Activity group coordinator training

Training 2: planning activity groups

Once you’ve completed your checks and training one of the Re-engage team who looks after the older people and volunteers in your area will be in touch to share with you the names and contact details of the volunteers and older people in the activity group.

If you’re going to be starting a new group, or if you don’t have the opportunity to attend an activity group before you start volunteering, then reaching out to the other volunteers in the group to introduce yourself is a good idea. You can do this in several ways, but email / WhatsApp / text are popular ways that have worked well with many activity group coordinators.

Whichever way you choose to keep in contact, please remember that you must only share volunteer and older people information with those who need it, when they need it, and emergency contacts should only ever be used in the case of an actual emergency. You can revisit Re-engage’s GDPR training to remind yourself how to safely handle personal data.

Getting the activity group started

Activity group coordinators plan the monthly activity groups and ensure that they run smoothly so that the older people can attend and enjoy the regular group.

Steps to follow when planning an activity group:

• Email the schedule of activity groups to the activity group lead volunteers and ask them to confirm which sessions they can take lead and which sessions they can support.
• When the activity group lead volunteers confirm the groups they can lead and support, send an email to the activity group drivers confirming that the activity group is going ahead.
• Ask the activity group drivers to call the older people they’ve been assigned to drive and ask them to confirm each older person’s attendance with you, two days prior to the activity group.
• Confirm the final numbers with the activity group lead volunteer who’ll be leading the group and share any relevant information, for example, health information that may affect an older person’s ability to perform in a physical activity.

Keeping in contact with Re-engage

Your goal as a group coordinator is to keep your activity group running as smoothly as possible. A key part of this is to make sure that Re-engage knows how your group is getting on by filling in the quarterly report. We’ll email you a link to the short report four times a year along with instructions on how to fill it in.

You don’t need to wait for the quarterly activity group report to let us know how you are getting on or to ask us for help. You can contact the Re-engage team by emailing  knowledge@reengage.org.uk or by calling 020 7240 0630 (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday).

During and after each activity group

As much as possible try to ensure that the activity groups are held in the same venue and at the same time every month and that the volunteers are assigned to collect the same older people.

The activity group themselves stay the same every time, so over the weeks, drivers, activity group volunteers, and older people really get to know one another and often become close friends.

Activity group drivers should stay for the duration of the groups and mingle with the older people and other volunteers. Often older people love the interaction with volunteers just as much as the interaction between other older people so it’s a great opportunity to mix with various age groups.

Before the activity group starts it’s important to check the following:

1. Health questionnaire – activity group older people will have completed a health questionnaire when registering their interest in our activity group. If older people turn up unexpectedly on the day who haven’t registered, you’ll need to pass on the Re-engage phone number or send them a registration link.
2. Access to activity group older person information including emergency contacts – prior to an activity group starting, you’ll be given access to relevant older people’s information, including emergency contact details (if provided) and relevant health information that could affect their ability to do certain exercises. It’s important that this information is stored securely but can be accessed by you during the session. See our GDPR training for more information.  
3. Contact information – You’ll have access to the Re-engage email and telephone number.

Keeping everyone safe

As Re-engage staff and volunteers, we all have a responsibility to look out for each other’s health and safety. Many older people have mobility issues and may be more at risk of accidents.

To help keep everyone safe at the activity group, please keep an eye out for the following:

• Trip hazards, such as people’s bags or the edge of a rug
• Slip hazards, such as spilled drinks or a recently mopped floor
• Burning or scalding risks, such as an older person leaning to pick up a mug of hot tea which might be too heavy for them

If you see any potential hazards during the activity group, please alert the rest of the group and reduce any risks, for example, by helping to move objects that someone might trip over into another room.

The activity group venue

Please be mindful when parking that you’re not blocking the entrance or obstructing the activity group venue door.

The team at Re-engage check with all the older people who attend that they are able to safely manage three steps up into a venue and that they’re able to use the toilet facilities without support.

Older people can sometimes find it difficult to get in and out of armchairs and sofas, so the activity group venue offers a variety of seating options for the older people and the ventilation and lighting is good.

All Re-engage events are non-smoking and activity group are no exception and pets are not allowed at activity groups.