Volunteer Opportunities
CREATIVE ARTS EAST
Norfolk, Suffolk and the wider Eastern region
Part-time
Creative Arts East’s Arts for Health Programme Volunteer Opportunities Who are we? Creative Arts East is an arts and community development charity committed to bringing the very best arts and cultural activities to rural and/or under-engaged audiences across Norfolk, Suffolk and the wider Eastern region. We aim to use the transformative power of the arts to fight rural and social isolation; increase enjoyment, skills, health, and wellbeing; broaden horizons and ambitions; and make a positive difference to the lives of people living in rural communities. We achieve this by helping people access and engage with high-quality arts experiences, including live performances, cinema screenings and creative workshops. What is our Arts for Health offer? Made up of ‘Creative Socials’ which provide monthly participatory workshops and ‘Afternoon Events’ offering live performances and cinema screenings every other month, all events are free to people aged 50+ across Norfolk. Current groups are active in Attleborough, Dereham, Great Massingham, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton and Thetford, with a new group starting in King’s Lynn in March 2025. Creative Socials include a dynamic range of activities including music making, visual arts and crafts, contemporary movement, and Caribbean dance, to name a few. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for anyone who wants to try something new, make new connections and have a cup of tea and a slice of cake! What is the opportunity? We’re looking for positive, energetic people who would like to help us run these sessions. This will involve: • Supporting set up and clearing away before and after the sessions, involving tasks such as setting up tables and chairs and helping unload and pack away the artist’s equipment. • Making the participants and artists feel welcome and comfortable during the session. • Encouraging and supporting participants to get stuck in with the activities. • Helping to make teas, coffees, cut cake and wash up. • Support new participants to complete their introductory booklets to capture key information such as medical or dietary requirements. What you will experience Besides the satisfaction of helping older people to express themselves creatively, volunteers will also receive: • Access to free training, including dementia-awareness training. Updated February 2025 • An increased skill set. This includes opportunities to develop interpersonal, communication, organisational, timing, confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. • Experience of working with high-quality arts activities and arts practitioners. • The satisfaction of helping vulnerable older people take part in engaging experiences that improve their quality of life. Commitment - Volunteers must show at least a 6-month commitment (this equates to supporting at least 6 sessions for 1 group). Expenses - All reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, you can complete our Volunteer Sign-Up form, linked below. If you’d like more information, please get in touch by contacting Siobhan at siobhan@creativeartseast.co.uk or 01953 713390. Ready to become a volunteer? Click here to complete the Volunteer Sign Up Form Now Updated February 2025