Volunteers volunteer roles in orpington, england
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
VOLUNTEER CHAIR/COORDINATOR
Across the UK, our 65 local branches help disabled people live the lives they choose. Our network of skilled volunteers respond to thousands of requests each year to design and make customised equipment free of charge.
As your local Chair or Coordinator, you’ll take the lead in making sure your local branch works as effectively as possible. You’ll recruit, induct, and support other branch volunteers to make sure your branch’s activities meet the needs of your local disabled community.
You’ll bring your leadership, communication, organisation, and motivational skills to this role.
What the role involves
This is a varied role where local need shapes what you’ll be working on, but it often includes:
• Coordinating the activities of our local branch to undertake and meet the needs of referrals in your area
• Coordinating and chairing the branch meetings
• Leading the branch’s shared responsibility for planning and completing referrals
• Coordinating the recruitment, induction, and ongoing support of new local branch volunteers
• Approving income and expenditure with the other branch bank account signatories and ensuring with the Treasurer that our financial requirements and policies relating to branches are followed
• Ensuring the branch’s activities comply with policies to keep people safe
• Regularly communicate and act as a key contact between staff and volunteer
What you’ll need for this role
Essential
• Confident in leading and chairing a meeting
• Confident using Microsoft Office, the internet and email
• Willingness to attend local events to promote the charity’s work
• Ability to understand and follow external and internal policies and procedures• Able to keep people’s personal details safe
• Willing to follow Remap policies and procedures – and a commitment to our values
Desirable
• Confident in communicating with different audiences, including decision-makers and volunteers
• Able to delegate and motivate the activities of others
• Enthusiastic about raising awareness of the charity’s work in the local area
• Willingness to develop skills and experience
You’ll also need to complete the induction checklist and some online training, as well as a DBS check.
Why volunteer
When you volunteer with us, you join a community of committed people with a passion for helping to improve the lives of others. We’re a volunteer led organisation and we couldn’t do what we do without you – your hard work, skills and commitment.
N.B. We’ll reimburse any out-of-pocket expenses during your time with us.
REMAP exists to improve the quality of life for people who experience short or long-term disability through infirmity, illness or ageing.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
As a Group Leader, you’ll play a key role in delivering our life-changing therapeutic services by co-facilitating weekly self-help groups. Using a proven model rooted in Exposure-Response Therapy and CBT, you'll help guide members through understanding their conditions and moving toward recovery.
We’ll train you to confidently co-lead sessions with another volunteer. All you need is empathy, warmth, and a genuine desire to support others. Lived experience of anxiety, OCD, or phobias is a bonus, not a must. We ask for a commitment of just 2 hours a week for at least 12 months.
You’ll be part of something truly meaningful—helping others while growing personally and professionally.
What will you be doing?
Therapeutic Responsibilities
- Co-facilitate therapeutic guided self-help groups every week.
- Interact with relevant service users to arrange their initial attendance at therapeutic groups.
- Consistently work within the scope of your training and recognise the limits of your practice.
- Liaise closely with the organisation's Clinical Director to discuss challenging cases and clinical concerns.
- Inform the Clinical Director of any expected instances of absence two weeks before the event.
- Administrative Responsibilities
- Record service users' attendance every week.
- Maintain service user attendance databases to the highest possible standards of accuracy and detail.
- Disseminate psychometric measures to service users by the organisation's evaluation strategy
- Promote a culture of evaluation amongst service users attending your groups to enhance the amount of individualised feedback available to them.
- Respond to service user enquiries, and organisational communications, in an appropriately timely manner.
- Actively engage in the initial training workshops that are provided by the organisation.
- Maintain a commitment to continual personal development and engage in additional training opportunities when provided.
- Actively engage in organised peer reflective practices
- Make use of the organisation-wide digital communication channels to share and learn therapeutic practices.
• Safeguarding - It is every volunteer's responsibility to safeguard and protect adults and children from abuse, regardless of the setting in which your care takes place. It is the volunteer's responsibility to be aware of the charity's policies and procedures and proactively maintain safeguarding procedural knowledge.
