"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
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Above: Emmaus Volunteer Marlon Spinks shows off his carpentry skills having constructed a gate for Emmaus Shefield's gardening team.
Employers are always looking for people who are reliable, have drive and initiative, can show commitment and are honest and conscientious. How better to prove you are that person than building up a track record of work experience than volunteering for us at Emmaus and demonstrate you're the type of person who would rather fill their time and gain new skills volunteering for a charity rather than simply sitting at home scouring the newspapers and internet for a job.
We have opportunities for you to gain valuable experience in retail, recycling, gardening and driving. But we don't just sell clothes. We sell furniture, electricals and all sorts of things. We have a Housing Services team who do contract work for housing associations clearing, cleaning and painting properties and maintaining gardens. Many of our volunteers go on to gain full time employment thanks to the experience and skills they've gained with us and a solid job reference.
If you're interested in a career working with the homeless or within the retail or housing sector, maybe you're retired and want to fill some time or perhaps you want to get out and meet people and make new friends? If so then we want to hear from you.
now on 0114 272 0677 or email:
enquiry@emmaus-sheffield.org.uk
Above: Graham taking yet another call from a potential volunteer
Ever wanted to drive a Mercedes?
VOLUNTEER VAN DRIVERS URGENTLY REQUIRED
Owing to the success of our Community shop we now need more Drivers to drive our van and help us collect and deliver furniture and other household items around Sheffield and South Yorkshire. You need to have a full driving licence and be 25 or over.
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Volunteering at Emmaus
At Emmaus Sheffield we welcome the contribution volunteers can make to our Community. We have volunteers from a broad range of backgrounds and circumstances. People volunteer for all sorts of reasons. Some come to learn new skills, make friends or fill their free time helping out. Others do it because they want to support the work that Emmaus does.
Our volunteers are drawn from a diverse cross section of the local community and while some are unemployed, students, refugees, adults with learning difficulties, or retired, others are people working part-time or full-time, and some are self-employed.
Ciao a tutti! Eccomi qua personalmente al pc per scrivere qualcosa riguardo le mie 3 settimane di lavoro qua in Emmaus Sheffield...
Prima di tutto il lavoro... amo Emmaus perche' ogni giorno c'e' qualcosa di diverso da fare: ci sono i mobili (o qualunque cosa la gente ci voglia donare) da andare a prendere, ci sono i mobili da caricare/scaricare dal mitico camioncino di Emmaus, i vestiti e il bric-a-brac da dividere tra quelli riutilizzabili e quelli da buttare, si puo' finire a dipingere una parete o perfino a tagliare qualche ramo troppo cresciuto lungo la strada... puo' capitare di doversi arrangiare a capire cosa un cliente stia cercando (il mio inglese non e' affatto perfetto, ma e' senz'altro migliorato!)... qualche giorno lo si passa anche a cucinare (a grande richiesta, devo dire!) qualcosa di tipicamente italiano... qualche altro giorno sei davanti ad un portatile semplicemente a descrivere tre fantastiche settimane!!!
Questo era il lavoro... ma la cosa piu' importante in un'esperienza di condivisione con Emmaus sono le persone!!! Tra companions, staff o altri volontari non vi e' alcuna differenza: ognuno ha la sua storia, ognuno e' qui per lavorare e tutti possono darti una mano, per qualunque cosa! Cosi' ho avuto occasione di scoprire tanti piccoli aneddoti, e a volte anche il racconto di una vita intera, di ciascuna delle persone che ho incontrato... Durante il weekend o alla sera c'e' poi sempre spazio per un film, per una passeggiata in centro, oppure per una lunga camminata immersi nella natura: ho avuto occasione di scoprire l'atmosfera dei veri pub inglesi e di assaggiare numerose ales (birre) locali! Siamo anche stati una sera allo stadio e un'intera giornata in Hull City, tra l'aquario, il porto e il parco!!!
Jeremie is now coming towards the end of his 6 week volunteer placement with Emmaus Sheffield. In his time with Emmaus he has worked hard and performed a number of tasks for the Community, working on the van, collecting and delivering furniture, clearing gardens, working in the shop, sorting out our IT problems and even cooking for the Community!
With his relaxed and friendly personality, Jeremie has been a great addition to our Community. His English has improved to the point where he can understand and converse freely with people from all over South Yorkshire... even Barnsley! We will certainly miss him but sadly not his unique brand of French cuisine which tested the effectiveness of our fire alarm system. He leaves with our best wishes for the future and we hope he will always remember his time with us fondly. We certainly will! GOOD LUCK JEZZA!
In the shop...
And finally.... a word from the man himself en Francais
Bonjour, La premiere chose que je puisse dire a propos d'Emmaus est que l'on y est vraiment bien accueillis!!! En effet, ici le staff comme les compagnons sont reellement geniaux, et je n'ai eu absolument aucun probleme avec eux durant mes six semaines passees a Sheffield.
Les activites que j'ai ete ammene a faire etaient variees, plus ou moins interessantes, mais quoiqu'il en soit la bonne humeur est de rigueur et les journees de travail passent en general assez vite.
Bien que le weekend soit tres calme a la communaute, la ville est grande et etudiante, il y a donc toujours un pub ou aller ou un film interessant au cine. Si vous preferez courrir, le bord du canal se prete bien a cela, et meme si vous n'etes pas sportif il est tout de meme agreable d'aller s'y promener un dimanche, si le temps le permet (et oui, il ne faut pas oublier que Sheffield est en Angleterre).
Je vous souhaite un tres bon sejour a Emmaus Sheffield, ou vous serez accueillis par Laurent (Lawrence) et Michelle pour un bon moment de partage!!!
Above: Jeremie Bernard... the IT saviour of Emmaus Sheffield.
In the gardening van... On the decking....
I've never volunteered before!
No worries! As a Volunteer, we will give you all the necessary information and training that you require to do your job. You will be given continuous support and we will pay you 'out of pocket' expenses where you travel to the Community by public transport or a small amount per mile to cover your fuel if you travel by car.
Volunteer Vacancies
Below is a list of our current volunteer vacancies. It is not an exhaustive list, so if you think you can contribute in some way to our Community that is not listed below, then we would like to hear from you.p
Working in the Community Shop
We need people who would like to work in our shop. It doesn't matter if you have no previous experience, we offer training that means you can learn and improve your skills and knowledge on the job.
Furniture Repair and Restoration
We want to hear from people who can renovate used furniture, repair things, re-upholster and french polish, and share all these skills with our Companions.
What now?
If you have any of the skills listed above or other skills that you think would contribute to supporting the Community then please don't hesitate to contact Graham on 0114 272 0677 for an informal chat or click on this link: http://emmaus-sheffield.org.uk/tinc?key=FkXxRUYA to fill in a volunteer enquiry form on line.