Online Listings Volunteer Volunteer Roles

Could you spare a few hours each week to help us sell donated items online and raise vital funds for the hospice?

We need volunteers to help us sell donated items online by taking pictures, researching the product online, writing a clear description, and uploading the listing to sites like eBay, Vinted, and DePop. 

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, and you will receive full training and support, as well as agreed out-of-pocket expenses (reimbursed within our guidelines).

At Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice, we are dedicated to providing free, high quality, compassionate care and support for people with terminal illnesses, their families and their professional carers.

We provide holistic care that goes beyond physical needs – offering spiritual, social and psychological care, advice and support wherever needed. We also support and educate healthcare professionals to deliver high quality, individualised and co-ordinated care to people with all terminal illnesses.

We receive only around a third of our funding from the NHS. That means we need to fundraise £5m every year from local people, businesses and organisations to continue to fund our services.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Marie Curie has over 160 Retail shops across the UK which are full of gifts, clothes and even the odd vintage gem. They are vital to the work we do in raising funds to provide care and support for people living with a terminal illness and their families.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a volunteer who has a passion for selling online products and has a keen eye for all things unique. This is a key position supporting the work of our retail operations and will help to raise even more vital funds.

As an eBay Volunteer you will be providing invaluable support in the operation of our eBay shop by photographing, listing and preparing items for delivery. Part of the role will be to research items and check their value to ensure we are always achieving the best price. You will also need to respond to any customer queries both by telephone and online.

We are looking for volunteers who have excellent organisational skills and a keen eye for detail. An interest in retail trends and social media would be an advantage but are not essential. Previous customer service experience would be desirable.

We will provide you with all the training you need plus a friendly and fun place to volunteer

Your role will include some of, but is not restricted to, the following tasks:

• Researching and identifying items that could be sold on eBay, including researching the value of products to ensure best price is obtained
• Photographing items and uploading images
• Cataloguing and listing items ready for sale on eBay
• Fulfilling and packing orders
• Posting out orders promptly to the buyer
• Answer any queries from bidders/shoppers both online and via telephone

ABOUT US

Every day of your life matters – from the first to the last. When you volunteer for Marie Curie, you understand that better than ever. We’re a passionate, committed and diverse team of more than 4,400 staff and  6,500 volunteers, here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support, to help them get the most from the time they have left. 

Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work.  We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.

Marie Curie is committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early.

About CARAS:  

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a charity that supports refugees and people seeking asylum who live in south London. We offer a range of individual and group support to improve the holistic wellbeing of people who have a background of forced migration, providing them with tools to build lives filled with value, meaning and purpose in the UK. Our activities for young people currently include: ESOL classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages), study group, youth club, swimming lessons and football.  

About Youth Club:  

Youth Club is a place for young people aged 14-19 to come and play games, learn new skills, make and strengthen friendships and build a sense of belonging. Regular activities include classic youth club games such as table tennis, pool, foosball, board and card games.

Youth club takes place at Tooting Hub- Beechcroft Road, Tooting, SW17 7BU. 

About Sports Programme: 

We work in partnership with Fulham Kicks to run a football session every Monday. We provide 1:1 sports advice to help build confidence and remove barriers by supporting young people to plan their journeys and accompanying them to join their first sessions. We find new sessions for young people at youth clubs, gyms and other sports providers. We arrange frequent trips to offer new sports to our young people including: boxing, yoga, trampolining and hopefully to go-karting.

We will also deliver a research project to sports providers, local authorities, support networks and other young people.  The project will detail: (1) the accessibility barriers to sports faced by young people, (2) methods of best practice on including young refugees and asylum seekers, (3) funding and support options available from local authorities, and (4) what participatory 1:1 support looks like for young people. 

