By the end of this training you’ll:
- Be able to explain the role of a flicks and friends group coordinator
- Have a clear understanding of flicks and friends and how it works
- Know how to report any issues or concerns to Re-engage
Flicks and friends
Re-engage’s flicks and friends is a free monthly cinema club open to people aged 60 and over who are lonely, isolated or in need of companionship.
Once a month older people attend the Plaza cinema in Crosby where they enjoy a film and each other’s company.
Flicks and friends is very popular but the numbers of older people attending varies from month to month.
Important to remember
Flicks and friends is suitable for older people who:
- Can travel independently to and from the Plaza cinema in Crosby
- Can manage their own personal needs such as using the toilet without help
Flicks and friends volunteers must not lift or carry older people under any circumstances.
Getting started
Before you start volunteering at flicks and friends as a group coordinator, you must complete a volunteer application form and have a call with a Re-engage member of staff who’ll check that the role is right for you.
After your call, you’ll be asked to:
- Submit a reference
- Complete volunteer training
- Complete an ID check
Why flicks and friends group coordinators are so important
Flicks and friends group coordinators are absolutely central to ensuring that the cinema club can go ahead and that everyone involved is safe and happy. Flicks and friends group coordinators are valued volunteer leaders within Re-engage, and we simply couldn’t run the cinema club without them.
The role include:
- Planning – you’ll plan and organise the flicks and friends annual schedule alongside the Plaza cinema.
- Communicating – you’ll be the main point of contact for all older people attending flicks and friends, and the link between everyone who attends flicks and friends and Re-engage. Clear communication is key. By keeping everyone in the loop, flicks and friends will be safe, enjoyable, and well organised.
- Problem solving - if any of the older people attending flicks and friends have any questions or concerns, you’ll be their first point of contact. Many of their questions will be covered in our FAQs.
- Raising awareness – there’s so much you can do to spread the word about Re-engage and flicks and friends in your local area. This is a great way to grow your group by reaching more older people.
- Cash handling – collecting, counting and paying donations into the Re-engage bank account.
Planning flicks and friends
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 invite you to come to flicks and friends. At flicks and friends you’ll see for yourself how the cinema club works and have the opportunity to meet some of the older people who attend. Most flicks and friends group coordinators volunteer between four and six hours each month.
Flicks and friends has been running for some time, so you’ll agree with the Plaza cinema in advance when the monthly cinema club will be, and put together an annual schedule so the older people can add flicks and friends into their diaries.
On the day
Each older person makes their own way to the Plaza cinema and it’s your responsibility to greet them when they arrive, make them feel welcome and to accept any donations. After flicks and friends has come to an end and the older people have left the Plaza cinema, you and another flicks and friends volunteer must count the donations together and pay them into the Re-engage bank account.
When you’re coordinating flicks and friends you’ll:
- Plan, organise and schedule flicks and friends alongside the Plaza cinema.
- Welcome new older people to flicks and friends.
- Collect, count, and pay donations into the Re-engage bank account.
- Share any updates from Re-engage that are relevant to them with the older people who attend flicks and friends.
- Respond to any issues and queries from the older people attending flicks and friends.
- Follow the guidance in the online volunteer training so that flicks and friends is safe, enjoyable, appropriate and in line with our charitable aims.
- Keep in regular contact with Re-engage and report any concerns to the team.
- Promote flicks and friends in your local area so we can support more older people.
- Keep your knowledge and training up to date by reading our monthly volunteer newsletter – Re-engage Matters.
Donations
Older people who attend flicks and friends may choose to make a small donation. After flicks and friends two volunteers must count the donations received together, and pay the amount received into the Re-engage bank account using the paying in book.
Donations must be paid into the Re-engage bank account as soon as possible and ideally immediately after flicks and friends. If for some reason this can’t happen, the donations must be stored safely and securely (not in a vehicle) until the following day.
Keeping in contact with Re-engage
Your goal as a flicks and friends group coordinator is to keep flicks and friends running as smoothly as possible. A key part of this is to make sure that Re-engage knows how flicks and friends is getting on by staying in regular contact with Re-engage.
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).
Planning and preparing - welcoming new older people
Because flicks and friends is so popular the same older people quite often attend every month. So, you’ll soon start to see the same faces and get to know the regulars.
Planning and preparing - welcoming new volunteers
When someone applies to be a flicks and friends group coordinator, the team at Re-engage will contact the existing flicks and friends group coordinator to ask if there is space for a new volunteer.
If there’s a space, the team at Re-engage will make sure the volunteer has completed all the necessary checks and training and then contact the existing flicks and friends group coordinator to let them know that the new volunteer is ready to start.
The next step will be to contact the new flicks and friends group coordinator to introduce yourself, to ask them which flicks and friends they’re available to coordinate and to talk them through what to expect at flicks and friends.
It’s important that all new flicks and friends group coordinators are contacted before they attend flicks and friends for the first time so that they feel prepared. Volunteering with people you’ve never met before can be quite nerve-wracking and your support will go a long way to ensuring that the new flicks and friends volunteer has a positive first volunteering experience.
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 flicks and friends, please keep an eye out for the following health and safety concerns:
- Trip hazards, such as people’s bags or coats
- 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 hot drink which might be too heavy for them
If you see any potential hazards during the flicks and friends, please alert the rest of the group and support the Plaza cinema to remove or reduce any risks for example, by helping to move objects that someone might trip over into another room.
The Plaza cinema
Please be mindful that the Plaza cinema is a public venue and isn’t owned by Re-engage. You must park in a designated space and ensure that you’re not parking in a way that can cause a blockage or an obstruction to anyone else.
All Re-engage events are non-smoking and flicks and friends is no exception and pets are not allowed at flicks and friends.
Responding to issues
We hope that flicks and friends will run as smoothly as possible, However, we do understand that issues can sometimes arise.
For example:
- An older person may start to experience a change in their health.
- Some of the people attending flicks and friends may not get on well with each other.
- A flicks and friends group coordinator may ‘talk over’ or ‘talk down’ to the older people.
Whenever you’re faced with an issue and you aren’t sure how to proceed, your first step should be to check our online FAQs which cover a wide range of scenarios and are updated regularly.
If you do need to have a difficult conversation with an older person or with a volunteer at flicks and friends, remember to:
- Be clear about why you’re having the conversation and what you want to get out of it before you start the conversation.
- Try to approach the conversation calmly and with a clear head.
- Try to recognise and manage your emotions.
- Keep an open mind and be prepared to challenge your own assumptions and beliefs.
- Give yourself time to plan what you would like to say.
- Listen to the other person’s side of the story.
- Try to find the middle ground so that you can reach a solution that works for everyone.
The most important thing to remember is that the team at Re-engage are here to support you and that 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).
Reporting safeguarding issues or concerns
You must maintain an open mind and understand that any adult, in any situation, could be the victim of abuse or neglect. When concerned about the welfare of a person, you must always act in the best interests of the person and act immediately as outlined in the safeguarding adults at risk policy and the safeguarding adults at risk training.
Remember:
If the person is in immediate risk of danger or at risk of causing harm to themselves or others, you must immediately contact the emergency services by calling 999.
If you’re concerned about someone, you must follow Re-engage’s safeguarding policy and complete an incident and concern form via the Re-engage website as soon as possible.
Help and support
If you’ve any questions or queries about flicks and friends, please take a look at our library of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Re-engage website which are regularly reviewed.
You can also contact the Re-engage team by emailing knowledge@reengage.org.uk or by calling 020 7240 0630 (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday).