© Resonate Arts | Wight Spirit - Guy Portelli
Our volunteer Creative Befrienders are passionate about the arts. We pair them with people living with dementia who want to connect with others and explore their creativity. Together they might create art, talk about their shared passions, plan a cultural visit together or attend a project in the area. Our befriending programme is particularly suitable for people living with dementia who are isolated at home, with limited opportunities to access events in the wider community.
Creative Befrienders was initially developed in response to the recognition by the Westminster Memory Service of a number of former artists who would benefit from tailored, expert support in their dementia. We now run the project across two boroughs and have an ever-increasing pool of artistic and creative volunteers who work with people in their own homes.
Become a Creative Befriender!
Do you love using/sharing 'art’ to prompt creative moments and enjoyment with others? Would you like to use your creative skills to help a person living with dementia feel less isolated? If your answer is ‘yes’ then please DO join us as a volunteer Creative Befriender.
We will pair you with a resident of Westminster or Kensington & Chelsea who is living with dementia. You will connect with your befriendee a minimum of 15 times in person/by phone (dates and times flexible, to suit you both). Responding to the interests and needs of the individual, you might meet in the home environment for creative activities or attend exhibitions, projects and museums in the community.
What do we offer?
You will need to be
For a full role description and more information please contact us.
Creative Befrienders was initially developed in response to the recognition by the Westminster Memory Service of a number of former artists who would benefit from tailored, expert support in their dementia. We now run the project across two boroughs and have an ever-increasing pool of artistic and creative volunteers who work with people in their own homes.
Become a Creative Befriender!
Do you love using/sharing 'art’ to prompt creative moments and enjoyment with others? Would you like to use your creative skills to help a person living with dementia feel less isolated? If your answer is ‘yes’ then please DO join us as a volunteer Creative Befriender.
We will pair you with a resident of Westminster or Kensington & Chelsea who is living with dementia. You will connect with your befriendee a minimum of 15 times in person/by phone (dates and times flexible, to suit you both). Responding to the interests and needs of the individual, you might meet in the home environment for creative activities or attend exhibitions, projects and museums in the community.
What do we offer?
- Free enhanced DBS check
- Initial and ongoing training, mentoring and support (in person or online)
- The opportunity to gain experience at our group activity sessions
- As a minimum, your first home visit will be supervised and supported
- Quarterly catch-up sessions to meet other Creative Befrienders (in person)
- Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses (travel, refreshments and art materials)
You will need to be
- an arts enthusiast (this could be creative arts, music, dance, writing, theatre etc.)
- flexible, reliable and willing to build a meaningful relationship with a person living with dementia
- a clear and confident communicator over the phone and in person with good conversational skills
- friendly, empathetic, patient and a good listener
- able to work with others to create an artistic output. This could be creating a picture, writing a poem, playing music, taking photographs…
- living in Westminster or Kensington & Chelsea, or able to travel easily to these boroughs
For a full role description and more information please contact us.