Additional Responsibilities
- Adhere to all organisational policies and procedures.
- Support the organisation's promotion of a positive approach to diversity and inclusion, treating others with dignity and respect.
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with colleagues, taking account of their age, religion or belief, ethnicity, sex, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity status and any disability.
- Maintain an approachable nature, ensuring that your conduct towards colleagues is open and honest, dealing with differences in opinion in ways which avoid offence.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
You don’t need to be a healthcare expert or have all the answers.
You just need to be a good listener, show up with kindness, and be willing to offer your time.
Marie Curie is looking for caring, everyday people to join our Community Companion team. You’ll be part of something truly meaningful - offering support to people in their final stages of life, and to the loved ones around them.
What’s a Community Companion?
Being there for someone when it matters most. This might be visiting someone in their home, offering a chat and a cup of tea, swapping stories and talking about what's happening locally, or just being a calm presence.
You will never be asked to do anything you’re uncomfortable with and you will receive training and support from the Marie Curie team to support you in your Companion role. You’ll also meet a team of like-minded volunteers who are all in it for the same reason: to help others and feel connected to something bigger.
What Will You Actually Do?
- Provide emotional comfort and conversation - just being present matters.
- Share helpful information or point people to local services or resources available.
- Support family members or carers, before and after bereavement.
- Help people express their wishes for care, in their own words.
- Be a calm, steady presence in what can feel like a chaotic time.
No Medical Background Needed - Just These Qualities:
- You’re friendly, patient, and a good listener
- You’re open-minded and non-judgmental
- You’re emotionally mature and can handle sensitive topics
- You’re reliable and can commit 3 hours each week
- You’re comfortable using email and completing a short report each visit
What You’ll Get in Return:
- A sense of real purpose and the chance to make a lasting difference
- A welcoming volunteer team and a strong support network
- Ongoing training, development, and guidance
- Recognition and appreciation for the time you give
- Out-of-pocket expenses covered
Whether you’re looking to give back, build experience, or just connect with others in a more meaningful way - this is an opportunity to do something truly rewarding.
Ready to Find Out More?
Fill out our application form and we will invite you for an informal chat (online, over the phone or in-person), and walk you through the next
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Role: Data Volunteer
Organisation: Street Child
Location: Central London
Start date: ASAP
Commitment: Minimum 3 months, 3 days a week, 1 day in office
Benefits: Unpaid role (Travel expense covered)
About Street Child:
Street Child believes that every child deserves the chance to go to school and learn. Our projects focus on a combination of education, child protection and livelihood support to address the social, economic and structural issues that underpin today’s education crisis. We partner with local organisations and communities to deliver our locally rooted programmes, using evidence to drive learning and the refinement and scale up of programmes to create maximum impact for the most children at the lowest cost. We pride ourselves on being willing to go to the world’s toughest places where others won’t, including remote, hard-to-reach areas and fragile, disaster-affected states across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Since 2008 we have helped over 250,000 children to go to school and learn, supported over 25,000 families to set up businesses so they can afford the cost of educating their children.
About the Role:
We are in the process of implementing a fundraising CRM to efficiently manage our outreach activities. To support this project, we are seeking to recruit a Data Volunteer who can help us clean and migrate the historical fundraising data into the new database. This is an entry-level role, best suited for a candidate who is interested in developing a career in data. Data skills are high in demand so will suit someone keen on learning new data skills to enhance their CV. For the right candidate this will provide an opportunity to learn how not-for-profit organisations work and enable them an entry into the charity sector.
Ideally, we are looking for someone with good Excel skills (any knowledge of additional data tools such as MS Access, Power Query, etc will be an advantage), and some understanding of data related process. Hands-on training will be provided to the right candidate. As the focus of this role will be on enhancing the quality of the data, we are seeking a highly organised person who can pay greatest attention to detail. As part of this role you will be working with our database project lead.
