Community Ambassadors

Age UK Medway is a charity working in the community to support older people in Medway, their families and their carers. We want everyone to be able to love later life, and that’s why we do what we do. Even as people grow older, we want everyone to still feel as young as they used to.

Each service we offer is designed to support the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of our clients, and to help them remain independent, and with choice and control in their lives. They are run by experienced and trained staff, all familiar with the challenges faced by older people, and who know how to ensure each individual gets the most out of the service.

We are looking for active members of society that are willing to be the bridge between our charity and the wider community, to help achieve our main goal of helping all older people, to Achieve Life’s Fullness. The role of Community Ambassador has been in the making since 2019, with two key strategic functions in mind:

• to raise awareness in the communities we serve of the range of Age UK Medway services available to older people.
• to provide access to those services for older people in a simple, effective and supportive manner to allow them to take full advantage of the support available.

Community Ambassador activities and duties may include:

• Providing conversation and listening
• Offering advice regarding Age UK Medway services
• Being a point of contact between the charity and the potential service user (a gateway to arrange services that support independent living for people in later life)
• Liasing with Age UK Medway to help those in need
• Raising local awareness of the charity's work
• Reducing social isolation
• Promoting long-term health
• Making referrals to Age UK third party partners, for independent living solution products.

The ideal Community Ambassador would:

• Be established in the community, and in frequent contact with potential service users
• Be reliable and honest
• Possess good communication skills
• Be confident, patient and have empathy for others
• Be approachable and have a happy-to-help attitude
• Be passionate about supporting your local community
• Be savvy on social media, to help spread our #AskAboutAlf campaign (welcome, but not essential)
• Have knowledge or previous experience of the welfare benefits system (welcome, but not essential).

By becoming a Community Ambassador, you can:

• Gain experience and new skills by working with a professional organisation
• Improve self-confidence
• Be certified as a trained and verified ambassador
• Gain a sense of satisfaction and pride for helping to make a valuable difference in your community
• Meet new people
• Be given links to trusted assessors via the local council
• Fit the role around your availability
• Have access to volunteering within other departments of interest i.e fundraising or befriending
• Have the opportunity to attend key organisational events including full staff meetings, christmas event, summer BBQ, AGM, etc.