PLEASE NOTE: The Stitch volunteering program is primarily designed for Stitch members, which means you need to be aged 50 or over to participate. If you are under 50 but would like to contribute in some way, then please reach out to us and we would be happy to chat.
One of the most rewarding things we've seen as we build the Stitch Community is the ever-increasing number of members who would like to volunteer their time and experience to help the community deliver its social mission.
While almost every single member of Stitch has a wealth of skills and experience they can offer to help the community, we have found the single most important thing Stitch members can do is help the Stitch community become active in their local area.
If the community isn't active in your area yet, that might involve helping start community activities for the first time. Or if it is already active to some extent, it might consist of helping the community become richer and more diverse, by extending local community activities to different neighborhoods, different interest groups, or even just different days of the week.
We have learned, however, that the most challenging time for a local community is when it is just getting started, so we created a program designed to provide community pioneers with the support, guidance, and encouragement they need. We call this the Stitch Pioneer Program.
It's called the Pioneer Program because our community volunteers are the pioneers helping to establish communities and build social connections in new areas.
The program has been designed to be not only rewarding, but also fun! Many of our Pioneers tell us they have built lifelong friendships through the program.
How the Pioneer Program Works
Watch the video below to learn about how the Pioneer Program works, and the opportunities for you to get involved as a Pioneer.
Goals of the program
The Community Pioneer Program has been designed to enrich the community in a variety of ways:
Support Pioneers
The primary aim is to support and encourage our Pioneers as they start to establish community activity in their areasDevelop Champions
The program helps grow and develop Community Champions by providing coaching to help them expand their impact across the communityNurture Communities
By supporting and encouraging our Pioneers, the program helps grow, nurture, and support local communities around the world
That might sound like a lot of work, but it's not. It's the best volunteering role in the world, because it's all about having fun.
But it's having fun with purpose.
Community Pioneers grow the community in new areas by:
Joining a group of fellow Pioneers to meet regularly over a 4 month period, under the guidance of a Community Mentor
Suggesting and organizing events and activities over those four months
Pioneers who have joined the program have told us it's been one of the best things they have done since joining Stitch!
I'm interested! How do I get started?
You can learn more about Community Pioneer Volunteering by selecting the button below.