Prison-based volunteers are the backbone of Fine Cell Work (FCW). Supported by the Fine Cell Work programmes team and by other staff at the FCW office, they teach and administer FCW stitching groups in prisons.
Prison volunteers work in teams to organise classes and teach our stitchers, as well as providing information about the group to the prison and to the FCW office. The precise mix of skills will vary from prison to prison.
Volunteering in prison for Fine Cell Work requires ideally a good level of needlework skill (or a willingness to learn), some teaching experience and/or experience of working with socially-excluded groups. Volunteers must be patient and non-judgemental in order to work effectively. As a prison volunteer you will be:
- Developing skills and confidence
- Teaching prisoners to stitch FCW products within the framework of our training programme
- Encouraging and supporting prisoners to volunteer as class coordinators and peer mentors
- Encouraging and helping prisoners who wish to undertake their own creative projects
It is essential for volunteers to support FCW’s ethos, believe in rehabilitation, be an excellent teamworker, observe personal boundaries, be reliable and patient to ensure cell groups run smoothly, and have record-keeping skills and have some knowledge of needlework.
Volunteers work in prisons around the UK dependent on where groups are based, therefore it is requred that volunteers will be able to travel to the relevant prisons. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by the charity.
Please take some time to read the role description to find out more details about the role and what we offer to our volunteers.
At Fine Cell Work, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in FCW’s workforce.
These include applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+, and male identifying applicants as these are currently under-represented in our volunteers groups.