- Build intergenerational friendships and tackle loneliness in Bristol
- In person and remote
- One - two hours per week
- No experience needed
What is LinkAges
LinkAges builds intergenerational friendships between University of Bristol students and older members of the community.
The programme benefits participants through improved self-esteem, wellbeing and connection to others – ultimately tackling ageism and social isolation. The programme will also benefit your engagement with the world around you, wellbeing and key skills such as confidence, resilience, leadership and teamwork.
One moment stands out for me which is when I helped a lady download WhatsApp and communicate with her daughter. Her daughter then sent her a picture of her newborn grandchild whom she had never seen before as they live abroad. It was a lovely moment that I won’t forget!
Tom Hilditch, LinkAges participant 2021-22
What you’ll be doing
As a LinkAges participant you will join in regular activities with members of the community. The projects which are open for students this term are:
| Pen Pals | A remote opportunity to be a penpal with a local member of the community |
| Phone Pals | A remote opportunity to be a phonepal with a local member of the community |
| Tech support | An opportunity to be paired 1:1 with a care home resident and teach them basic tech skills |
| Coffee Morning | Wednesday Mornings from 10:30am-12pm at Westbury Fields Care home |
How to get involved
Applications for Teaching Block Two is now closed. To apply you need to complete an application form to let us know why you’re interested in LinkAges, your availability for training and which projects you want to take part in.
Once we’ve heard from you the next steps will be:
- Attending an introductory information training
- Completing our skills development and safeguarding training
- Applying for a DBS certificate.
- Coming along to your project induction the first week of February to get started!
If you have any questions, or require any support to get involved, don’t hesitate to contact Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org. You can also contact our LinkAges committee member, Jasmine, at linkages@bristolhub.org.
Join our LinkAges committee
We are currently recruiting for our LinkAges Committee. This is an excellent opportunity to be a part of the Bristol Hub Committee and support the development of the LinkAges programme. You will be engaging students across all LinkAges projects to raise awareness of social isolation and loneliness in the community. Apply before April 17th.
To find out more about other opportunities or keep in touch for the next academic year:
- Sign up to our weekly newsletter or follow us on Instagram
- Join our WhatsApp Community
- Sign up to hear about one-off volunteering opportunities throughout the year.
FAQ
There are loads of benefits for you if you get involved with Bristol Hub. These include:
- Having an impact in the community. You can make a difference and tackle ageism and social isolation, whilst being given the opportunity to meet new people.
- You will develop key skills including teamwork, conversational, inter-personal, resilience and confidence. This will be supported by the professional training you receive and the support you get throughout your experience.
- Hours spent volunteering with Bristol Hub contribute to the Bristol Plus Award.
- We can provide you with a professional reference.
- A certificate recognising the commitment you’ve made, which you can put on your CV and share on Linkedin.
We’ve assessed the accessibility of all our opportunities and are able to discuss these with you prior to you starting your placement, this includes any reasonable adjustments we can make. All accessibility information will also be sent to you prior to your placement as standard. If you have any questions about accessibility, or want to make request a reasonable adjustment, please reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org.
Some examples of reasonable adjustments we can offer include:
- Using an expensed taxi service to aid mobility conditions.
- Making sure there is seating with no arms.
- Extra time to complete activities in training, as you would get in exams.
- Trainings will be held in wheelchair accessible spaces
Our activities are all open for everyone so if you’ve not been involved in social action before, or you’re apprehensive about getting involved, reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org. All of our opportunities practice a safe space policy meaning they are supportive, non-judgemental and always willing to listen.
If you would like any more information, you can read our safe space policy.
You can contact our LinkAges committee member, Jasmine, on linkages@bristolhub.org, to gain a student’s perspective.
It’s natural to feel nervous when you try new things, but don’t let you put that off. If you want to talk to a member of our team before applying or attending a session you can email them. Or if you’re not sure who to speak to email luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org and we’ll get back to you.
You can also contact our LinkAges committee member, Jasmine, on linkages@bristolhub.org.
Some things we recommend often include joining the programme with a friend – you could sign up together and come to the same session so that you’ll have a friendly face. Alternatively, you could arrange to meet a member of our team before a session so that you get to know each other 1-1 and can travel together. We’ll work together to find a solution which supports you to get involved, whatever that may be.
We will be in touch as soon as we’ve read your application. We will let you know about upcoming training, our available opportunities and other key information to support the application process such as expectations to complete safeguarding training and get a DBS check.
DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. These provide a UK criminal records check and are required when individuals are working closely with young people or adults at risk, or have access to sensitive information. In order to get your DBS check you will need:
- Your address history for the last five years.
- Your national insurance number.
- You will need physical documents of your passport, driving license or other form of ID.
Bristol Hub pays for the check and will support you at every step of the process. If you have a question about this check or want to make a self-disclosure about a criminal record please reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org.
In order to support you to be confident as a LinkAges participant we deliver comprehensive training covering:
- Safeguarding, to ensure both you and the community members people you work with are kept safe.
- Advice on working with older people to give you the confidence you need to build great relationships.
- Expectations of being a volunteer and your volunteering experience.