional materials to promote St John Ambulance and advocacy.

 What you would be accountable for:

• Be prepared to volunteer in a variety of community groups and reach out to groups to plan sessions
• We ask you to honour the commitments to volunteer and deliver sessions as agreed with the community
• Enquiries from a centralised system may be sent to you, if you are available to deliver them.

 What you will influence:

• A friendly St John face in your local community
• Sharing of first aid skills in your area.

Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people
• Ability to motivate, inspire and support others
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of people
• Enthusiasm for the work of St John Ambulance and the ability to model our values
• Ability to work proactively and on own initiative, often alone
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to volunteer flexibly and across geographically dispersed locations
• Strong listening, compassion and empathy skills (desirable)
• Strong planning and organisational skills (desirable)
• Comfortable with Microsoft Office applications (desirable)