Volunteer Event Stewards Volunteer Roles in Belfast

Do you want to help us end the abuse of animals raised for food?

Join us to drive progress for farmed animals by taking campaign actions remotely, from wherever you are based, at a time that works for you. This flexible and rewarding role is perfect for those looking to make a difference for animals but without the strict time commitment a voluntary role usually requires.

In this role you will help us end the abuse of animals raised for food by taking actions from wherever you are based, and you may choose to join us for in-person events (like peaceful protests) too.

Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our campaigns. Driving progress both from behind the scenes, and in public facing campaigns, you are the people power which helps us to achieve positive change for the animals.

As a Campaign Volunteer, you will help us drive change for farmed animals by taking actions such as: 

• Writing emails

• Attending in-person events (optional)

• Writing letters

• Making phone calls

• Online action events

• Writing to the media

• Outreach to companies via social channels

• Campaign research 

• Taking part in online days of action

• and more!

Gain fantastic transferable experience and build your advocacy skills in this flexible and rewarding role. You will be working directly with THL UK staff members who will steward and support you throughout your time with us. You will also have access to exclusive training opportunities to further your animal advocacy development.

This role can be done from anywhere, no matter where you are in the UK. No prior experience is required, just a passion and drive to make a difference to animals. Training and ongoing support is provided throughout, plus a full onboarding process. There is no set time commitment, but roughly 2-4 hours a month is average for this role, depending on how much you choose to get involved with.

Everything you do in support of our campaigns will help to reduce the suffering of animals who are on factory farms right now. 

Disclaimer:

The Humane League UK is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunities organisation and welcome volunteer applications from all people, regardless of their race, sex, age, religion, disability, neurodiversity, orientation, gender identity or expression. We particularly encourage those currently under-represented in the animal movement to join our team – individuals who are Black, Indigenous or People of the Global Majority, a person who is differently abled, and people who are LGBTQIA+.

If you prefer to apply in another way, or you have alternative requirements you’d like to discuss, don’t hesitate to contact us - please find our email address on the Role Profile document below.

Join our team of animal changemakers!

In this role, you will organise campaign events in your local area to inspire and support people near you to take action for the animals. We will give you all the materials you need, plus training and ongoing guidance - no prior experience required.

Through the actions and events you organise locally, you will help open the eyes of the general public to the truth of factory farming, encouraging them to take action as part of our campaigns. Your grassroots events will also add vital pressure onto our target companies, encouraging them to commit to better welfare for the animals currently trapped in their supply chains.

As a warm, friendly and approachable person, you will provide the supportive, community space for like-minded people to feel confident joining in and taking action to help animals, ultimately growing your own community of changemakers. 

You can be based anywhere within the UK to take part in this role so there are no limitations on location - small village to big city, we need you wherever you are!

As a Grassroots Organiser, you will be:

• Organising community events in your area, including socials, peaceful protests and outreach on a regular basis (ideally one event every 4-6 weeks but this is flexible)

• Promoting your events and encourage others to join, bringing people together for the animals to create change

• Getting involved in campaign actions remotely - writing emails, letters, social media actions and more

• Attending online events within the volunteer community

Gain fantastic transferable experience and build your advocacy skills in this flexible and rewarding role. Perfect for those interested in gaining firsthand experience in campaigning or volunteer management. You will be working directly with THL UK staff members who will steward and support you throughout your time with us. You will also have access to exclusive training opportunities to further your animal advocacy development.

This role can be done from anywhere, no matter where you are in the UK. No prior experience is required, training and ongoing support provided, plus a full onboarding process. There is no set time commitment, but roughly 4-7 hours a month is average for this role, depending on how many events you wish to organise each month (we recommend one every 4-6 weeks).

If you agree with our vision, and you want to do your part to help end the abuse of animals raised for food, join our team today.

Disclaimer:

The Humane League UK is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunities organisation and welcome volunteer applications from all people, regardless of their race, sex, age, religion, disability, neurodiversity, orientation, gender identity or expression. We particularly encourage those currently under-represented in the animal movement to join our team – individuals who are Black, Indigenous or People of the Global Majority, a person who is differently abled, and people who are LGBTQIA+.

If you prefer to apply in another way, or you have alternative requirements you’d like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us via our email address on the Role Profile document attached.

Welcome from the Chair of Trustees at Farms for City Children

Are you looking for a role in which you can make a real difference? Do you care about connecting young people to the natural world, to food, and to farming? Due to the retirement of long-standing Trustees, we are looking to recruit up to four new trustees with diverse experience to bring a fresh perspective and skill set to our Board of Trustees. We particularly welcome applications from individuals with first-hand or indirect experience in charity law & governance, fundraising and/or event management, marketing, and farming. We are also keen to bring to our Board an educational expert with a focus on outdoor education, who can help shape our offering with the requirements of the UK’s national curriculum.  Equally, we would love to hear from any interested candidate who has the time, energy, and enthusiasm to commit to our extremely worthwhile cause, whatever their expertise.

Each of our three heritage farms is run and managed by a fantastic team of farm-based staff, executive team, and volunteers, committed to creating a week of “muck and magic” for every person that visits: children, young people, teachers, and group leaders alike. Working alongside our dedicated partner farmers, these amazing teams make the charity what it is today - an inspiring charity whose vision is of a world where all young people benefit from being connected to food, farming, and the natural world – where access to the countryside is accepted as a right, and not a privilege. You can find out more about us by visiting our website.