To succeed in this role, we need someone with:
- Excellent eye for detail and a commitment to high standards
- Interest in learning data skills and have good Excel skills
- Good inter-personal skills and the ability to interact with the wider Street Child UK team
- A passion for Street Child’s mission
We are looking for volunteers who can work for a minimum of 3 days a week (minimum 1 day in the office) for a minimum of 3 months. Ideal for those who live in the Greater London area as we will be able to provide transport costs only up to £25.
How to apply:
Please send your CV and a covering letter and explain why you are the perfect candidate for this role. We will be reviewing applications as we receive them, so interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Street Child’s commitment to Safeguarding:
Street Child is committed to the safeguarding and protection of the communities we serve, our partners, our volunteers, and our staff. As part of this commitment to safeguarding, volunteers will be subject to appropriate background checks, including a Criminal Records check.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
East London Waterworks Park is looking for volunteer managers to develop and manage meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences.
East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces.
We are looking for volunteer managers to contribute to our community-led working group who are developing and managing meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences within East London Waterworks Park.
There is opportunity to lead on projects in communications and governance, and facilitate the direction of the working group.
The Comms Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Tuesday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely.
You should be experienced in developing and managing meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences with a range of different roles. Strong organisational and interpersonal skills are essential. We also value your ability to think strategically and build relationships within the community. Experience in managing and motivating volunteer teams is important and a strong understanding of volunteer engagement and the ability to create a positive and inclusive environment will be invaluable. You should be comfortable with community-led processes. Our roles are quite flexible. We hope that people bring radical imagination, peace with nature, and courageous inclusiveness to the role.
Contribute to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds. Your leadership and organisational skills will be instrumental in coordinating the efforts of our diverse team of volunteers, including architects, ecologists, teachers, community researchers, and communications strategists. By effectively managing and motivating our volunteer base, you'll ensure that their contributions are aligned with the park's goals and maximise their impact on our community and the environment.
East London Waterworks Park is a charity campaigning to create a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces




Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job description
We need dedicated volunteers to work at our Kentish Town store. If you have a passion for fashion (especially second-hand), amazing customer service skills and you are keen to learn new skills, then this opportunity is for you. As a volunteer you will also be involved in receiving, sorting, steaming, and pricing our lovely donations, serving at the till, and using your creativity to create displays around the shop. Training will be provided. As a volunteer, you will be helping to raise money for the Octavia Foundation and support the work we do in the local community.
About Octavia Foundation Shops
We are Octavia. Founded by the Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill in the 1860s, our work today covers three areas: homes, support, and care. We provide Londoners with quality, affordable housing, allowing many people to remain in the city who otherwise would have been priced out. We empower people, connecting them with opportunities for a better life. And we look after the elderly and vulnerable, with tailored and personalized care. We are for hope, for communities, and for connections. For the common good.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for friendly volunteers who adhere to our values of being reliable, respectful, responsible, and resourceful. You will be a good team member who we can expect to volunteer in our shops for a minimum of 4 hours a week.
Practical Considerations
We do reimburse Travel and Lunch expenses in line with our policy.
Job Type: Volunteer
Pay: n/a
Benefits:
- Travel Expenses claimable
- Store discount
Flexible language requirement:
- English not required
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
- Weekends only
Work Location: In person
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our busy Homework Club is part of our delivery of child and family support services, in order that low income and vulnerable families have improved access to services, employment opportunities and life chances.
In response to requests from parents and young people, the Centre provides after-school Homework and Study clubs during term time. Children from three local primary schools, and a few from Year 7 attend the club. Many come from families where English is a second language.
Volunteers sit on a table with 1 or 2 children and provide help with their homework, maths and English work mostly, and some reading. Volunteers commit to one session a week on Friday (3.30 – 5.30pm).
Our Mission
Each Person Matters: The Cardinal Hume Centre enables families, children and young people to overcome poverty and avoid homelessness.
What are we looking for?
- Ideally you have some experience in teaching, either professionally, voluntary or at home with your own children.
