Lived Experience Community Ambassador Time commitment -Minimum 2 to 4 hours per month Sessions planned in advance Flexibility to support school and community activity Please note, this will be based across Bedford About Waythrough Waythrough provides specialist support across mental health, alcohol, drugs and related areas. We delivery high-quality, evidence-based services designed around the real needs of the people we serve. Every year, we support around 125,000 people through over 250 services - and it's all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers. Make a real difference in your community Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change. Summary of the Role: Waythrough is a national charity working to reduce harm caused by drugs, alcohol, and gambling. We support individuals, families, and communities through prevention, early intervention, and recovery focused services. The Lived Experience Community Ambassador role works alongside Youth Ambassadors and Aquarius practitioners. The role uses lived experience of substance use, recovery, or being affected by someone else’s substance use to support learning, engagement, and understanding. You will contribute to peer informed education, community outreach, and parent engagement. Your experience supports honest conversation, reduces stigma, and helps families feel understood and informed. Responsibilities · Work alongside practitioners to support education and outreach activity · Share lived experience appropriately within agreed boundaries · Support school based sessions and parent focused learning · Contribute to community outreach and awareness activity · Support parents and carers with practical insight and reassurance · Reinforce prevention, harm reduction, and recovery messages · Follow safeguarding, confidentiality, and information sharing procedures · Communicate concerns or disclosures to practitioners promptl Description of Tasks · Take part in planned lived experience talks and panel discussions · Support PSHE lessons or awareness sessions alongside staff · Share personal insight to support understanding of substance use and recovery · Support parent sessions with perspective drawn from lived experience · Attend community events to promote support and early intervention · Work with Youth Ambassadors to model safe, respectful engagement · Prepare for sessions with practitioners to agree focus and boundaries · Maintain professional boundaries at all times Training and support · Mandatory volunteer induction · Lived experience and boundaries training · Safeguarding training · Project specific briefing before sessions · Named supervisor · Ongoing supervision and support Skills and qualities · Lived experience of substance use, recovery, or being affected by another person’s use · Ability to reflect on experience safely and constructively · Comfortable speaking in groups or community settings · Calm and reliable approach · Respectful and non judgemental communication · Ability to maintain boundaries and confidentiality · Willingness to work alongside practitioners and follow guidance Reimbursement of expenses Agreed out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed · Public transport · Mileage costs at 0.45p per mile What We Offer We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy: Discounts from various schemes Training and personal development A chance to make a real difference in people’s lives Free induction and role-specific training Support from experienced staff and regular supervision Opportunities to meet new people and develop your confidence Reimbursement for travel and agreed expenses Valuable experience that can support your personal or career development Inclusion and accessibility Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support. We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation. If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team: recruitmentteam@waythrough.org.uk How to apply If you’re viewing this advert on an external platform such as Indeed, please click ‘Apply via company website’ to view the full job description and submit your application. Please note that while this role has a stated closing date, we reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive a high number of applications. Closing date: 2026-06-06