Volunteer Roles in East Midlands

We are looking for up to ten UK university students to join our volunteer Student Ambassadors team and help Ygam achieve its social purpose by reaching out to students at university. This will be achieved by advising Ygam on the needs of students, supporting with content development, organising activities at your campus, and join us at events to raise awareness of gaming and gambling harms.

We are seeking individuals who are outgoing, with a confident personality. You will enjoy engaging with other students and be able to advise us on the experiences of students with regards to gaming and gambling.We’d love to hear from students with an interest in mental health, psychology, content development, and gaming. 

About us: GT Scholars is a charitable social enterprise that tackles educational inequality by giving ambitious young people the support, skills and strategies they need to achieve aspirations. We run a wide range of programmes that help young people achieve their academic and career aspirations, particularly those from less-privileged backgrounds. 

What makes us different? We run tutoring, mentoring & career insight programmes that help our scholars, aged 11-18, discover their strengths, develop their mindsets and design their own futures.

There are many charitable organisations and social enterprises offering programmes to improve the life chances of young people. 

However, our programmes use a unique 3:1 model which means that we’re able to sustainably use our profits to provide additional places on our programmes, to young people from low income homes. 

We believe that all young people are gifted and talented, regardless of their background. 

Our mission is to empower and develop the next generation of leaders and change-makers and we’re looking for volunteer tutors that are passionate about making a difference in young people’s lives!

If you are an undergraduate or graduate, you could make a difference by joining us as a volunteer tutor. As a volunteer tutor, you’ll need to:

• Have a passion for helping children and young people

• Provide online one-to-one tutoring support for 1 hour week

• Build pupil confidence in Maths.

• Have strong subject knowledge (confident enough to tutor up to GCSE)

• Work collaboratively with other tutors and mentors

• Have a minimum of an undergraduate degree or be working towards this

Volunteer tutoring can be extremely rewarding and volunteers with GT Scholars benefit from:

• A flexible schedule - you can choose online tutoring hours to suit your schedule

• The chance to grow your contacts and meet like-minded volunteers 

• The chance to make a real difference in the life of a young person.

Additional information: We’re looking for tutors that can commit to a minimum of 2 academic terms of volunteering.

We will need to conduct reference checks and you will need an Enhanced DBS for this role as you will be working directly with children. We can process this for you or you may submit one if this is less than 3 years old.

The role: Our scholars are eager to meet graduates and professionals who can support them in achieving their ambitions. Mentors are mainly responsible for providing support and career advice to pupils. Mentors must also be committed to supporting us at our events, which take place in the evenings and on Saturdays throughout the term. These events include our scholar enrichment days, our parent and pupil information sessions and our volunteer social events which are held in London. 

Availability: Mentors must be available for approximately 2-3 hours a month to meet with their mentee, and discuss via phone, email or in person. There is a minimum commitment of one year (three terms).

In addition to this, you will need to support a minimum of 2 events throughout the year. Enrichment and skill-building events for our scholars usually take place in the evenings and at weekends, with events ranging from 2-8 hours in length.

Location: Mentoring sessions and events can take place online or in person.

Responsibilities: 

• Working collaboratively with parents to give students guidance and advice on how to achieve their aspirations

• Informing pupils of opportunities to them so that they can achieve their aspirations

• Meeting with pupils for one to one mentoring sessions

• Supporting pupils with university, sixth form or job applications

• Monitoring and reporting on each pupils progress

• Giving feedback to parents and programme coordinators

• Working collaboratively with other tutors and mentors

• Supporting at events including:

  • Collaborate effectively with other volunteers within the events team

  • Assist with setting up and clearing up at events

  • Support workshop facilitators with managing groups of young people or parents

  • Assist with the coordination of lunch or refreshments for attendees

  • Assist the event coordinator with ensuring the health and safety of attendees and overall risk management at events

  • Give feedback to the event coordinators and programme managers at the end of each event.

Person specification:

• Be passionate and committed to tackling educational inequality

• Enjoy working with children and young people

• Be educated to a minimum of degree level or equivalent

• Possess strong communication skills both written and verbal

• Be punctual and organised

• Be able to remain calm under pressure

• Have excellent time management skills

Do you have professional experience in coding and computing? Could you support young people in learning how to code? 

Are you passionate about equipping the next generation with the skills and strategies needed to succeed?

About us: GT Scholars is a social enterprise that tackles educational inequality by giving ambitious young people the support, skills and strategies they need to achieve their aspirations. 

