Feeling uninspired, undervalued and unchallenged? Volunteering in the uniformed services can give you the chance to find your vocation, benefit your community and to excel in a field which you’re interested in.

A Quick Rundown

There are thousands of volunteering opportunities in many different fields to inspire you to help your community and to perhaps help change your career path, but one area in particular that provides challenges and vocational opportunities for volunteers is the uniformed services. North Wales Police, a partner of the GwirVol initiative, (and a number of other organisations such as St. John’s ambulance and the fire service) provides big opportunities for potential volunteers to get involved in helping their local community and to fulfill them with inspiration and a desire to thrive.

Volunteering Gives You the Edge

Young adults who are adamant that their working future lies within the uniformed services but are not yet ready because of age or experience are in luck. Many uniformed services provide volunteering schemes to enable young adults to participate in their field of interest. This can give young adults a head start in their chosen industry as their volunteering will provide them with skills and knowledge which might give them the edge when it comes to the competitiveness of employment later on in life. Alternatively, adults who feel they are in unsatisfactory occupations who want to experience new careers can volunteer for as little as 1 hour a week to try out different career paths. Once the volunteer has found something that interests them, they can dedicate more hours to the organisation. Volunteering doesn’t go unrewarded. Once the volunteer has done a considerable amount of volunteering, they then can get access to awards. These recognized awards look great on your CV, and will convey you as a person who is independent and committed, which can only support you regarding employment. If you do move on into employment, the volunteering doesn’t have to stop there! Once volunteers have found their calling in life they can still carry on volunteering.

Which Uniformed Services Offer Volunteering?

The North Wales Police offer a two year training programme to aspiring police officers. The course is designed for young adults to get an insight into the role of police officers. A very high interest in this programme has meant that the North Wales police can only recruit 160 cadets a time that are enthusiastic and passionate about a career within the police force. The cadets are required to attend weekly sessions and these meetings inform and educated cadets about basic police law and team building skills. During holidays and weekends, the cadets take part in crime prevention initiatives, community projects and events such as The National Eisteddfod. Cadets have previously even had the opportunity to meet HRH Prince Edward. After the cadets graduate from the programme, the majority of them then go on to apply for a job in the police force.

To apply for the programme, budding cadets need to live within North Wales and be at least 16 years of age when the programme commences. To find out more visit the North Wales Police website:

http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwpv2/en/recruit/cadetsHome.asp

Another organisation offering volunteering opportunities within the uniformed services is St. Johns Ambulance. St. John’s Ambulance is a charity which provides first aid support to people across the country. The charity provides first aid training to volunteers. Being skilled in this type of training means that you have the ability to potentially heal injuries, prevent wounds from getting worse and to ultimately save lives. This teaching is also beneficial as it could possibly act as an access route to the NHS. Young volunteers can work towards Level 2 training for free with the charity, which is the equivalent of 5 GCSE’s graded, A – C. Many of the young volunteers haven’t attained any GCSE’s and by achieving qualifications with the charity they might be able to set themselves up for a career in the health sector. Also, first aiders aren’t the only positions available at The St. Johns Ambulance. The charity requires fundraisers, youth leaders, treasurers and secretaries.

If you wish to be a member of St. John’s Ambulance then fill out a simple enquiry form on their website by clicking the link:

http://www.stjohnwales.org.uk/volunteering/adult/adult_contact.asp

You Don’t Have To Take Our Word For It, Just Ask The Volunteers!

Looking at the opportunities from the uniformed services, it is clear that volunteering lets your skills soar and it fundamentally, enhances your CV. Although these benefits might be enough to encourage someone to volunteer, there are also other positives that rise out of volunteering with the uniform services. Volunteering for St. John’s Ambulance or for North Wales police also acts as a type of diversion to sway children away from a dangerous life on the streets, making them less likely to end up vandalizing and damaging their community. Volunteers, who are members of the North Wales police cadets, make a significant impact in their community to reduce crime, while volunteers for St. John’s Ambulance have the ability to save lives on a daily basis. It is evident that both services provide an immense impact on local communities, so whichever organisation the volunteer is working for, they should take pride in the fact that they are making a difference to society, other people, and themselves.

Volunteers on the Police Cadet Programme take part in varied activities while on the two year scheme. For instance, cadets are taken to the fire services to learn about fire safety and what it’s like to be a fireman. Looking at the images from the St Asaph cadet’s recent trip to the fire station, it is clear that it was a fun day which also educated the cadets. Similarly, a volunteer from St. John’s Ambulance, James Stuart, who is the Regional Youth Officer for the Mid Wales Region, talks of his enjoyment helping out with the charity.

‘In addition to my Regional Role, I am also a First Responder in the Rhayader Division which requires me to attend public duties with the division.’

James gets so much enjoyment out of being a volunteer, that it has lead to him helping out St. Johns ambulance for two decades.

‘I joined St John Wales as a Badger almost 20 years ago. I now work closely with the Youth Leaders to help our younger members in our various youth competitions. My role is very enjoyable because I get to encourage young people to develop their skills, boost their confidence and become more responsible members of society.’

To contemplate weather volunteering in the uniformed services can get a bit tedious, James strongly disagrees.

‘The events we attend can vary from week to week - we might be covering a small village show where no one will need to be treated one day, and then the next day we may be on duty at a large motocross event rushed off our feet and treating up to 10 patients'.

'My favourite event is the Royal Welsh Show; this event brings all of the Mid Wales Regions together with over 80 volunteers present and proves to be a real test of skills. During the four days of the show we treat about 500 patients.’

James also mentions that Rhayader’s Land Rover ambulance has made volunteering with St. Johns easier.

‘I am mostly at home when working on Rhayader’s Land Rover ambulance. The ambulance will go nearly anywhere and has a snow plough attachment for winter times. This ambulance has made it much easier to access patients in rural areas. A year ago, we would have to walk for miles - now, we drive. It’s small to work in but it is worth its weight in gold. When driving off-road the other volunteers and I have to be prepared for anything but driving in the ambulance always puts a smile on my face.’
 

Volunteers may have many motives to why they decide to help with St. John’s Ambulance for so long, but James has one unyielding reason.

‘Being a member of St John has given me a real sense of pride to be putting something back into my community and helping in a way that is so valuable to the town. It makes what we do worth it. To be able to make a difference or to comfort the family of a patient is such a small and easy thing to do but something that is often overlooked.'

'My friends and family think I spend too much time volunteering but I’m sure if they could see the difference volunteering a small amount of time makes, they would do it too.’

It appears that volunteering can perhaps put you in the right direction if you want a career in the police force, or the health sector. However, volunteering in these areas has also shown that volunteering within the public sector can develop one’s personal skills, injecting confidence into volunteers, therefore making them more independent also. Could there possibly be any negatives to volunteering? It appears not, volunteering within these services can be depicted as a means to enrich your life and others.