Volunteering

Our Volunteer Guides have a crucial role in ensuring that our visitors experience Warning Zone to its full potential. Volunteer with us for a couple of hours a month and you can save a life.

What do Volunteers do?

Our Volunteer Guides are highly valued members of the Warning Zone team. They are responsible for taking a small group of children about our eight Safety Zone or our E-Safety Zone, discussing various scenarios with them and giving advice. Each session lasts about two hours and we ask for a minimum commitment of two sessions a month - that's just four hours! Each school visit requires up to eight guides for the Safety Zones, and up to six for our E-Safety Zone. Volunteers can be trained up for either the Safety Zone, the E-Safety Zone or both! Volunteers are also invited to assist with other events such as fundraising, awareness building and recruitment campaigns.

Safety Zones

After a briefing session, each volunteer guides their team of six children (average) through eight scenarios, encouraging them to identify risks, how they can be avoided, and advising them on what they can do if things get out of control. Risk metres are used in each zone to consolidate learning. Visit our Safety Zones page for more information about the key learning points.

E-Safety Zone

After a briefing session, each volunteer guides their team of six children (average) around the retro-fairground and six different, interactive activities whilst delivering fundamental safety messages. Then they support their group during a team-based quiz. Visit our E-Safety page for more information on the message covered in this area.

Do I need any qualifications to volunteer?

No. We have volunteers from a wide range of ages and background. Some of our volunteers have a lot of experience in professional backgrounds including ex-teachers and assistants, solicitors, service officers, sporting professionals, magistrates, journalists and much more. Some are currently in education at college or university. All of them just have some spare time to give something back to the community. All we ask is that:

You enjoy working with children and have a friendly and positive outlook.
You are able to supervise and be able to communicate effectively and confidently with small groups of children.
You can commit to working two sessions a month.
You want to help children ‘learn for life’ and be a part of something different.
All volunteers are subjected to an enhanced DBS Check.

What training will I receive?

You will receive an introductory visit, followed by sessions learning the lesson plans and how to deliver each scenario. You will 'shadow' experienced guides watching each scenario, and each activity in action. Volunteers train at their own pace and will not go 'solo' with a group until they are confident in all the scenarios and activities.Guidance and support continues after you do go 'solo’.

Our Volunteer Co-ordinator has special responsibilities for recruitment and training but every volunteer receives full support from all of the staff.

When are the session?

We have visits almost every day from schools during the term time. Sessions run in the morning and afternoon. Guides are required from 9.30 – approx. 11.30, and 12.15 – approx. 2.15. You can volunteer for one or both sessions. Many of our guides also do the school runs - we are very flexible and will work around your other commitments as much as we can.

What are the benefits?

There are plenty of benefits of volunteering at Warning Zone. Volunteering as a whole can boost confidence and well-being. There are a range of reasons why people volunteers and a variety of benefits...

Boost your confidence and self-esteem
Make a difference to the lives of young people
Gain new skills and knowledge
Meet new people
Receive safeguarding training
Enjoy of 'Volunteers' Day Out' on us - a day in the summer where we treat our volunteers as a 'Thank You' for all their hard work.

But don't just take our word for it! Look to the right and see what our volunteers have to say!

How else can I help?

If guiding children is not really your thing but you still want to help make a difference, why don't you become one of our Community Volunteers? Community Volunteers will help raise awareness and funds for Warning Zone. There are lots of different aspects you can get involved in including bucket collections, bag packs, recruiting supporters, manning stalls at events and much more. Please specify in your enquiry if this is the type of volunteering you would like to get involved with.

Interested in volunteering? Send an enquiry...

What do our volunteers think?

"I volunteer because I care about the type of young adults our local children will become. Warning Zone is the most encouraging, influential experience and all children should benefit from the life lessons it provides. Kids will be kids, but Warning Zone kids will be equipped to make positive, conscientious life choices."

- Stacey O'Connor - Volunteer.

"I volunteer because it is extremely rewarding and I want to ensure our young people are able to recognise the perils and dangers of various situations. They can then grow up aware, alive and fulfilled, without being misled and exploited and enjoy a full and happy life as valuable members of society, capable, committed and enthusiastic about their contribution. The future of our country and society belongs to the young people. A small investment of time is more than worth the reward of ensuring their future well being. "

- Tom Barkley - Volunteer.

"The staffs' training of volunteers is excellent, the staffs' support and advice is second to none and they all have a sense of humour that makes it an enjoyable experience. The facilities and resources are modern, appropriate and enhance the teaching of the volunteers. Thevolunteers feel valued by the staff, teachers and management that engenders a positive approach and team spirit amongst he volunteers. "

- Bleddyn Jones - Volunteer.

"Warning Zone is just a brilliant and unique place, with enthusiastic and committed staff and friendly volunteers of all ages, all of them happy and willing to welcome and support newcomers and help them to integrate. As a volunteer, to meet so many children from a wide variety of schools and backgrounds is a real please and privilege and to hear their excited chatter as they discuss their experience in the zones makes it all worthwhile. There are many dangers facing our young people as they make their way in the world and we believe that Warning Zone really does make a difference to help them grow up safely. "

- Jan Sanders - Volunteer.

"I can think of nothing more worthwhile than giving some of my time to help keep young people safe. From warning them of the dangers near cold water or on our busy roads, to alerting them to problems involved with drugs and alcohol. With the latest E-Safety Zone, I can also give valuable advice on how to stay safe online - such an important issue on which to educate young people. A little bit of my time VERY well spent. "

- Jocelyn Brown - Volunteer.

"I volunteer at Warning Zone because I believe educating young people on how to keep safe and helping them to grow into responsible adults is an extremely important and worthwhile activity. It is rewarding knowing that I have hopefully helped to make a difference and if only one young person takes the messages forward into their future life then it is worth it... All that and it is great fun too!"

- Penny Chatburn - Volunteer.