About the role:  

As a sports program volunteer, you would be helping young people to travel safely around London, to feel welcome in the city, to join in with sports activities where possible and to inspire young people to take part in sports. You will need to go on group trips to external sports providers and to attend our youth club occasionally. We welcome volunteers with any level of sporting ability, the only thing necessary is to be willing to give some sports a go when it is possible. Please note, some sessions you attend will be only for under 18’s, and so you will not always be allowed to take part, and then your role will only be to accompany. We are very happy to be flexible regarding which sessions you attend according to your interests.

We ask for a commitment of at least 1-2 sports sessions or youth club evenings every month. Our youth club runs every Wednesday from 6.00-8.00pm, the external sports trips will usually be weekday evenings. We are able to be flexible according to your schedule.

Tasks and responsibilities:  

• To attend and contribute to volunteer de-briefs which occur after each session/trip. 
• Providing feedback of your experience to contribute to the research project.
• To act as a positive role model and set standards of behaviour when volunteering with young people. 
• To encourage and inspire young people to reach their full potential. 
• To assist young people to both recognise and celebrate their achievements. 
• To challenge young peoples’ negative attitudes and behaviour in an appropriate manner. 
• To adhere to CARAS Child Protection procedures, Confidentiality policy, Health & Safety policy, Equal Opportunities policy and all other policies as relevant. 
• To occasionally research local sports providers to find sessions for our young people.

Requirements: 

Essential: 

To be 18 years or older;  

• To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse cultural backgrounds; 
• To be reliable and punctual; 
• Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English; 
• To be passionate about sports and helping young people to access sports.
• Current resident of the UK; 
• Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check; 
• Able to attend compulsory volunteer induction training (online) general and safeguarding prior to the start of role 

Volunteer induction training currently takes place online once a month on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings from 6pm – 8pm. we offer the same trainings on Tuesday and Wednesday daytimes online between 12noon – 2pm once every 3 months.  

Your availability to attend 1 general and 1 safeguarding online training session at these times within 3 months of your application would be a prerequisite of being accepted as a volunteer at CARAS.  

Desirable:  

• Knowledge of community languages, such as Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali and Spanish. 

Through volunteering with us you will:  

• Meet new members of your local community; 
• Learn about different cultures; 
• Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum and their ability to access sports in London; 
• Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team; 
• Develop your skills and competencies; 
• Be able to access relevant training; 

About CARAS: 

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a charity that supports refugees and people seeking asylum who live in south London. We offer a range of individual and group support to improve the holistic well-being of people who have a background of forced migration, providing them with tools to build lives filled with value, meaning and purpose in the UK. Our activities for young people currently include ESOL classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages), study groups, youth clubs, sports trips and football.

Volunteering With CARAS – Our Community of Welcome

CARAS has a proud history of volunteers helping us deliver our charitable aims. Volunteers are an essential part of the CARAS community, bringing skills, insights, experience, different languages, and enthusiasm to the roles.

Community members tell us that welcome by volunteers is so important in an often hostile world. It helps them feel safe and wanted. Community is at the heart of all we do, and we could not deliver the projects we do without the enormous contribution volunteers bring. Thank you for taking the time to consider volunteering with us.

About Sports Programme:

We work in partnership with Fulham Kicks to run a football session every Monday evening. We provide 1:1 sports advice to help build confidence and remove barriers by supporting young people to plan their journeys and accompanying them to join their first sessions. We find new activities and memberships for young people at youth clubs, gyms and other sports providers. We arrange frequent trips to offer sports to our young people including boxing, yoga, trampolining and hopefully go-karting.

To advance and continue this work we have an exciting new element to the project. The research project will detail: (1) the accessibility barriers faced by young people, (2) methods of best practice for including young refugees and asylum seekers, (3) funding and support options available from local authorities, and (4) what participatory 1:1 support looks like for young people.

About the role: 

As a Sports research volunteer, you will work with four young people hired as peer researchers to co-design and deliver a research project to sports providers, local authorities, support networks and other young people. The aim here is to help to remove barriers that young refugees and asylum seekers face in accessing the sports they enjoy. You can do this remotely, researching sports providers and finding sessions for our young people to attend. You will also take part in in-person workshops looking at young refugees and asylum seekers’ experiences in accessing sports in London. You will work with the young people to design questionnaires and deliver the results to local authorities and sports providers. You may need to help young people to travel safely around London and to feel welcome in the city. We would love you to join in with activities where possible and if you would like to.

