Volunteering: your time could be someone's turning point
Across Bedfordshire and beyond, there are people waiting for someone to believe in them. Young people who’ve lost hope. Adults trying to break free from cycles of offending. Families in crisis who need practical support and a friendly face.
You could be that someone.
At YouTurn, we know that real change happens through relationships. It happens when someone takes the time to listen, to encourage, to walk alongside another person on their journey towards a brighter future. It happens when volunteers like you share your skills, your experience, and most importantly, your belief that everyone deserves a second chance.
Whether you have two hours a week or two days a month, there’s a way for you to make a meaningful difference.
How you can help
Become an ambassador
Can you help raise awareness and support their work of YouTurn by using your public platform to talk about the charity’s work and the issues it addresses helping to raise money and the profile of the charity.
Become a trustee
Could you bring your skills to help with the governance and leadership of YouTurn. Working closely with the board and senior leadership to make strategic decisions, ensure public benefit, and hold the charity accountable.
Mentoring
Support young people aged 16-24 through our Supported Pathway programme. Help them set goals, build confidence, and navigate the challenges they face as they move away from serious violence, exploitation, and crime. Your consistent presence and encouragement can be the foundation they need to rebuild their lives.
School and community outreach
Join our teams working in schools and alternative education settings across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Help deliver workshops on healthy relationships, online safety, and resilience. Support young people who’ve experienced exclusion or trauma to re-engage with learning and see the possibilities ahead of them.
Administrative support
Behind every life-changing conversation is paperwork that needs doing. Help with data entry, filing, answering phones, or updating records. Your organisational skills free up our frontline staff to focus on the direct work that transforms lives.
Fundraising and awareness
Help us tell our story to the wider community. Support fundraising events, share our message on social media, or help write newsletters and case studies. Your efforts help secure the resources we need to reach more people who need our support.
Specialist skills
Are you an accountant, graphic designer, IT specialist, or trainer? We can always use professional expertise to strengthen our operations. Whether it’s helping with our analytical services, designing materials, or delivering training sessions, your specialist knowledge has real value.
The impact of your time
When you volunteer with YouTurn, you become part of something bigger than any single intervention. You join our multi-agency network that brings together police, probation services, local councils, schools, and community organisations to create comprehensive support for vulnerable people.
Your contribution might seem small, but it’s part of a coordinated effort that has delivered significant reductions in reoffending, helped hundreds of young people move away from exploitation, and strengthened families across our communities.
Who we’re looking for
- Empathy: The ability to listen without judgment and see potential in people who might have lost sight of their own worth
- Reliability: People who’ve been let down many times need to know they can count on you
- Resilience: This work can be challenging, and we’ll support you, but you need to be able to cope with difficult stories and sometimes slow progress
- Respect for boundaries: Understanding the difference between professional support and friendship, and why safeguarding procedures exist
- Commitment: Even a small regular commitment is more valuable than sporadic availability
Real change, real hope
Every week, we see evidence that change is possible. The teenager who stops carrying a knife. The adult who maintains stable housing for the first time in years. The family that learns to communicate without violence. The young person who discovers they’re good at something and starts to dream about their future again.
These transformations don’t happen overnight, and they don’t happen without support. They happen because people like you choose to get involved, to believe in second chances, and to invest your time in building a safer, more hopeful community for everyone.
Your time matters. Your compassion counts. Your commitment can change lives.
Take the first step
Ready to explore volunteering with YouTurn? We’d love to hear from you. Whether you have a clear idea of how you want to help or you’re just curious about the possibilities, we’ll work with you to find the right fit.
The young people, adults, and families we work with are waiting for their chance to turn things around. With your help, we can make sure they get it.