Social
Concerns
Summer Fellowship
L’Arche Belfast
Site Address:
54 Knockbreda Road
Belfast
,
Northern Ireland
Website:
https://www.larchebelfast.org.uk/
Location Details
Description
L’Arche Belfast is a non-profit organization and community of adults with and without learning disabilities who share life together.
Student Role
To live and build community as a place of mutual belonging by creating a sense of ‘home’ with others, some of whom have learning disabilities. This involves building relationships, providing direct support to core members in accordance with their care and support plans as a member of a team and sharing the joys and challenges of daily life. Other duties include assisting with cooking, cleaning, attending weekly team meetings and supporting core members to attend day projects that may involve cooking, art, gardening, or socializing. The L’Arche Village now includes a vegetable garden with two polytunnels and a greenhouse, a chicken run, a sensory garden, a training kitchen, a woodworking shop, an art studio, a music room, four multi-purpose rooms, and offices for our work project staff. We are now able offer work project placements to over 100 people with learning disabilities each week.
Work Schedule
Volunteers are based atour L’Arche Village for 35 hours per week assisting with activities, gardening and cooking The shift patterns vary, for example you could be working: 9:30AM-3:30PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 1:00PM to 7:00PM Wednesday Assisting some weekends will be required.
Orientation
We provide a week orientation involving the Volunteer Coordinator, Village Project Leaders, and the CEO to ensure a seamless transition between volunteering and community life. This includes a tour from the Volunteer Coordinator of each of our supported living houses, our L’Arche Village, and the Belfast area.
Housing Information
We have three supported living houses, each with four/five core members. One room is available in two of these houses for volunteers. We also have a dedicated volunteer house. All of our houses are a 10 minute walk from one another. We have a volunteer policy booklet that outlines the expectations of living within the community which the volunteer will be sent via email to read over. They will then sign this upon arrival.
Student Preferences
We have no preference in terms of gender or age. Students that are interested in support work, social care, health care, or have experience working with vulnerable adults or children are desirable. We offer many day opportunities for our core members but also encourage our volunteers to get involved, these sessions include cookery, music, art, games, leisure activities, woodwork and gardening. We often look for volunteers who are empathic, patient and hard working. We are looking for enthusiastic, empathetic, and open minded students who want to learn about our culture, community and ethos. We try to create a more human society where everyone’s gifts are recognised. In this sense, we really appreciate students who are kind and it is a bonus if they have completed some kind of previous volunteer service helping others.
Start And End Dates
June 1-July 25