We ask for a commitment of at least 2-3 hours per month in your own time, and to attend workshops over the Summer for the research project.

Tasks and responsibilities: 

· To attend research workshops and assist staff in facilitating them.

· To support young people in their co-design of the project

· To act as a positive role model and set standards of behaviour when volunteering with young people.

· To participate in research in an independent, open-minded and fair way.

· To encourage and inspire young people to reach their full potential.

· To assist young people to both recognise and celebrate their achievements.

· To challenge young people’s negative attitudes and behaviour in an appropriate manner.

· To adhere to CARAS Child Protection procedures, Confidentiality Policy, Health & Safety policy, Equal Opportunities policy and all other policies as relevant.

Requirements: 

To be 18 years or older;

· To have access to your own IT device and to be comfortable using Google Search and Microsoft Office.

· To be able to work both from home and at CARAS

· To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse cultural backgrounds;

· To be reliable and punctual;

· Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English;

· Current resident of the UK;

· Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check;

· Able to attend compulsory volunteer induction training (online) general and safeguarding prior to the start of the role:

Volunteer induction training currently takes place online once a month on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings from 6 pm – 8 pm. we offer the same training on Tuesday and Wednesday daytimes online between 12 noon – 2 pm once every 3 months.

Your availability to attend 1 general and 1 safeguarding online training session at these times within 3 months of your application would be a prerequisite for being accepted as a volunteer at CARAS.

Desirable: 

· Knowledge of community languages, such as (including Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali and Spanish).

· Some experience in designing/ using questionnaires and surveys to inform services or activities

· To be confident in advocating for young people and explaining their life experiences to local authorities and sports providers.

Through volunteering with us you will:

· Meet new members of your local community;

· Learn about different cultures;

· Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum;

· Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team;

· Develop your skills and competencies;

· Be able to access relevant training;

Role: Referral volunteer (laptops)

Team: Casework

Supervised by: Adult caseworker

Location: Tooting office on a Thursday afternoon (2-5pm) for period of training/induction. Remote or in person once induction is complete.

Time commitment: 3 hours a week, we ask that volunteers commit for a minimum of 6 months

About CARAS :

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a registered charity that has been supporting refugees and asylum-seekers since 2002 empowering them to integrate and engage in the local community.

Arriving as an asylum seeker/refugee can be a disempowering experience. Difficulties with language, accessing services and overcoming prejudice are ever-present. As an organisation we are committed to work alongside refugees to overcome those challenges, and to help them build their lives.

We offer group support and targeted support work. We offer a range of activities including: ESOL classes; social and recreational activities such as youth club, drama, trips and family activities; educational support for young people; and casework and advocacy support.

Our values are at the centre of all our work:

• Kindness: CARAS will nurture all who are part of our community, helping everyone to develop their skills, talents, and interests

• Justice: CARAS will strive for social justice following a rights-based approach in all our work and challenging instances when rights are not upheld in wider society

• Empowerment: CARAS works alongside people, recognising and respecting their skills and strengths and striving together for better outcomes

• ‘With’ not ‘for’: CARAS will put the voices, opinions, experiences and needs of its beneficiaries at the heart of all that we do

About the Role:

CARAS offers advocacy casework integrated into all of its projects, ensuring that people who attend our groups can access support to address issues in a friendly and timely manner. A key part of the casework service is to help connect people to resources and activities that they need.

A key areas of need is digital access, either by smart phone or laptop.

People living in asylum accommodation receive £9/week making saving for items impossible.

Whilst many activities have returned to face-to-face delivery many have stayed online, not having a laptop impedes people’s ability to join English classes and social activities. People attending college face difficulties in completing college work without access to computers in the evenings, access to a laptop means people are able to take greater control over their independent learning. Smart phones make a huge difference in people’s ability to have contact with family and community across the world.