- You are friendly, patient and can have rapport with children easily.
- Able to help with maths and English at primary school level.
What is the time commitment?
- Ideally at least one academic term
- Fridays, 3.30 – 5.30pm at The Cardinal Hume Centre and we are trialing an outreach sessions at a local Library & Hotel on otger weekdays
How will you be supported?
- You will be supported by the Family Services staff team.
- You will have access to wide range of e-learning topics. Child safeguarding and fire safety awareness is mandatory for all new volunteers.
- You will be reimbursed for travel expenses.
The Centre enables families, children and young people to overcome poverty and avoid homelessness.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
We appreciate any volunteering help that you can offer YBTC and want to make sure that our
volunteers have a positive experience with us. We pledge to support you as much as we can.
We want to ensure that volunteering with us does not feel too daunting, so the exact tasks might
vary depending on your circumstances. However, some typical tasks may include:
· Asking people you know who might be willing to have a collection box in their business
· Approaching local businesses to display the boxes and collect loose change from their customers
· Building and maintaining relationships with your box holders to inspire loyalty and encourage people to continue giving year after year
· Collecting the boxes in your area as and when required and taking to your YBTC contact
We are looking for people who are:
· Have a warm, friendly and confident outlook
· Willing to learn about the work of YBTC
· Able to communicate with a range of different groups
· Are creative and imaginative – spotting opportunities to boost your distribution
· Are well organised and enjoy meeting new people
· Reliable and able to commit to agreed requirements
We can offer you:
· Induction and ongoing training
· Ongoing support and supervision in your role
· The opportunity to learn new skills
· YBTC commitment to health and safety
Founded in 2003 and originally named Andrea’s Gift and later Brain Tumour Research and Support
Across Yorkshire, Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity (YBTC) is Yorkshire and Humber’s leading
brain tumour charity. Offering practical, financial and emotional support to both adult and child
brain tumour patients, together with their families.
We fund brain tumour research in Yorkshire; we hope this research, dedicated to identifying new
approaches to the discovery and treatment of brain tumours, will improve outcomes for patients.
At YBTC we are a small team who are growing to meet the needs of those affected by a brain
tumour in Yorkshire. Around 15 new cases of primary brain tumour are diagnosed in the region
every week.
Our charity values are Integrity, Compassion, Community, & Ambition.
Our Vision/Mission
To improve the lives of people impacted by a brain tumour in Yorkshire, through local support and
research.
To improve the lives of people impacted by a brain tumour in Yorkshire, through local support and research.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Home-Start Camden & Islington (HSC&I) offers free, confidential support and practical help to parents of children under five in the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington who are struggling.
We are looking for volunteers with parenting or child caring experience to support families for 2-3 hours per week, for a minimum of one year upon completing the preparation course.
We provide a preparation course for all volunteers before they start to visit families, which covers all the essential training and information you will require.
The main task of a volunteer is to visit families in their own homes on a regular basis, to offer a combination of the following: Friendship / Practical Help / A listening ear / To accompany to appointments, or help access local amenities / The opportunity to share ideas of skills, leading to increased parental confidence / Links to community resources and support systems
Role: Activities Volunteer
Commitment: Currently, sessions are run both during the week (mostly in the afternoon) and at weekends (usually on a Saturday). Activity volunteering is a flexible commitment, and you will be able to sign up for the session you like and when you have time. It really is up to you and your availability.
Location: Life Without Limits Centre - 10 Lower Thames Street, London, EC3R 6EN
Availability: RSBC Events · Events Calendar - https://lu.ma/rsbc
Age: 18+
Our Mission Statement:
RSBC believes that every blind young person should have the chance to live life without limits.
By giving young people the essential skills and confidence to take control of their life, they can unleash their true potential.
Our success depends on our values
Underpinning all RSBC’s work are values embedded in trust and excellence:
TRUST: Respect and accountability
ENERGY: Straight talking and constantly learning
AMBITION: Confronting reality and driving results
MOTIVATION: Vision impaired children and young people are our number one priority, and we look for solutions, not problems
What will I be doing?
Our amazing Activity Volunteers play a key role in supporting blind children and young people to take part in a variety of activities. These range from sports, creative (singing, performing, art), audiobook club and day trips. Our activities are designed for blind young people to meet new friends, gain confidence, learn new skills/sports, and become more independent. The skills you have developed in your career and personal life will be invaluable to our young people.
Key Tasks and Main Duties
Face-to-face activities
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1:1 sighted guiding from and to public transport locations
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practical support onsite
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supporting the sessions
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facilitate social interaction between the participants
Who are you?
We welcome applications from people with a wide range of skills and experiences. You don’t need to have volunteered or worked before as full training will be provided. What’s important to us is that you are a team player, open to learning and willing to follow RSBC’s policies and can be an excellent ambassador for RSBC. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of sight problems.
What’s in it for me?
RSBC offers the opportunity to gain insight and experience into helping others with sight issues. As part of your volunteering, you will have access to Sighted Guide training, a training session designed to help you understand the issues and complexities of sight problems and give you the ability to help others navigate the world.
RSBC also provides paid expenses for your volunteering experience, you can claim up to £10 per day.
RSBC can also provide references and impact reports from your volunteering if required.
You will be fully supported in your role by our team of expert and compassionate service delivery team.
Develop or utilise your skills – As a volunteer, you’ll be given plenty of opportunities to develop new skills or use those you already have, which can help to build your CV, boost your employability and give you a sense of satisfaction.
What's in it for the Community?
Make a difference to people’s lives
Help in your community
Help deliver creative services to help people with sighted issues feel included in the world around them.
Make a direct and tangible difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted children and young people.
Safeguarding:
Due to the nature of the role, before you can begin volunteering with RSBC there are some required safeguarding checks which will need to be completed.
All RSBC volunteers undergo an Enhanced DBS check (paid for by RSBC) and must provide two references.
All volunteers will also be booked onto safeguarding training.
RSBC risk assesses all its services and activities.
Next Steps:
If this sounds like you, please fill out an expression of interest, and one of our volunteer team members will get back to you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job description
We need dedicated volunteers to work at our Finchley Road store. If you have a passion for fashion (especially second-hand), amazing customer service skills and you are keen to learn new skills, then this opportunity is for you. As a volunteer you will also be involved in receiving, sorting, steaming, and pricing our lovely donations, serving at the till, and using your creativity to create displays around the shop. Training will be provided. As a volunteer, you will be helping to raise money for the Octavia Foundation and support the work we do in the local community.
About Octavia Foundation Shops
We are Octavia. Founded by the Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill in the 1860s, our work today covers three areas: homes, support, and care. We provide Londoners with quality, affordable housing, allowing many people to remain in the city who otherwise would have been priced out. We empower people, connecting them with opportunities for a better life. And we look after the elderly and vulnerable, with tailored and personalized care. We are for hope, for communities, and for connections. For the common good.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for friendly volunteers who adhere to our values of being reliable, respectful, responsible, and resourceful. You will be a good team member who we can expect to volunteer in our shops for a minimum of 4 hours a week.
Practical Considerations
We do reimburse Travel and Lunch expenses in line with our policy.
Job Type: Volunteer
Pay: n/a
Benefits:
- Travel Expenses claimable
- Store discount
Flexible language requirement:
- English not required
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
- Weekends only
Work Location: In person
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job description
We need dedicated volunteers to work at our Askew Road store. If you have a passion for fashion (especially second-hand), amazing customer service skills and you are keen to learn new skills, then this opportunity is for you. As a volunteer you will also be involved in receiving, sorting, steaming, and pricing our lovely donations, serving at the till, and using your creativity to create displays around the shop. Training will be provided. As a volunteer, you will be helping to raise money for the Octavia Foundation and support the work we do in the local community.
