A specially-designed service that teaches children to speak out on abuse, neglect and bullying is appealing for volunteers to help deliver its message in primary schools across Cumbria.
The NSPCC’s Speak Out. Stay Safe programme aims to visit every primary school in the county at least once every three years to help Cumbria’s children understand how to find help when they have worries or concerns.
NSPCC schools coordinator Sally O’Donnell said: “We have some amazing and dedicated volunteers throughout the whole of Cumbria, and they form such an enthusiastic team, but we need more people to help reach even more children over the next school year.
“Our volunteers make a huge difference in the lives of children who may be going through traumatic or difficult experiences for a whole range of reasons. Sometimes all it takes is a little guidance about who they can talk to, and why speaking up is so important.
“It sounds like such a little thing, but this can mean everything to a child.”
The NSPCC schools service currently has a small team of dedicated volunteers covering the county of Cumbria, but Sally says she needs more people to come forward to help.
She said: “Cumbria is such a large county, and there’s a real mix of rural areas and thriving cities and towns. We need volunteers to reflect this – to work in their own communities and keep the children of their area safer by helping us deliver this work.
“All we ask is for volunteers to be able to commit to delivering two sessions a month, and we provide all the training and information to our new volunteers before they start presenting sessions.
“We want to be able to reach every child in Cumbria, but to do so we need more volunteers who can take our sessions into schools and deliver them in a fun and interactive way.
“All of my team tell me that the work they do is highly rewarding, knowing that they are making a big difference to some children and also that they really enjoy the interaction with the pupils, who are always eager to join in with the session.”
If you would like more information about joining the NSPCC schools service you can visit the NSPCC website, and to apply visit https://join-us.nspcc.org.uk/volunteers/vacancy/nspcc-schools-service-volunteer-cumbria/2459/description/
