Volunteer
Our volunteers come from all walks of life.
Many have personal experience of struggling to learn to read, or they’ve worked in a profession where they understand how critical this skill is. Others simply want to share their joy of reading.
Whatever your reason, you can help improve people’s life chances by volunteering with us.
Why volunteer at Shannon Trust?
Volunteering at Shannon Trust offers the opportunity to make a real difference to individuals in the criminal justice system. It’s a rewarding experience where you can build connections and develop new skills, while supporting learners in reaching their full potential.
Make a difference to people’s lives
Gain experience in the criminal justice sector
Use your skills and experience
Gain a sense of fulfilment
Volunteering at Shannon Trust allows you to build new skills, meet new people and new opportunities, and promote positive health and wellbeing. We actively welcome volunteers with lived experience of the justice system to help us improve reading and writing levels.
Approximately 7,500 learners engaged every year
2,000 mentors trained with the support of volunteers
Volunteers in over 100 prisons
Volunteer with us
Volunteering at Shannon Trust allows you to build new skills, meet new people and new opportunities, and promote positive health and wellbeing. We actively welcome volunteers with lived experience of the justice system to help us improve reading and writing levels.
Approximately 7,500 learners engaged every year
2,000 mentors trained with the support of volunteers
Volunteers in over 100 prisons
The different ways to volunteer
In prisons
We wouldn’t be able to carry out Shannon Trust activity in prisons without our amazing volunteers.
You can help train mentors, keep our regional managers up to date with activities, offer administrative support to the team, plus much more.
If you have the time to volunteer, read more about the opportunities on offer:
Prison volunteer
Prison volunteers nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance and support to prison staff and mentors.
Area administrator
Area administrators are an invaluable part of our team. They provide administrative support to our area coordinators and teams, organising and minuting area meetings. They're also an important link in how we evidence the impact of Shannon Trust, prompting and following up data and monthly reports from our prison volunteers.
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Area coordinator
Area coordinators support and coordinate a team of prison volunteers. They help recruit and induct new volunteers and are the first point of contact for advice and support for them.
In the community
Shannon Trust is working with community partners to enhance our support to learners as they leave prison. This will enable them to continue learning on release and also to reach others in the community in touch with probation services or at risk of offending.
By becoming a reading coach, you will enable people to learn basic reading skills in a flexible way, so that day to day tasks like filling in forms or reading a bus timetable become easier.
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Reading coach
As a Shannon Trust reading coach you will work directly with people with low literacy, helping them to improve their reading through the delivery of Turning Pages sessions both on a face to face basis and through the use of technology.
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FAQs
General questions
Application questions
Ongoing support questions
Expenses questions
Prison volunteering questions
If you have any further questions, get in touch at volunteering@shannontrust.org.uk
Volunteering resources