About Octavia Foundation Shops
We are Octavia. Founded by the Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill in the 1860s, our work today covers three areas: homes, support, and care. We provide Londoners with quality, affordable housing, allowing many people to remain in the city who otherwise would have been priced out. We empower people, connecting them with opportunities for a better life. And we look after the elderly and vulnerable, with tailored and personalized care. We are for hope, for communities, and for connections. For the common good.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for friendly volunteers who adhere to our values of being reliable, respectful, responsible, and resourceful. You will be a good team member who we can expect to volunteer in our shops for a minimum of 4 hours a week.
Practical Considerations
We do reimburse Travel and Lunch expenses in line with our policy.
Job Type: Volunteer
Pay: n/a
Benefits:
- Travel Expenses claimable
- Store discount
Flexible language requirement:
- English not required
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
- Weekends only
Work Location: In person
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job description
We need dedicated volunteers to work at our Brompton Road store. If you have a passion for fashion (especially second-hand), amazing customer service skills and you are keen to learn new skills, then this opportunity is for you. As a volunteer you will also be involved in receiving, sorting, steaming, and pricing our lovely donations, serving at the till, and using your creativity to create displays around the shop. Training will be provided. As a volunteer, you will be helping to raise money for the Octavia Foundation and support the work we do in the local community.
About Octavia Foundation Shops
We are Octavia. Founded by the Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill in the 1860s, our work today covers three areas: homes, support, and care. We provide Londoners with quality, affordable housing, allowing many people to remain in the city who otherwise would have been priced out. We empower people, connecting them with opportunities for a better life. And we look after the elderly and vulnerable, with tailored and personalized care. We are for hope, for communities, and for connections. For the common good.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for friendly volunteers who adhere to our values of being reliable, respectful, responsible, and resourceful. You will be a good team member who we can expect to volunteer in our shops for a minimum of 4 hours a week.
Practical Considerations
We do reimburse Travel and Lunch expenses in line with our policy.
Job Type: Volunteer
Pay: n/a
Benefits:
- Travel Expenses claimable
- Store discount
Flexible language requirement:
- English not required
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
- Weekends only
Work Location: In person
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
INDEPENDENT READING GROUP VOLUNTEER (FACE-TO-FACE)
CARAS Youth ESOL Programme – Monday, Wednesday mornings
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 Youth ESOL:
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 Reading Group Volunteer to support our face-to-face study programme for young people.
- The reading group is in Tooting and is an important element of a study programme for young people aged 14 to 18 who are out of formal education.
- Students will be supported to read at length and complete challenges that are adapted to their ability level.
- The reading group aims to foster independence and a joy of reading among the young people and requires volunteers to learn about the young peoples' interests in order to help them select an appropriate text.
- The ESOL teacher will provide volunteers with tips to support reading and understanding for emerging learners of English, such as phonics and elicitation strategies.
- Volunteers will work with 1-5 students, mostly reading out loud with them or helping them to decode unfamiliar language.
- Please note that ESOL classes do not run during school holidays, and we follow Wandsworth Council term dates.
Volunteer tasks and responsibilities:
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Providing learners with one-to-one or small group support within the Reading Group sessions;
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Helping to set up the classroom and provide learners with classroom resources;
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Contributing to debriefs to inform the ESOL teacher how each student found the lesson/task and the students’ areas of greatest challenge and success;
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Attending and contributing to volunteer debriefs after each session;
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Making use of any community languages you may know to help students during the class;
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Working collaboratively as a team and helping to shape the project;
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Supporting people to develop their knowledge and skills, encouraging and inspiring participants to reach their full potential;
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Assisting participants to recognise and celebrate their achievements;
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Listening and supporting students to select, read and understand a text; Showing flexibility to the wide range of ability levels in the classroom;
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Following CARAS’ confidentiality, safeguarding, health & safety, equal opportunities, data management and all other policies as relevant.
Requirements:
Essential
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To be 18 years or older;
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An interest in education and English language teaching;
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Currently resident in the UK; has asylum-seeker or refugee status
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* Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check; *DBS and proof of residency is not necessary if you are a CARAS community member who is more recently arrived in the UK.