To meet this need we have built a partnership with a grant giving organisation, Acts435, to support people to get personal laptops.

We are able to refer 5 people at a time for grants to buy new laptops/phones. Once the grant money is received we purchase the devices for community members to collect.

We are looking for a volunteer to do these referrals each month and support people to purchase and receive their laptops and phones. This is an extremely rewarding role, interacting with lots of the CARAS community members and making a very tangible positive impact on people’s lives.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

- contacting community members who are on our waiting lists by phone to explain the scheme to them

- complete grant applications with community members

- monitoring the grant platform to see when grants have been made

- purchasing laptops online and liaising with community members to arrange collection

- completing monitoring forms with community members once grants are recieved and uploading to grant platform

- recording all referrals and work done on our case management system (lamplight)

Person specification:

Essential

· Confidence in using IT (online forms, online shopping, google maps, email, DocuSign)

· To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse backgrounds;

· A commitment to confidentiality and data protection

· Thorough with good attention to detail

· Reliable

· A high level of spoken and written English

· Excellent communication skills, especially with people who are new to English;

· Ability to gather information from people in a sensitive way

· A calm, friendly, kind and patient approach

· Enjoyment in speaking to new people

· A commitment to working in an empowering way

· Able to maintain boundaries

· Able to work autonomously

· Currently resident in the UK

Desirable

· Experience working with refugees and asylum seekers

· Fluent in one or more of: Pashtu, Farsi, Tigrinya, Somali, Arabic or Dari, Russian, Ukrainian, Albanian, Amharic, Kurdish Sorani, Spanish, French

· Experience of working with interpreters

Benefits to Volunteering:

Through volunteering with us you will:

· Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum;

· Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team;

· Develop your skills and competencies;

· Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training.

All volunteers must complete a DBS check and attend training with us before starting. You will also receive training and support relevant to your specific role.

To Apply:

To Apply To apply for this opportunity, download and complete the CARAS volunteer application form, using this volunteer role description to inform your answers.

Successful applicants will have an informal meeting with the Adult caseworker, and one with community members, to assess compatibility to the role. These meetings will be on a rolling basis so apply ASAP.

About CARAS:

CARAS is a leading refugee charity in Southwest London, providing firm foundations for new-arrival asylum seekers to build happy and successful lives. Arriving as an asylum seeker in the UK can be a terrifying and disempowering experience. Difficulties with language, accessing services and overcoming prejudice are ever-present. We exist to help people seeking asylum overcome those challenges, and to help them rebuild their lives.

We provide person-centred educational, social and casework support to over 600 young people and adults across South London each year, recognising the moment of arrival as one of opportunity. Our work provides individuals with essential support to build language and employability skills, develop social networks and friendships, and access essential services such as legal and mental health services. Our work has multi-generational impact, providing forced migrants with early interventions to support language and skill acquisition, tackling the root causes of socio-economic marginalisation by supporting social inclusion and future labour market access.

Volunteering with CARAS – our Community of Welcome:

CARAS has a proud history of volunteers helping us deliver our charitable aims. Volunteers are an essential part of the CARAS community, bringing skills, insights, experience, different languages, and enthusiasm to the roles. Community members tell us the welcome by volunteers is so important in an often hostile world. It helps them feel safe and wanted. Community is at the heart of all we do, and we could not deliver the projects we do without the enormous contribution that volunteers bring.

About CARAS Adult Programme:

Alongside educational and casework support, CARAS has a thriving social program of weekly activities, from women’s yoga, to creative coffee afternoons, sports sessions and workshops, designed and built in collaboration with our community, volunteers and local partners. Most people we work with in the adult team are waiting for a decision on their asylum claim, are accommodated in cramped and inadequate hotels contracted by the Home Office for up to – and sometimes more than – 2 years whilst they wait for a decision on their asylum claim. During this time, they are eligible for only £8.86 per week and are prohibited from working. This is an incredibly stressful and disempowering period for those seeking asylum. Against this backdrop, our social activities exist as spaces of welcome, for people to come and make meaningful connections, build confidence and importantly – have fun!

