Perth's Giraffe Needs Your Help

Let’s be honest – we’re all guilty of sometimes waking up on a Monday morning, thinking that the weekend has just flown by, dreading the thought of another week of hard work.

But for some people, they’d give anything just to have a job to go to. In Perth, there are many who, for whatever reason, cannot find employment. This could be due to disabilities, health issues or other barriers which mean that through no fault of their own they’re unable to find a job.

Social enterprises like Giraffe are crucial in helping these people learn and develop key skills that can lead to employment. They rely heavily on volunteers giving up their time to help jobseekers by teaching them how to interact with others in a professional environment.

There are over 70 volunteers currently working throughout the organisation, but more are needed to help those in difficult situations make the steps into work and towards a better future. Imagine if you had never worked before – would you feel confident in interacting with people?

You can help – by giving up as little as four hours of your time per week, you could build someone’s confidence, teach them vocational skills and encourage them to engage and communicate better with others. The working environment is very friendly – and it helps support those who have become isolated because of their barriers to work.

Martin, a former jobseeker, has had his life completely changed by the work of Giraffe and is now in employment thanks to the volunteers who worked with him.

“I’ve been helping with everything in the café – I feel more confident, my numeracy skills have improved and that has helped me get my first ever paid work. The support has been excellent from Giraffe.”

Volunteers are crucial to the daily running of the cafés, and every penny spent goes back into improving the company, allowing them to help even more people in Perthshire who are struggling to find work.

Shona – Giraffe’s volunteer co-ordinator, is trying to encourage potential volunteers to help make the difference and welcomes help from anybody interested.

“Giraffe volunteers are a wonderful group of people from a variety of different backgrounds. Our volunteers often tell me that they gain as much as they give from helping out with us. It’s a great way to meet new people, and it’s a lovely feeling to know you’ve made a big difference to people’s lives who have faced barriers to employment.”

Here at Small City, we think that the team at Giraffe are doing a fantastic job – the work provided by the volunteers is making such a positive impact on many people’s lives and if you have some free time then why not give it a go?

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CheckIn Works and its subsidiary community interest company, Giraffe Trading CIC, together are Perthshire’s most innovative, work-focused, employability partnership; helping those experiencing long term and enduring disabilities receive vocational training, work experience and life skills support.

If you are interested in volunteering with Giraffe, then give Shona a call today for a friendly, informal chat or to ask any questions you may have. Call on 01738 449227 or email shona@checkin-giraffe.uk for more details.

More information can also be found by visiting www.checkin-giraffe.uk.