The Govan Unity Outreach Project

October saw our Govan Unity Outreach Project come to fruition. We were thrilled to broaden our vision to reach more vulnerable adults in Glasgow, and this project gave us the opportunity to put these goals into practice. 

Firstly, our new teammate, Holly, did a fantastic job by extending our network of contacts throughout Govan; thereby substantially widening the pool of clients we can reach. Despite Covid, she utilised virtual platforms to ensure the face of Befriending was visible to our new network and established good relationships. We look forward to building on these solid foundations in the future. 

The team reached potential clients and volunteers directly via multiple Govan community Facebook groups. It also enlisted the help of a community member to establish a targeted group of seven isolated and lonely asylum seekers, matching them with volunteers for weekly befriending conversations. It was wonderful to be able to extend the offer of befriending. 

To remove a major obstacle in accessing befriending, we provided Govan Unity Outreach clients with devices, SIM cards and data. In this way, we have done everything to ensure that their telephone befriending relationships are firmly established and long-lasting. 

Moreover, by assessing their needs holistically, we went beyond the limits of befriending and signposted clients to the agencies in our new network who could support them further. This ties together all the different strands of the project in a way that can make a real difference to peoples’ lives, now and in the future. 

For a project of one month, these outcomes are significant. To help support us as we continue to reach out to vulnerable adults in Glasgow, please visit https://www.befriend.org.uk/donate.

Next, we look forward to hearing some more from Holly …