You would be joining a Board that is passionate about moving the charity forward into its next 50-years of operation, delivering an immersive, life-changing, educational experience to our beneficiaries.  Your expertise will help drive forward our new strategic business plan, developed in partnership with our staff, trustees, beneficiaries, and external stakeholders, that will determine the direction of the charity for the coming years. It is a stimulating, challenging, and rewarding environment for dedicated trustees and a great time to join our charity to support us on this journey.

The Board meets a minimum of four times per year.  Three of the meetings are held on-site at one of the charity’s three farms’ premises: Nethercott in Iddesleigh, mid-Devon; Wick Court in Gloucestershire; and St David’s in Pembrokeshire, Wales. There may well be other meetings, either held on-line or in person, depending on specific needs. In addition to Board meetings, we encourage Trustees to participate in fundraising and social events throughout the calendar year.

As part of our strategic aims, Farms for City Children is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, and supports and encourages under-represented and under-served groups. We welcome applications from anyone regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background, or any other difference.

Farms for City Children is, and must be, unconditionally committed to safeguarding best practice and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Consequently, successful candidates will be subject to a Social Media check and a DBS check at the appropriate level in line with our commitment to Safer Recruitment.

Whether you are experienced or taking your first step as a Trustee, we would love to hear from you.  You will have the opportunity to use your skills, passion, and commitment to help shape the future of our charity.

This is a voluntary role with all reasonable expenses reimbursed.

Rachel Goult, Chair of Trustees

About Farms for City Children

Farms for City Children transforms the lives of children and young people through an immersive, residential farm experience.

Farms for City Children is a vibrant charity that delivers learning and well-being impact to children and young people from cities and disadvantaged communities through the experience of working together on our farms in the heart of the British countryside. Since our foundation in 1976, we have welcomed children, typically school groups between the ages of 8 and 11 years old, to spend a week on one of our three heritage working farms located in Pembrokeshire, Devon, and Gloucestershire. In the last five decades we have welcomed over 100,000 children and our current commitment to working with young people up to the age of 18 has seen us support 3,288 children and 620 adult beneficiaries in 2022/23 alone. Our commitment to reaching the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people means that almost half of all visits to the farms came from children living in the top 20% most deprived communities in England and Wales.

In the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the work of Farms for City Children has assumed a new significance. So many children and young people, especially those in urban areas, suffered badly during lockdowns, facing sustained periods of social isolation, with over-reliance on screens and digital relationships causing an increase in mental health and anxiety issues. The sanctuary of farm life, and the therapeutic value of the natural environment and of work with animals, is well documented. Farms for City Children has responded by opening our farms for more weeks in the year and extending the age group of its beneficiaries to 18. Partnerships have been made with new beneficiary groups, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and with community groups catering for older children and young people. The charity is now acting as an essential antidote to the negative effects of the Pandemic on children and young people. The charity subsidises up to 60% of the costs of the residential to ensure that schools and groups where the need is greatest are able to be included and access our offer.

Visiting children and young people are immersed in the natural world of food, farming, and countryside life, experiencing the benefits of collaboration, enjoying plenty of physical activity, good food, and fresh air, and discovering the magical rural environment that is full of new words, sounds, and experiences to inspire their creativity. All our beneficiaries participate in the seasonal tasks of the day: sowing, growing, and harvesting in our kitchen gardens; caring for livestock and looking after the land; and cooking up a home-grown feast in the farmhouse kitchen. They are never patronised by being given ‘pretend’ tasks: working alongside our staff and partner farmers, they perform the essential tasks that farming entails.  They gain valuable life-changing skills that foster children’s independence and help them to grow in confidence. They learn teamwork, resilience, , and awareness that there is life beyond mobile phones and social media, and teachers highlight sustained changes to behaviour  on the return to the classroom. Furthermore, they learn where food comes from, having experienced for themselves the field > farm > fork  journey – hopefully, a pointer towards healthier eating, a breaking down of barriers between the urban and farming populations, and perhaps even an inspiration for some of the children to consider careers in agriculture themselves in the future.

Clinks’ chair has completed two terms and will be stepping down at our AGM November 2024. We want to introduce our new chair in April 2024 to allow for good transition time, therefore between April - Nov you will be sat on our board as a trustee. This time will allow for an effective handover between you and our current chair before they step down. You will be coming on board as we implement our new strategy so you can have your say in this crucial development period.

We are looking for a chair who can lead that team well and work with the leadership team to steward a vibrant and vital voluntary sector.  Our new chair will need to be committed to voluntary action and believes in the potential and right of everyone to effective support to enable change. The Chair is pivotal to creating the conditions for overall board and individual director effectiveness, both inside and outside the boardroom.

You will need to have knowledge of the criminal justice system in England and Wales and the role of the voluntary sector within it, alongside knowledge of the UK voluntary sector and charity governance. A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to the position, and be committed to the organisation, its values, and to anti-racism. Is essential as well as strategic vision, good judgement, leadership, and communication skills, to be able to govern our board of trustees to the highest standard.

We welcome applications from across society and we aim to have a diverse board representative of the communities impacted by criminal justice and the challenges they face. Clinks is committed to recognised as an anti-racist organisation and upholds the right of people with criminal convictions to take on paid and unpaid roles across society. If you are applying but might require a waiver due to criminal convictions, then we would be happy to speak to you about that process and how we might help. 

Onboarded as a trustee from April 2024 for efficient handover from current chair. Take on role of Chair of the Board from November AGM 2024.