Data protection assistant volunteer roles in Newcastle

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 CARAS ESOL Team:

Our ESOL team offer English language classes to adults at a wide range of levels. This provides vital skills, opportunities and social contact and is crucial for enabling people to attend college and access other services in the future.

About the Role: 

CARAS is looking for volunteer ESOL Teaching Assistants to support our online Zoom classes on Monday mornings: 

• ESOL Entry 2+ level: 1:30am to 2:30pm (plus a 10-minute debrief) 

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

As a volunteer ESOL Teaching Assistant your role is flexible and varied. It will involve supporting the Adult ESOL Teacher in the delivery of online Zoom classes, as well as providing learners with one-to-one or small-group support. 

Volunteer tasks and responsibilities: 

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

• Helping learners build confidence in digital literacy; 

• 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 lessons; 

• 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, online communications and all other policies as relevant.  

Requirements:  

Essential  

• To be 18 years or older; 

• An interest in education and English language teaching; 

• 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; 

• The ability to volunteer on Tuesday mornings during Wandsworth term time for a minimum of three months;  

• 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 start of role 

• UK resident; has asylum-seeker or refugee status 

*DBS and proof of residency is not necessary if you are a CARAS community member who is more recently arrived in the UK. 

Desirable  

• Knowledge of community languages, such as (including 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; 

• Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team; 

• Develop your skills and competencies; 

• Be able to access relevant training, including ESOL safeguarding training; 

• Gain experience in teaching and interpreting. 

• Be able to obtain a reference from us relating to your placement after 3 months of regular volunteering. 

We are looking for a creative Assistant Stage Manager to play a central role in the smooth delivery of Bi Pride 2026! This role will work to provide a programme of live entertainment, panels, and discussions, that represent and celebrate bi+ people, their voices and their experiences.

Ideal time commitment: approx. 5-10 hours per month; flexible. This is likely to increase on the approach to an event.

Location: remote/ home based, in-person attendance at events is desirable.

Supported/ supervised by: the I Am Proud Stage Manager, also working closely with volunteers in the I Am Proud Stage sub-team and Events team.

Bi Pride UK’s mission is to create spaces where people who experience attraction beyond gender can be freely visible and celebrate themselves and their identities. It’s not enough to be ‘welcome’ at Pride. We make up a very large proportion of the queer community – the 2021 Census actually shows we’re half of the community – and we deserve to be visible and celebrated in our own right.

There are many ways to make this happen, and we work in many ways to bring this change about:

• Outreach work with other Prides, LGBTQ+ organisations and bi organisations – our consultation work with local Prides, the UK Pride Organisers Network and local and national LGBTQ+ organisations works in a tailored way to make sure that bi inclusion is a top priority and is being done well

• Organising a high-profile annual Bi Pride event – from September 2019, Bi Pride UK made history with the largest ever gathering of bi people recorded. A performance stage, a panel stage, stall village, street food, and over 1,300 attendees. After going virtual with the BiFi Festival for 2020 due to Covid-19 and running a virtual Pride event in 2021, we came back in person in 2022 with a hybrid event, and have been running the event in this format ever since

• Building a strong online and virtual community – just as important as the rest of our work is making sure that people hear about it! People need to know what resources and spaces exist for them, and how they can connect with other people like them

The role:

The Events team at Bi Pride UK is one of the core operational teams within the charity. The team handles programming, production and execution of our events, including our annual flagship Bi Pride event, which holds the record for the largest Bi Pride event in the world. This role will sit within the I Am Proud Stage sub-team, who take operational responsibility for the I Am Proud Stage within Bi Pride UK’s events; a panel-based stage which spotlights intersectional discussions, interviews and activism, dedicated to the bi+ experience. 

The I Am Proud Stage Assistant Manager will support the I Am Proud Stage Manager on the planning and delivery of the I Am Proud Stage programming at Bi Pride UK’s events. This role will work collaboratively with the other I Am Proud Stage Assistant Managers, and support the “on-the-day” volunteers at our events. The holder of this role will work to provide a programme of live entertainment that represents and celebrates bi+ people, their voices and their experiences.

Key tasks of this role will include: 

• Working closely with the I Am Proud Stage Manager, as well as volunteers across the charity, to deliver an I Am Proud Stage provision that meets the charity’s vision;

• Booking a diverse range of speakers and hosts, after contributing to assessments of each speaker’s application for suitability/ reputational risk against the aims and objectives of Bi Pride UK;

• Overseeing the completion of speaker contracts, receipt of invoices and other relevant documentation, including accurate record keeping and storage of such documents;

• Supporting with logistical aspects to ensure the smooth running of the I Am Proud Stage on the day of the event, including stage set up/ take down, time management/ scheduling, troubleshooting any issues arising on the I Am Proud Stage and liaising with other departments involved in the I Am Proud Stage delivery (e.g. lighting and sound technicians, streaming technicians, Artist Liaison volunteers, speakers, BSL interpreters, etc.);

• Maintaining positive relationships and facilitating effective communication with prospective speakers, confirmed speakers, volunteers, the venue, and any other relevant stakeholders;

• Working with the Access & Inclusion team and the Accessibility Consultant to implement their recommendations and ensure the I Am Proud Stage is fully accessible. 

Our team volunteers remotely from anywhere in the UK, with some travel required occasionally (primarily for our flagship Pride event in London in August). All reasonable expenses incurred are reimbursed, including travel, lunch at away days and other all day events, and some childcare costs if required. The successful candidate will be invited to fortnightly Events team meetings on Wednesday evenings via conference call, in addition to I Am Proud Stage programming meetings which will be scheduled in line with the team’s best availability. 
 

Volunteer specification:

• Interest and passion for tackling discrimination against and improving the visibility of people in the UK attracted to more than one gender;

• An understanding of the needs of people and communities in the UK attracted beyond gender;

• Commitment to the aims and objectives of Bi Pride UK;

• Some experience of stage management (desirable but not essential); 

• Understanding of organising event logistics (e.g. venue layout, timings, resources) and awareness of relevant health and safety and risk management measures linked to stage-based performances;

• Ability to handle documentation and accurate record keeping in a manner which adheres to confidentiality and GDPR requirements;

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with volunteers at all levels within the organisation, as well as with external contributors (for example, speakers);

• Excellent IT skills (for example, Google Workspace applications);

• Excellent written and oral communication skills;

• Meticulous attention to detail;

• Strong team player, with the ability to self-motivate when working remotely;

• Availability on Saturday 29th August 2026 to support delivery of Bi Pride’s flagship event in London.

The position is open to anyone over the age of 18. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, especially minority groups such as applicants of colour, trans and non-binary applicants and disabled and/ or neurodivergent applicants. Bi Pride UK is aware of the barriers that can be faced in gaining traditional work experience, particularly for global majority, disabled and/ or neurodivergent and trans people. We will give weight to this and encourage people when applying to consider caring responsibilities, including parenthood, volunteering, and other non-paid experiences and responsibilities when making their application.