'Opportunity is missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.'

At Build on Belief we welcome with open arms anyone who wishes to volunteer, including members of the wider community, but we recognise that the majority of our volunteers are in, or have just left structured treatment for their own substance use difficulties. 

We like this, and our volunteering opportunities are designed with them in mind. If you are taking the first steps in your own recovery journey and want to give something back in your own way and in your own time, here are twelve good reasons why Build on Belief might just be the charity for you!

  1. Pretty much all of us have walked the sometimes rocky road to recovery from our substance use problems. We know in our bones how difficult it is. We want to help.
  2. If you're having a bad day, we won't mind. It happens to all of us, and we want to support you through it as a volunteer.
  3. If you have physical health problems or struggle with your mental health, we will understand. Many of us have exactly the same problems, and we are still here.
  4. This is a peer-led service, run by people in recovery for other people in recovery, or trying to deal with their substance use. You won't be judged for the life you have lived, or the problems you have, big or small. All for one and one for all. That's the motto.
  5. We can support you in a great many practical ways to rebuild a sense of structure and routine in your life.
  6. In the early stages of treatment and recovery from substance use we are often not ready to enter the worlds of further education or employment, but nevertheless need something to do. We can help.
  7. We have an absolute wealth of practical experience in recovery from addiction. You are welcome to as much of it as you need.
  8. We can help you develop new skills, and give you a place to practice them without fear of making a mistake. We believe that many people learn best by doing!
  9. A history of substance use doesn't mean we are idiots or have never had a life. We can give you a place to teach others some of your own personal skills. You might be a musician or an artist, a fisherman or a cook. Tell us what you can do, and we will support you into teaching others how - if we can!
  10. It is our ambition to be a family for people without a family. It's impossible to be lonely with BoB!
  11. You decide when you want to volunteer. You can volunteer as frequently or infrequently as you like. You can volunteer for as long as you wish. You can aspire to any role within the organisation. You make all the choices.
  12. If you have a good idea for helping others and want to put it into practice, if we can make it happen, we will!