About the Trips and Holiday Activities Project:

Alongside our weekly timetable of term time activities, we run trips across London during the school holidays. These are always chosen and planned together with our community members, and so far have included trips to famous parks, museums, galleries, and the theatre. We know from our community members how important these trips are; they are a chance to explore parts of the city that would otherwise be inaccessible, and to feel more at home in the city. As one community member told us, ‘to discover new places…this makes us feel included’. They are an opportunity to learn something new with others, to meet new people, relax and have fun.

About the Role:

To support us with these trips and holiday activities, we are looking for friendly, welcoming, enthusiastic and proactive volunteers. You will support us practically to ensure the trips run smoothly and on time, but also will be an essential part of our community of welcome – to chat and get to know our community members, and make sure everyone feels included and is having a good time.

We intend to hold 2 trips in the Easter holidays, and up to 5 trips in the summer holidays. These will all be in locations across London, most likely during daytime hours. We will also run a combination of adult-only and child-friendly trips across the year – this is what our community have told us they want! We usually have a group of 10-20 community members and will always have at least one CARAS staff member present too.

Ideally, we are looking for volunteers who are flexible during school holidays and can attend at least 3 trips throughout the year, though we may consider those who might only be able to volunteer on a one-off basis.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

To attend CARAS trips as and when you are available to do so.

To support with the logistics of travelling to and from the trip location.

To keep an eye on the general health and wellbeing of our Community Members and report any concerns to the CARAS staff member present.

To encourage positive connections between people and the places we are visiting, opening up conversations to learn about each other.

On family-friendly trips, to assist where needed with the supervision of children present (alongside parents)

Requirements – Essential:

To be 18 years or older;

To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse cultural backgrounds;

To be reliable and punctual;

To be welcoming, friendly part of the group, and to make sure our community members have the best and most fruitful time possible at the locations we visit.

Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English;

Current resident of the UK;

Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check;

Able to complete compulsory volunteer induction training (online) general and safeguarding via 2 self-paced induction training webinars prior to the start of role;

Requirements – Desirable:

Knowledge of community languages, such as Farsi, Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali and Spanish.

Through volunteering with us you will gain:

An opportunity to connect with and learn from a vibrant and diverse community of people who are new to the city;

A chance to share your knowledge of the city and places of interest with our community;

A deeper understanding of the experiences, challenges, and strengths of those seeking asylum here;

A deeper understanding of language-inclusive practices in multi-lingual groups;

Develop your skills and competencies;

Adult Casework Volunteer - Role description 

Role: Adult Casework Volunteer 

Team: Casework 

Supervised by: Adult caseworker 

Location: Tooting office on a Thursday afternoon (2-5.30pm)

Time commitment: 3.5 hours a week, we ask that volunteers commit for a minimum of 6 months 

About CARAS :  

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a registered charity that has been supporting refugees and asylum-seekers since 2002 empowering them to integrate and engage in the local community.

Arriving as an asylum seeker/refugee can be a disempowering experience. Difficulties with language, accessing services and overcoming prejudice are ever-present. As an organisation we are committed to work alongside refugees to overcome those challenges, and to help them build their lives. 

We offer group support and targeted support work. We offer a range of activities including: ESOL classes; social and recreational activities such as youth club, drama, trips and family activities; educational support for young people; and casework and advocacy support.

Our values are at the centre of all our work

• Kindness: CARAS will nurture all who are part of our community, helping everyone to develop their skills, talents, and interests

• Justice: CARAS will strive for social justice following a rights-based approach in all our work and challenging instances when rights are not upheld in wider society

• Empowerment: CARAS works alongside people, recognising and respecting their skills and strengths and striving together for better outcomes

• ‘With’ not ‘for’: CARAS will put the voices, opinions, experiences and needs of its beneficiaries at the heart of all that we do 

About CARAS casework:

CARAS works with adults and young people of a refugee and asylum seeker background to find solutions to their problems. There are two separate sub-teams within the Casework team; young people and adults. We support adults to navigate the asylum system, understand their options, access benefits, connect with services and realise their goals. We are a non-specialist casework and advocacy service, so we work in close partnership with other local organisations to whom we refer people with more complex issues.