We believe that all young people are gifted and talented, regardless of their background. We run a wide range of programmes that help young people achieve their academic and career aspirations, particularly those from less-privileged backgrounds.

What makes us different? There are many organisations that offer programmes to improve the life chances of young people. However, our programmes use a unique 3:1 model which means that we’re able to sustainably use our profits to provide additional places on our programmes, to young people from low-income homes. 

Our mission is to empower and develop the next generation of leaders and change-makers and we’re looking for workshop facilitators that are passionate about making a difference in young people’s lives!

Responsibilities: Facilitators are responsible for designing creative and interactive workshops for our young people, and delivering these workshops with our young people. We run some of our workshops online and other workshops are held in London. All workshops are held during the school holidays, in the evening and on weekends.

The workshop facilitator role is flexible and as part of your role, you may be involved in:

• Delivering and leading short workshops or courses, on behalf of GT Scholars (Online or offline)

• Designing engaging, interactive and educational workshops and short courses for young people and ensuring that the content is targeted to suit different abilities and capabilities

• Running your own bespoke workshops, eg. workshops in coding and technology

• Managing short activities and Q&A sessions during our workshops

• Working collaboratively with other event coordinators, volunteers, ambassadors, workshop facilitators and speakers at our events

• Following the agreed timings and content for workshops and courses

Person specification: 

As workshop facilitator, you will need to:

• Have passion, knowledge and experience in coding, computing and technology

• Have strong presentation skills

• Have strong communication skills

• Be personable and able to confidently communicate with people from a range of backgrounds and professions.

• Be passionate and committed to tackling educational inequality

• Be punctual and organised

Availability: Workshops will run during the day on school holiday dates, on Saturdays or in the evening (5pm-8pm).

Additional information: We will need to conduct reference checks and you will need an Enhanced DBS for this role as you will be working directly with children. We can process this for you or you may submit one if this is less than 2 years old.

Rate of pay: This is a self-employed role. You must be aged 18 or above. Facilitator sessions range from 2 to 6 hours. The rate of pay will vary based on the budget of the funder.

Do you want to see more happiness and kindness in the world? We’re looking for dynamic Volunteers to be part of creating exactly that!

About the Role:

Our volunteers bring people together for shared online learning experiences, based on positive psychology, that boost the wellbeing of everyone involved.

- The amazing 6-week Happiness Habits Course is designed to be run by pairs of volunteers.  It features expert videos, science-backed exercises and the chance to form meaningful connections. Our course has been specially designed to gather the insights of the world's leading experts on six fundamental aspects of a happy and meaningful life: Gratitude, Self-Care, Relationships, Resilience, Kindness, and Meaning. It is a very impactful (many say life-changing) experience.

- Alternatively, you can get involved by supporting a Monthly Group, bringing like-minded people together to learn evidence-based tools for creating a happier and more meaningful life. Explore the monthly themes and encourage people to set personal actions towards happiness, that support both themselves and others.

Volunteering with Action for Happiness is a path of action that consistently feels like you are making a difference in the world. You don’t have to be an expert - or be happy all the time. If you are a warm and enthusiastic person that is more than enough to get started.

Why Volunteer with Us?

Do something that matters: spreading happiness and witnessing people transform for the better is a huge source of meaning.

Grow your skills: inspiring others, learning together and reinforcing your own happiness skills all contribute to personal growth.

Build community: meeting like-minded people, building lasting friendships and belonging to a global community contributing to a better future for all.

How do I know it’s right for me?

Try out free VOLUNTEER TRAINING via the Action For Happiness website and decide for yourself.

We've designed it especially to help you answer questions like this as it explains thoroughly what being a volunteer involves and helps you reflect on your readiness.

What is the time commitment?

You'll need to set aside a couple of hours for the training initially and a few more for planning your course or group and connecting with your co-volunteer. Then you'll need a couple of hours per session for facilitating (x6 weekly sessions for a course, or x1 session per month for a group). 

- Apply today! Together, we can inspire change that ripples out through people’s lives, communities and the world.
 

At St John Ambulance, we are looking to develop our volunteering offer and become an even more integral part of our communities through delivering community first aid and education. 

We need people who have a passion for helping others, care about their communities and want to make a difference, supporting them to become safe and more resilient by sharing your first aid skills and knowledge. As a Community First Aider, you’ll deliver first aid to those in need through local events, as well as provide education to the public so that the ripple effect of First Aid grows.

Through supporting the growth of community partnerships, you will bring people along to our cause, growing our membership and fundraising base and spreading the message that First Aid Saves Lives. 

