Open Door continues to work with people with long-term mental health issues, offering them Buddy support to enable them to volunteer., as well as volunteers that have been referred through GPs and work placement organisations. During the year, we offered support to over 70 people. This ranged from a regular phone call to check on progress, to a buddy providing transport for a volunteer to the volunteering placement and volunteering alongside them to boost confidence and provide reassurance. Over 20 different volunteer-involving organisations benefited from the expertise of Open Door supported volunteers, ranging from small local shops to large national charities. Tasks included artwork, dog walking, driving, gardening, conservation, Riding for the Disabled, admin tasks and helping in dementia and community groups, to name but a few.
Volunteer training During the year we run regular pre-volunteering training courses, as well as fast track courses. Covering issues such as Confidence Building, Assertiveness Training & Identifying Skills and Project Policies & Support. 22 volunteers in total completed the 4 courses last year. Due to the large numbers of volunteers attending the training we have been offered a room in the Wolfcraig training project. This has been very successful as all volunteers who started the course completed it.
Buddies training Last year we ran two Volunteer Buddy courses, covering Communication Skills, Mental Health Awareness, Boundaries, Confidentiality, Project Policies and Support. We are in the process of putting all the buddies through Mental Health First Aid and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills training courses. 10 Buddies completed the training.
Volunteers Club The number of volunteers attending the club has increased over the past year. The club has been used mainly for peer support but has also had speakers in to inform the group of new projects and groups. These have included; the Peace of Mind Garden and the Walking group, which are being run in partnership with other mental health organisations in the Stirling area.
