Humanitas afdeling Groningen Stad biedt diensten op het gebied van welzijn, wonen en zorg. Vrijwilligers vormen de kern van deze activiteiten. Ons doel is dat iedereen volwaardig kan deelnemen aan de ...
Buddy at the Mesdag Clinic
Practical details
Volunteering opportunity • Structural
Contact person
Sterre Attema
Ask Sterre a question or contact the organiser directly at s.attema@humanitas.nl or 0653240002.
Requirements
#120651
Scan me or visit en.link050.nl/o/Humanitas6/vacatures--trainingen/Buddy-at-the-Mesdag-Clinic/120651 to join
Interesting or nice about this vacancy
By meeting with someone once a week or every two weeks, you help them reconnect with the world outside the institution. You are one of the few people around them who is simply there, without judgment or a treatment plan. So, with something as small as ordinary contact, you can mean a great deal.
Tasks and duties
As a volunteer buddy for someone in a forensic psychiatric clinic, you help make the step back into society easier. In most cases, you visit someone in the clinic. Many people particularly appreciate talking to someone who is there voluntarily and for them—someone who is not preoccupied with the treatment or the past. Just talking about everyday things. But playing a game, doing something creative, baking together, or exercising are also requests that come up frequently.
Some people have progressed far enough in their treatment to be allowed unsupervised leave, and as a volunteer, you can accompany them. This involves hands-on activities, such as exploring the city together, walking, cycling, or grabbing a cup of coffee on a terrace. Some people are also unfamiliar with Groningen, so you can help show them around the city. Patients at the Van Mesdag Clinic have often had very limited contact with the 'outside world' for a long time; taking that step out can be quite daunting. That is why contact with a buddy, the attention, and the conversation are of great importance.
During an introductory meeting, we look together at which participant fits well with your interests, hobbies, and preferences. This way, we look for the right connection, making the contact valuable for both of us.
The initial meeting takes place at the Van Mesdag Clinic. The first appointments are held at the clinic. If all goes well and both parties get along well, the appointments will take place outside the clinic.
The frequency is on average once every three weeks, and this can be extended for a period of one year. Usually, a visit lasts about two hours.
Skills and qualities
As a buddy, it is important that you have an affinity with the target group, are confident, a good listener, and balanced and independent.
Most participants are male and 35+; they often express a wish for a volunteer of their own age (so, usually 25+).
Buddies can contact the project's (volunteer) coordinators with questions regarding support, training, and guidance.
You can also contact a social worker at the Van Mesdag Clinic.
Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please visit our website.
Related to
About Humanitas
Humanitas afdeling Groningen Stad biedt diensten op het gebied van welzijn, wonen en zorg. Vrijwilligers vormen de kern van deze activiteiten. Ons doel is dat iedereen volwaardig kan deelnemen aan de maatschappij. Jaarlijks geven circa 3000 vrijwilligers 6000 deelnemers een steuntje in de rug op weg naar zelfredzaamheid.
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