Using the empowerment model, our casework service embodies CARAS’ values of ‘with not for’, always striving to ensure people are armed with the information and resources they need to make decisions and take action for themselves.

About the Role:

We are currently recruiting for 2 volunteers to join our Adult Casework team. 

The purpose of the Adult Casework volunteer role is to support adults with a refugee or asylum seeking background to understand their rights, access information and services, and ultimately, take control of their own lives. You will work with individuals to address problems they may face relating to, among other issues, asylum support, accessing healthcare and education, access to legal advice and finding activities and opportunities.

You will start from an understanding that individuals are always best placed to solve their own problems, and often need nothing more than to talk out a problem and find the solution themselves. When helpful, you will provide information to clarify and support to take action. 

The Adult Casework team hold a support session at our office in Tooting on Thursday afternoons from 2-5.30pm.  Volunteer caseworkers have 1:1 appointments, either in person or by phone, with CARAS members.  These can be related to a range of topics.  Currently our biggest areas of work are around housing for people seeking asylum, access to college, nursery/school places for children, referrals to mental health providers, searches and signposting to activities, finding solicitors and supporting people to apply for bus passes and ID cards.  Volunteers also support with administrative tasks such as updating our databases, collating resources and creating information guides. 

Adult Casework Volunteer Tasks and Responsibilities:  

• Working in an empowering way with individuals and promoting their independence through goal-setting.  

• Supporting people to develop their knowledge of rights and entitlements.   

• Assisting with filling out forms 

• Signposting and referring onto other services and organisations.  

• Gathering information from experts and disseminating information to people in an accessible manner.  

• Engaging in collaborative internet and phone research on services, organisations and grants.  

• Flagging safeguarding concerns and other issues where further support is required.  

• Keeping accurate casenotes 

• Supporting to maintain our signposting database 

• Researching and collating resources 

• Working collaboratively as a team and assisting to shape the Adult Casework project.  

• Adhering to CARAS Confidentiality policy, Health & Safety policy, Equal Opportunities policy and all other policies as relevant.  

Requirements:

Essential

• Experience of doing 1:1 advice work/casework.

• Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English.   

• Confidence in using IT (Microsft office, outlook, zoom, Google search, online forms)  

• To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse backgrounds; 

• A commitment to confidentiality and data protection 

• Thorough with good attention to detail 

• Reliable 

• A high level of spoken and written English 

• Ability to gather information from people in a sensitive way  

• A calm, friendly, kind and patient approach 

• Enjoyment in speaking to new people 

• A commitment to working in an empowering way 

• Able to maintain boundaries 

• Able to work autonomously 

• Currently resident in the UK 

Desirable 

• Working knowledge or experience of relevant law and policy around asylum support, the asylum process, rights and entitlements for people seeking asylum 

• Experience of working with interpreters 

• Direct experience of the UK immigration system.  

• Past experience of working with people seeking asylum 

• Proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Oromo, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tigrinya, Urdu or Vietnamese.  

We will prioritise applicants with lived experience of the asylum process 

Benefits to Volunteering:

• Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum; 

• Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team; 

• Develop your skills and competencies; 

•  Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training. 

• Obtain a reference from us relating to your volunteering 

All volunteers must complete a basic DBS check for volunteers working with adults and attend training with us before starting.  You will also receive training and support relevant to your specific role. 

To Apply:

To apply for this opportunity, download and complete the CARAS volunteer application form, using this volunteer role description to inform your answers.

 Applicants will have an informal meeting with the Adult caseworker, and one with community members, to assess compatibility to the role. These meetings will be on a rolling basis so apply ASAP. 

