Get Involved in the London 2012 Olympics by Volunteering!
Calling all sports fans! If you want to be part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Volunteer Programme is the ideal way to get involved. Volunteering at London 2012 can give you the opportunity to get closer to your sporting heroes, enrich your local community and feel the pleasure of the Olympic Games in London direct. Who can volunteer for London 2012? Approximately 70,000 helpers are required to make the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games run effortlessly. Volunteers from a variety of communities and backgrounds will be recruited and taught to the best standards for London 2012. Previous helping out experience isn’t necessary to be a London 2012 Olympic Volunteer, but applicants must: * Be 18 or above by 1 January 2012 * Agree to no less than ten days’ helping out at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games * Attend at the least three London 2012 volunteer training sessions * Be eligible to volunteer in the UK * Pass security background checks Helping out jobs during London 2012. London 2012 volunteers will be given particular roles, according to their expertise and training. There will be two kinds of helpers; specialist and generalist. Specialist helpers will need existing skills or qualifications, for example sport or medical training. Generalist helpers will not need any skills or qualifications, apart from the proper London 2012 Volunteer training. They may be offered jobs in aspects such as: * Event services * Uniform distribution * Olympic Village operations How to become a London 2012 Olympic Volunteer: Applications to become a London 2012 Olympic Volunteer will open this year, but you can register your interest now. Subscribe on the official London 2012 website to add your name on the helping out list and get regular email updates about the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Volunteering before London 2012. If you are living in one of the East London Host Boroughs near to the Olympic Park, you could be a part of a pre-London 2012 volunteering program called Changing Places. Changing Places has been built to help local communities prepare their region for London 2012, and seeks to: * Motivate local people to improve public areas for example parks and open spaces * Permit people to learn new pursuits and skills * Improve the quality of the local surroundings for the London 2012 Olympic Games and afterwards Alternatively, if you have office-based expertise you might want to apply to become a Trailblazer Volunteer. This requires helping the London 2012 Organising Committee to prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games by doing work one day per week in their London office. Volunteering following London 2012. It is hoped that for a long time after the Olympic Games have finished, the London 2012 Volunteer legacy will continue. This is a fun opportunity to be an element of a wide-reaching helping out network, enhancing the lives of local communities all over the UK. Find out much more in relation to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games