Conflict Coach Families and Young People

As a Volunteer Conflict Coach, you'll create safe spaces for conversations that matter. You'll use your skills and experience to support families and young people to find new ways forward, using proven conflict coaching techniques.

You don't need to be an expert already-we'll give you all the training you need! You'll gain valuable experience, learn new skills, and join a passionate team of volunteers making a real impact.

What You'll Do:

• Provide up to 3 conflict support sessions per case, empowering participants to explore challenges and find positive paths forward.
• Collaborate with co-mediators and staff to ensure everyone feels heard, safe, and supported.
• Signpost to other support services when needed.
• Help families and young people see conflict differently and build healthier relationships.

We Offer:

• Professional conflict coach training
• Ongoing support, supervision, and a caring team culture
  
• Opportunities to expand your skills
  
• A chance to make a lasting impact on lives and communities

Volunteering will be a mix of online (Zoom) sessions and face-to-face meetings in safe, neutral venues in your local area.

NB We work across the Thames Valley and we need volunteers from all areas and communities.

About Alternatives to Conflict

Our purpose is to help communities, individuals and families resolve family, neighbourhood and inter-generational conflicts that, unaddressed, can dominate their day to day lives, overshadow their relationships with others and diminish their personal well-being.

Alternatives to Conflict (formerly Mediation Buckinghamshire) provides a volunteer delivered Conflict Resolution Service. We seek to help those involved in conflict by providing support through a range of conflict resolution tools including Mediation, Conflict Coaching and Facilitated Conversations.

Our Volunteers encourage and support people to reach their own solutions and resolutions, were this is not achievable we work with individuals to develop coping/conflict strategies to deal with the dispute.

Our service is delivered by a highly trained and dedicated team of volunteers and in partnership with other local agencies. Crucially, our service is available to anyone in need and is provided at no cost to the end users.

We work with people and organisations across the Thames Valley who are in contact with people who are affected by conflict or Anti-social behaviour in its many forms. We also work with the public and communities who approach us directly.

We work creatively and proactively with our partners to find solutions to the increasing rise in anti-social behaviour and damaging conflicts. This approach has led to growing demand for help from families, children and young people. In response to this we have established a new dedicated project called Room to Talk which specifically work with CYP and families providing individual and family support to talk about and to manage conflict, we also work with groups of young people and or professionals working with young people to provide training and or workshops on conflict management skills and recognition and prevention of conflict, more recently we are working with the police and safeguarding teams to develop support to young people at risk of weapon enabled crime and feuding youth groups.

We see our community most importantly in terms of those who use are service and our volunteers and particularly want to ensure that we reach people who are perceived as harder to reach.

What skills do I need?

What We're Looking For:

• A passion for helping others
• Resilience and understanding of vulnerable groups 
• Good communication and listening skills
• Willingness to learn and grow
• A commitment to around 3 half-days or evenings a month

When is this role available?

This is a flexible role available on various days/times.

Details

Commit to at least 1 year of volunteering, handling a minimum of 10 cases - typically around 3 half-days or evenings per month. The role can be suitable for someone who works full time, as the service is provided up until 8:30.

Where does this role take place?