Through volunteering as a Community First Aider, you’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction and pride delivering an essential service. It’s great for you, great for your community and great for our nation, and it requires only a small commitment of your time. 

We will make sure you will have access to a proper induction to volunteering with SJA and the training you need for the role you take on. We will also provide you with a supportive environment while you are volunteering with us. Information about our volunteer roles are included in the role descriptions. What you can expect from SJA, and what we expect from those who volunteer with us, is included in the volunteer charter.

Welcome and induction will be conducted at Network Meetings prior to the candidate proceeding to training.

Training course dates will be organised once applications close. This will likely be held on a weekend in June TBC

Closing date for these opportunities is: 05/05/2025

To apply for this opportunity please follow the link below:

As the Treasurer of The Soup Kitchen (Charity Number: 1203641), you will play a pivotal role in overseeing the financial affairs of our organization, ensuring its financial health, and supporting our mission to alleviate food poverty

Who we are

Charitable objects

THE PREVENTION OR RELIEF OF FOOD POVERTY IN LONDON BY PROVIDING FOOD AID TO PREVENT OR RELIEVE FOOD POVERTY AND TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE ISSUE OF FOOD POVERTY.

The role

Treasurer Role Description

As the Treasurer of The Soup Kitchen (Charity Number: 1203641), you will play a pivotal role in overseeing the financial affairs of our organization, ensuring its financial health, and supporting our mission to alleviate food poverty in Hounslow. This voluntary position requires a commitment to our cause and a proactive approach to financial stewardship.

Key Responsibilities:

• Financial Oversight:

• Maintain an overview of The Soup Kitchen’s financial activities, ensuring financial stability and sustainability.

• Ensure that effective financial measures, controls, and procedures are in place and adhered to.

• Budgeting and Financial Planning:

• Oversee the preparation and presentation of budgets, accounts, and financial statements to the Board of Trustees.

• Advise on the financial implications of the organization’s strategic plans and activities.

• Reporting and Compliance:

• Ensure that annual accounts are prepared in compliance with statutory requirements and submitted to relevant authorities, such as the Charity Commission.

• Present financial reports to the Board, highlighting key financial issues and proposing corrective actions when necessary.

• Fundraising and Resource Management:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of The Soup Kitchen’s fundraising strategy.

• Ensure that the organization’s resources are managed effectively and align with our charitable objectives.

• Governance:

• Ensure that the organization complies with its governing document, charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.

• Safeguard the good name and values of The Soup Kitchen.

Person Specification:

• Essential:

  • Financial qualifications and experience, preferably as a qualified accountant.

  • Experience in financial control and budgeting.

  • Good communication and interpersonal skills.

  • A commitment to the mission and values of The Soup Kitchen.

• Desirable:

  • Experience with charity finance and fundraising.

  • Knowledge of charity accounting principles and regulations.

Time Commitment:

The Treasurer is expected to attend Board meetings, which are held twice a year, and additional meetings as required. The role may also involve liaising with staff, volunteers, and external stakeholders on financial matters.

Role context

Hi there, we’re a charity called Local Welcome. We support local people in joining together as a team of Leaders in order to run Local Welcome meals in their local area on weekends.

Local Welcome meals are open to all - they’re the sort of places where strangers become friends! Some group members will have been born in your local area, some new, some seeking sanctuary, or refugees. 

As a member of the Leader team, you’ll be supporting your group in cooking and eating a delicious meal from scratch. No cooking skills are required - our simple recipe steps have that covered!

The commitment

Location

In-person.

Voluntary

This is an unpaid role.

Time commitment

4-6 hours per month - this includes 4 hours leading on the day of the meal, and a couple of hours of prep and organising which is split between leaders before and after the meal. Depending on your leader team’s capacity, it’s possible for a very busy leader to arrive on the day and lead with only a small amount of involvement before and after.

Responsibilities

With the support of our small staff team, and the Local Welcome leader handbook, you would be working with your fellow leaders to:

1. Organising and facilitating monthly meals in your local area
2. Coordinating practical elements of running meals as a team - e.g. deciding what to cook and organising the grocery shop before the meal, ensuring the meal runs smoothly on the day, and sharing feedback with our staff team afterwards
3. Completing your own safeguarding training and a disclosure check. This includes committing to keeping everyone in your group safe by reporting any concerns accordingly on an ongoing basis
4. Keeping in touch with your fellow leaders and the Local Welcome team between meals - e.g. to share your availability for the next meal
5. Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for your group members and fellow leaders

Support from Local Welcome

1. Safeguarding training tailored to Local Welcome meals
2. Regular check-ins, support and guidance from the Local Welcome team - including an on-call staff member available for any support during meals
3. Access to our leader handbook, which contains resources and materials for setting up, running and growing your group
4. A Whatsapp group to connect with the Local Welcome team and fellow leaders
5. Opportunity to connect with a network of Local Welcome Leaders across the UK

Membership

Membership is for everyone who takes part in Local Welcome meals, whatever role you play on the day!

