St John appeals for youth team volunteers across Devon

St John Ambulance, the leading first aid charity, is looking for enthusiastic and committed people in locations across Devon to volunteer as Youth Leaders and Youth Helpers. Successful applicants will need to give a minimum of two hours each month and will work with the charity’s youngest volunteers, the Badgers (aged 5 to 11) and Cadets (aged 10 to 17), and guide them as they develop into the next generation of first aiders.

Both St John units in Plymstock and Exeter set up a St John Badger sett locally in 2024 and are now looking to grow the team. Each unit has immediate vacancies for three Youth Leaders/Helpers.

In addition, the Barnstaple unit is hoping to reopen its Badger sett and needs Youth volunteers to help. Finally, the units inDartmouth and Torquay both have an urgent need for Youth Helpers and Youth Leaders.

Successful applicants for Youth Leader roles begin their volunteering journey as Youth Helpers and with more training and experience have opportunities to progress to Youth Leader positions and deliver first aid duties in the community and at events.

No prior first aid or volunteering experience is needed as all necessary training (such as First Aid and safeguarding) will be provided. Applicants for the Youth Leader and Youth Helper roles must be aged 18 or over and will need to pass an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. As a volunteer, you’ll get lots of development opportunities, and access to exclusive discount sites like Blue Light Card.

Sue Ayre, the Youth Lead for Devon at St John Ambulance who has done Youth Leader training herself, said: “Volunteering with St John Ambulance is such an important part of my life. Watching our young people develop, achieve and grow is such a rewarding journey, and being a small part of St John has also given me so many skills that I did not achieve in education, including teamwork, management and training and developing others in lifesaving skills, and using those skills myself to help people that have become sick or injured. Devon is a great part of the world to live in and we work together well and support each other during our volunteering time.”

To learn more about the Youth Leader and Youth Helper roles and to apply, please visit www.sja.org.uk/youthteam.