"I enjoy volunteering with IPA because it gives me an opportunity to do something entirely different from what I do all week in my job, like helping kids build a den or make a camp fire. But most importantly, it feels like I am really making a difference - seeing the smiles that the activities put on the children's faces is priceless!"
Juergen, investment professional and volunteer for Islington Play Association.

The Islington Play Association relies heavily on people who give up some of their time to help on a voluntary (not for pay) basis.

The amount of time offered varies between a few hours a month to almost full-time. Sometimes we are offered help on a one-off basis for a specific task or project, sometimes on a regular basis.

People help out because:

• It helps children in need
• It's fun
• It's rewarding
• It helps people develop skills, knowledge and can help them with their careers
• It makes their neighbourhoods better places to live in

Volunteers may want to work directly with children on adventure playgrounds, playschemes, or sport programmes. They may also choose to work with children who have special needs or disabilities, teenagers, or toddlers. Volunteers share their interests with children - it may be music, dance, football, drama, canoeing, chess, puppetry, cooking, gardening, environmental interest, flora and fauna, photography, computers, carpentry (helping children build dens and play structures on adventure playgrounds) etc.

Some volunteers help the Islington Play Association and other voluntary organisations with governance, publicity, finance and HR support, IT advice, campaigning, research, and training by using their professional, administrative, artistic or sporting skills. The energy of young volunteers and the experience of retired people are both particularly welcome. Just a few hours a month can make a huge difference.

The Islington Play Association has a history of creating placements for students from the UK and abroad. Some employers encourage volunteering and some will agree to placements in work time because it enhances the skills of their staff.

To find out more, please contact us saying you are interested in volunteering.

For child protection reasons, volunteers working with children will need to undertake criminal record checks. We will help you apply for a certificate that shows that you have no criminal record.

If you have a criminal record in the UK or abroad, you will need to declare any and all offences but they will not necessarily prevent you from volunteering. Your criminal record will be confidentially verified.