Forest School Volunteer

About HARE

HARE is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company focused on improving the well-being of people in the Forest of Dean, with a particular focus on children and families. We run events, crafts courses, walks in nature and children’s Forest school, based in our woodland near Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire. Find out more about us in our profile and on our website.

This role comes with the following benefits:

• You will have the opportunity to work with the staff team, learning to provide sessions for children and families; and develop your understanding of the care, learning and development of young children;
• We offer a supportive work environment. We aim to create a caring and collaborative work environment where everyone feels safe, fully supported and not judged.
• Volunteering with HARE will enable you to learn about child-led learning, Forest School principles and nature education by seeing and experiencing it in practice in workshops run by qualified and experienced professionals.
• You will gain valuable first-hand experience engaging with children and families, providing crafts and activities, enabling you to enhance your CV.
• HARE can provide references if you apply for a job role.
• Possible opportunities for training.
• Make a difference in your local community by supporting a not-for-profit.
• Help to improve mental health and well-being in the community.
• Contribute to creating custodians of nature and the environment - preserving nature for future generations.
• Be part of a small, fun and supportive team - our team meets monthly for our Volunteer Land Stewardship Days, which are open to the public to join and support us.
• We meet regularly as a team for ‘Food & Fire’ evenings. An opportunity to relax around the fire, in our beautiful woodland and socialise with colleagues. We ‘bring and share’ food, support each other and have fun.

Time commitment:

Our Children's Forest Skills Workshops typically run for four hours from 10:30am to 2:30pm in the school holidays. We will be running for 9 days this Summer 2025. You can find the dates on our website. Our Home Education Workshops run from 12:15pm to 3:00pm on Mondays. Our Forest Play (Stay & Play group) run on Monday mornings 9:30am to 11:30am. You could support all these groups, or one of them.

Forest School volunteers work alongside the Forest School team, to provide activities, engage with children and families and support the day to day running of the sessions.  Volunteer tasks could include:

• Engage with children and families and contribute to a high-quality forest school environment. Helping create a warm, friendly and stimulating atmosphere in which children can develop holistically;
• Modelling respect for people, creatures, plants and trees, our resources and environment;
• Assisting with setting up prior to sessions and packing away.
• Assist with running games, crafts and activities as needed;
• Passing on own skills and experiences to help children develop;

We are looking for Volunteers who love nature and the natural environment & are happy to work outdoors in most weathers, year round.  Our ideal volunteer will be gentle, calm, patient and friendly, want to get to know children and families and take part in activities together during our sessions.  If you’re interested in supporting the well-being of children and families through nature, this could be the role for you.

Support will be provided, if necessary, alongside an induction. The most important thing we want to see is a commitment to HARE's aims and enthusiasm for making a difference. If there is anything you’re not sure of, please email us and we will help you with the process.

Your support will help us grow and develop, and enable us to reach more people. We are a small team so volunteering has a big impact.

If you would like to talk with us before deciding whether to apply, please give us a call. You can find our phone number on our website. Please note we work part time, so may not always be able to answer.

A Volunteer Enhanced DBS Disclosure will be required for this role.