Successful applicants will undergo training and induction with our team. 

Our award-winning ESOL project offers English language classes to young people at a wide range of levels. This provides vital skills, opportunities and social contact and is crucial for enabling young people to do well at school or college. 

About the Role: 

CARAS is looking for volunteer ESOL Teaching Assistants to support our face-to-face youth Digital ESOL classes in Tooting on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Study programme in English, Maths, Digital skills and Cooking: Monday 10am to 3pm 

Study programme in English, Maths and Digital skills: Wednesday 10am to 6pm 

You can apply to volunteer in one or more sessions. Each session lasts 2 hours. 

Please note that ESOL classes do not run during school holidays, and we follow Wandsworth Council term dates.

Volunteer  tasks and responsibilities: 

Providing learners with one-to-one or small group support within ESOL classes; 

Help young people to build confidence in digital literacy; 

Helping to set up the classroom and provide learners with classroom resources; 

Helping create “learner portraits” to understand their strengths and areas of interest; 

Engaging learners in informal conversations or games during breaks to help them practice their conversational English. 

Checking the session plan aims with the lead teacher and assisting learners achieve them; 

Attending and contributing to volunteer debriefs after each session; 

Making use of any community languages you may know to help students during the class; 

Working collaboratively as a team and helping to shape the project; 

Supporting people to develop their knowledge and skills, encouraging and inspiring participants to reach their full potential; 

Assisting participants to recognise and celebrate their achievements; 

Following CARAS’ confidentiality, safeguarding, health & safety, equal opportunities, data management and all other policies as relevant. 

Requirements: 

Essential: 

To be 18 years or older; 

Able to travel to our community centre in Tooting (travel expenses can be reimbursed); 

An interest in education and English language teaching; 

To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse backgrounds; 

To be reliable and punctual; 

Excellent communication skills, especially with people who are new to English; 

The ability to volunteer on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons/evenings during Wandsworth term time for a minimum of three months; 

Implementing safety measures to keep classes COVID secure; 

Currently resident in the UK; 

Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check; 

Able to attend volunteer induction training (online) prior to start of role 

Desirable: 

Knowledge of community languages, such as Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali or Spanish. 

Through volunteering with us you will: 

Gain experience of English language teaching; 

Meet new members of your local community; 

Learn about different cultures; 

Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum; 

Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team; 

Develop your skills and competencies; 

Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training. 

About CARAS: 

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a charity that supports refugees and people seeking asylum who live in south London, helping them to play their full part in the community. We offer a range of individual and group support to improve the holistic wellbeing of people who have a background of forced migration, providing them with tools to build lives filled with value, meaning and purpose in the UK. 

To Apply: 

To apply for this opportunity, download and complete the CARAS volunteer application form, using this volunteer role description to inform your answers.

EXPERIENCED TREASURER required to join the Trustee Board of our growing and evolving frontline charity in Dorset, support survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse.

STARS Dorset is a growing, independent charity supporting those living, working or studying in Dorset who have been affected by sexual violence and/or domestic abuse.  We support approximately 3600 unique individuals every year with our specialist support services, enabling them to start their own journey of recovery. Over the past 5 years we have seen increasing demand for our frontline services and we are now looking for a Treasurer to lead on the financial governance and compliance of our charity.

This is an  exciting time to join our talented and friendly Board.  The role provides the opportunity for the right candidate to use their experiences and skills, to help shape and steer our charity in its next phase of development to ensure our future sustainability and growth. 

We expect all staff and volunteers to model and support our values of  integrity, excellence, supportive, determination, and innovative.  As an integral part of our team, you will be committed to making a difference for those affected by sexual violence and domestic abuse

As a charity that values and celebrates people’s diversity and champions opportunities for all, we welcome applications from all sectors of the community.   We believe that a diverse organisation is one that is more innovative, more creative and achieves better results.

STARS Dorset is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to receipt of a satisfactory DBS Enhanced Disclosure and acceptable references.   

For more information about the role please contact our CEO, Helen Stevens..