Volunteers' Week: Connor

For #VolunteersWeek we also spoke to Connor and his Job Coach Paula. Connor is now volunteering at Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) in the Community Garden, he has gained the confidence to do so from his supported internship through DurhamEnable where he has gained experience in our Community Café.

Connor and his Job Coach Paula

"I think everything is going really well. I like helping out and volunteering in the garden doing different bits - if it’s a nice day especially, it’s great.

“I've enjoyed helping in the kitchen too, talking to customers, washing up, and doing bits on the till. I want to become more confident on the till, especially with giving the correct change.

"I’ve also been doing the same online training as the other volunteers. I’ve completed Food Safety Level 2 and Manual Handling Level 2, and I’m working on Allergen Awareness Level 2, all provided by PCP.

"A big goal for me is to get better on the coffee machine. I want to practice more so I feel confident, it’ll help boost my overall confidence too.

"I like coming to PCP and getting to know the staff and customers.”

Paula talked about Connor and the progress he has made: “Connor came to Durham Enable and we began with lots of vocational profiling to explore what he was interested in. It was very much person-centred, based on what Connor wanted to do and where his interests lay. From there, he was placed onto a supported internship.

"As part of the internship, Connor also spends two days at college working towards qualifications. A key element of the internship is the support of a Job Coach - me - who helps him in the workplace. The idea is that I work alongside Connor on the tasks set by PCP, gradually reducing my support so he becomes fully independent.

"He’s very modest because he’s doing really well. There are now many tasks in the community garden and in the kitchen that he’s completely independent in. We use task analysis to break down each task into steps, repeating them until he’s confident. At first, I might give a verbal or gestural prompt, but after enough repetition, we’re able to fade those prompts out entirely.

“People come into the centre and ask for Connor - they’ll say, ‘Oh, where’s Connor today?’ That’s a real testament to him. He’s so polite and I see every week how well he interacts with customers. It’s really nice to witness.

"Overall, Connor is gaining support in a real-world environment. The progress he’s made from when he first started to now is incredible. He’s building valuable skills and experience he can include on his CV for the future, and its great to see him volunteering in the garden and getting to know other volunteers too, everyone at PCP has been so supportive.”

A big thanks to Connor and Paula for chatting with us and we are delighted to see that the experiences gained from a supported internship has translated into Connor volunteering in our Community Garden.

If you would like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities at: www.pcp.uk.net/volunteers