Since Leeds Autism AIM was launched in January 2015, volunteers have been at the heart of what we have done and continue to do. At the very beginning, our drop-in Hub started with the support of numerous volunteers, giving up their time as Hub Supporters, Mentors and Steering Group members.
Five years on, volunteers still play a massive part in our service, but how big? As part of our #AIMiversary celebrations, we have produced an infographic that features a few stats about how many volunteers we have trained, mentoring matches and more.
At the end of March 2019, Leeds Autism AIM supported 44 volunteers. 27 new volunteers were trained in between April 2018 and March 2019, with many going on to become Mentors and Hub Supporters.
A significant number of our volunteers are autistic – more than one in three in the year up to March 2019. Of the 17 that volunteered with us, five are members of our Steering Group.
Hours of effort
The sheer number of hours contributed by our volunteers is impressive too. Combined, the 44 volunteers supported by AIM contributed 1,849 hours between April 2018 and March 2019. This works out at just over 42 hours per volunteer!
Regardless of their role, volunteers have been integral to Leeds Autism AIM. They have helped us to provide mentors to autistic adults wanting to achieve goals, helped to steer the service in the right direction, provide invaluable support at our Hubs and offer help at events and forums.
If you would like to volunteer with us as a Mentor, Hub Supporter or in any other capacity, please go to our Get Involved page for more information.
