RADIO LOLLIPOP VOLUNTEERS

Radio Lollipop is an international charity organisation founded in 1979 to provide care, comfort, play and entertainment for children and young people, primarily in hospitals. The service to children and young people is provided entirely by Volunteers who have been especially selected, and trained to make a child’s stay in hospital more fun and less frightening.

Each Radio Lollipop Volunteer has a commitment to provide 2 hours per week of interactive play with children using a comprehensive range of fun and interactive activities developed over the years by Radio Lollipop. A broadcast radio studio is part of the armoury of activities in our “toy box” and is provided at most of the hospitals where the Radio Lollipop service operates, providing a unique child-orientated programme of interactive competitions, music, stories and games.

What qualities should a potential Volunteer be able to demonstrate?

• An enthusiastic, positive and outgoing personality
• An interest in playing with children, of all ages and creeds, in an interactive way
• An understanding of the benefits that constructive play can provide for a sick child and their siblings
• The ability to be a dependable team player
• An appreciation of the need to uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity whilst within and without a hospital
• The ability to meet the requirement to provide two hours of voluntary play each week.

Once appointed what might a Radio Lollipop Volunteer be expected to do?

• Attend the compulsory induction and training programme
• Join a ward-based team and observe / participate in the play activities / games and competitions agreed as the theme for the evening
• Assist with the production and development of themed play activities
• Hand out prizes to winners of competitions (and those who deserve to be winners!)
• Help with fundraising for the local station
• Develop radio presentation skills
• Join the local Station Management team and thus gain valuable management skills applicable to roles outside the charity

Radio Lollipop Volunteers have a great deal of fun providing a valuable service to sick children and their families. The reward of seeing a quiet, withdrawn child return to a confident, happy child is immense and is something that our Volunteers experience on a regular basis.

Radio Lollipop is exceptionally well regarded in the field of Paediatrics for the benefits that it brings to the recovery of a sick child and many Volunteers have used the skills and experience gained through their voluntary work with Radio Lollipop to develop careers outside the charity in Radio, Public Relations, Medicine and many other fields.

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• Help plan and create (or identify from archive sources) the weekly radio program your team will be using
• Help plan and create the coordinating crafts, games and activities to be used in the weekly radio program your team will be using
• Supervise radio studio programming while team is on-air
• Help coordinate transportation for children to come visit the studio
• Serve as host/hostess for children visiting the studio
• Oversee play and activities in and around the studio
• Bring crafts to children who are unable to visit the studio
• Work with patients as necessary per direction from the Nursing and Child Life staffs
• Assume responsibility for finding your own trained and qualified replacement if you are unable to work your scheduled shift

Non-essential duties and responsibilities:

• Act as presenter/DJ during program
• Assume leadership role for your assigned team
• Assist with marketing and PR efforts
• Assist with efforts to recruit guest DJs and special guests
• Assist with training for new team members
• Assist with fundraising efforts to support the Radio Lollipop programming efforts

Required qualifications:

• Comfort with public speaking and other public roles
• Enthusiastic, positive and outgoing personality
• Interest in playing with children, including participating directly in the related arts and crafts, games and activities
• Ability to encourage children to participate in the Radio Lollipop program
• Dependable, responsible and detail oriented
• Must be able to work as a member of a program team

Preferred qualifications :

• Public speaking experience
• Acting, music, dance and other performance experience
• Previous radio and TV production experience
• Experience working with and supervising children in varied situations
• Bilingual skills

Physical demand and work environment:

• Ability to move easily throughout the hospital and remain standing for extended periods
• Ability to assist children as they move from their rooms to the studio. Some light lifting may be required

Want to become a Radio Lollipop Volunteer?  Click the “Contact” link above and complete the simple form to start the Volunteer Interview process.