This week, 1st – 7th June, is Volunteers Week – an annual UK-wide campaign to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers.

Breakout Youth would not be here without our volunteers. Our wonderful Board of Trustees and our Youth Worker Volunteers help us to keep supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ young people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Here, our Digital Marketing Volunteer shares her experience of volunteering with Breakout:

I’ve been volunteering with Breakout for over a year now and it has been fantastic. My role is to create social media content for Breakout and ensure we have an active online presence, allowing us to reach more LGBTQ+ young people and show potential funders the value of our services. I also help out with creating posters, banners for events, and content for the website.

Originally, I began volunteering with Breakout to support me with my apprenticeship, but I have since completed it and decided to keep volunteering as it has been so great for me! As my normal job is remote and I usually work from home, volunteering with Breakout has given me the experience of working in an office environment and increased my confidence of sharing ideas, working with others and being creative.

Earlier this year, I successfully planned and delivered my first social media campaign during Young People’s Mental Health Week. I’m grateful to Breakout for giving me the opportunity to lead this campaign as it allowed me to gain valuable skills and learn more to create even more successful campaigns in the future. I also was recently nominated for the Southampton Volunteer 100 Hours Awards for my work with Breakout. It was a lovely experience to hear all about what other volunteers in Southampton have been doing.

The team at Breakout are all so friendly and easy to get along with, and the office is a fun and laid-back environment. I highly recommend volunteering with Breakout if you’re looking for something new to do! Even giving just a couple of hours of your time each week can support this amazing charity.

Breakout Youth currently has the following volunteering opportunities available – we’d love for you to get involved, so please get in touch if you’re interested!

• We are currently recruiting for an additional Trustee to join our Board. There isn’t a specific kind of person we are looking for to fill this position; all that we ask is that you are enthusiastic about the work that we do and that you are willing to use every opportunity as a chance to learn and develop. For more information on the role of a Breakout Trustee, please see the Role Description.
• We are currently seeking Volunteer Youth Workers if you are interested in helping to run Breakout. Contact us for more info about this role!
• We’re looking for a dedicated and creative individual to help us to redesign our website. This is a great way to support us whilst developing your skills. Experience with WordPress and website design is preferable. This role is available to be remote.