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Able to attend volunteer induction training (online) prior to start of role
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Able to travel to our community centre in Tooting (food and travel expenses can be reimbursed);
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To be non-judgemental and able to engage with young people from diverse backgrounds;
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To be reliable and punctual;
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Good communication skills, especially with people who are new to English;
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An interest in books and stories, writing and poetry
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The ability to volunteer on Wednesday during Wandsworth term time for a minimum of four months;
Desirable:
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Knowledge of community languages, such as Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali or Spanish;
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Experience of reading with young people or learners of English, or teaching ESOL or phonics.
Through volunteering with us you will:
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Gain experience of English language teaching;
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Meet new members of your local community;
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Learn about different cultures;
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Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum;
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Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team;
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Develop your skills and competencies such as literacy and phonics strategies for emerging learners of English;
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Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training.
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Be able to obtain a reference from us relating to your placement after 3 months of regular volunteering.
We provide firm foundations for new-arrival asylum seekers to build happy and successful lives.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Joining this role means you'll be at the heart of providing essential support to families facing the unimaginable; caring for their child who's life will be short.
Many families in Wales are unfortunately facing this challenge alone, without support from others.
As a Practical Family Support Volunteer for Tŷ Hafan, you will assist families in need with various light tasks such as cleaning, tidying up and laundry.
Your contribution will go beyond housekeeping; it's about taking some of the pressure off and giving families the breathing space they need to spend more precious time together.
This role offers the satisfaction of knowing you are making a positive impact on families with a child with a life-shortening condition, by helping them create a tidy, clean and safe home environment that reduces their daily stress and worries.
Most importantly, you will be helping us to ensure that no family faces this challenge, alone.
Considerations:
Age requirement: 21+
Location: Across South & West Wales (in your local area)
Time commitment: Flexible and can be adjusted to accommodate your personal schedule. The support plans designed for referred families are typically structured to span a period of six weeks.
Background checks: Enhanced DBS check, 2 references and induction/training course required before starting.
Due to the nature of the role, we are looking for volunteers with some skills, experience and knowledge of gardening, either as a profession or as a hobby.
Activities include:
Activities include helping families with light housekeeping tasks such as; cleaning, dusting, vacuuming and laundry, giving them the space they need to be there for their child who needs them.
We are looking for volunteers who:
•Can empathise with the families you are helping and show them kindness and respect;
•Are reliable and flexible and committed to volunteering on a longer term basis;
•Will follow our health and safety guidelines, policies and procedures and report any issues or concerns to the Family Support Volunteer Manager;
•Are respectful of the privacy, preferences and needs of the families you are supporting;
•Are polite and friendly;
•Can adapt to different situations and challenges;
•Enjoy making a difference in the lives of others
At Tŷ Hafan our people values are working together, demonstrating compassion, providing excellent service and taking ownership.
We expect all colleagues and volunteers to behave with high levels of integrity and to represent our values as a core part of their role.
Training you will receive:
You will receive a comprehensive introduction to Tŷ Hafan and your role, to include an in-person Induction and Training Programme as well as additional e-learning.
You will be a part of a friendly and supportive team who will assist you with any queries or concerns through regular and ongoing meetings.
Other role and organisation specific training is available including both supplementary and mandatory training.
All volunteers must maintain their mandatory training to continue in their role.
The benefits of becoming a Practical Family Support Volunteer in Family Homes:
•Make a positive difference in the lives of children with life-shortening conditions and their families, by helping them to maintain clean spaces for them to enjoy;
•Attend Volunteer Celebration Events throughout the year;
•Meet new people and join a friendly community of volunteers, passionate about helping others;
•Expenses will be provided following discussion about the role.
This role is purely voluntary and this arrangement is not meant to be a legally binding one or an employment contract.
You will be asked to complete an application form and provide two references via our Volunteer Management System, BetterImpact
A Wales where every child with a life-shortening condition lives a fulfilling life, supported with the compassion and specialist care they need.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.