Everyone has the option of attending their first meal as a newcomer (for free). Afterwards, we’ll invite you to sign up as a member of your local group.

We ask our members to donate what they can afford to help us cover the costs of running monthly meals. Donations also help us keep free spaces available for group members who can’t afford to pay, and helps us become more financially resilient as an organisation. 

Learn more about membership on our website.

Experience and skills

We’re looking for leaders who believe in our mission, vision and values and are committed to helping us live up to them. 

Broadly speaking, our leaders are ‘help to organise things’ type people who can commit 4-6 hours monthly, and enjoy working in a team.

We believe our groups are at their best when our Leaders have a mixture of identities, skills, personality types and life experiences, so everyone can play to their strengths and bring something unique to the table. Unlike other traditional ‘leadership’ settings, the leader role isn’t simply for those who can speak the loudest!

In particular, we’re keen to find Leaders who have lived experience of forced migrations, who are people of colour, people who are LGBTQ+, people who have a disability and people from working class backgrounds.

Most importantly, all leaders must respect and value people’s differences and be committed to helping Local Welcome to be an inclusive organisation.

Values

Our values are not just a set of nice words we stick up on the wall, they are very important to us and we gently hold ourselves and each other accountable to them every day.

• Build open, honest and diverse relationships
• Deliver joy through service
• Think big and act long-term
• Be creative and take risks
• Grow and learn
• Have compassion and fun
• Build diverse supportive teams
• Eat together
• Tell the truth
• Be humble

About YAUK

Youth Advantage UK is a charitable organization that uses a research-led approach to inform policy work and projects that aim to promote and further the human rights of young people aged 11 to 25 across the United Kingdom.

Please note that this is a remote VOLUNTEER role.

We won't accept applications from individuals residing outside of the UK as we operate on the principle of bettering the lives of young people in the UK. Therefore, we require our volunteers to have an understanding of what it is like to live in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Provide support to the CEO on matters of urgency and importance to the organization.
• Manage the agenda for meetings the CEO holds ensuring all actions are allocated for actioning
• Sign post management across the organisation as required
• Handle multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously
• Organizing and coordinating meetings, appointments, and events to ensure efficient time management for the CEO
• Handling Communications: Acting as the first point of contact for the CEO, managing correspondence.
• Preparing reports, presentations, and other documents needed for meetings and decision-making.
• Assisting with various administrative tasks such as record-keeping and office management.
• Coordinating specific tasks as assigned by the CEO
• Acting as a bridge between the CEO and other senior management, ensuring smooth communication

Requirements

• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Experience in fast-paced environments.
• Good IT skills.
• Ability to use remote systems.
• Ability to engage with others well.
• Good people skills.

Benefits

• This is a UK-based, 100% fully remote and flexible role.
• Supportive team and management to enhance your skills and build on your experience.
• Your work will help transform and empower many young people’s lives, rights, and interests and assist in promoting equality for all young people.

Why Volunteer with Us?

We are a supportive and friendly organization that takes pride in developing and nurturing our staff and providing them with excellent opportunities to thrive and further encourage their career growth and future aspirations.

We offer a fully remote working environment and a flexible and adaptable working schedule. This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organization, enhance your skills, and gain valuable experience. If this sounds like you and you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your CV.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Trailblazers’ mission is to reduce re-offending and inspire new futures and the charity has been providing mentoring services to people in prison since 1998. We provide support to men between the ages of 18 - 35 in custody who have 6 months left of their prison sentence, and then 'through the gate' into their community for up to 12 months.

In the West Midlands, services are delivered near Wolverhampton at HMP Featherstone and HMPYOI Brinsford. We are looking for volunteer mentors who can spare half a day per week to support young men to change their life by acting as an inspirational role model and helping with goal setting. Mentoring sessions usually last 1 hour per week; allowing enough time for travel and liaising with Trailblazers staff will take about half a day.

Your support will help a young man to reconnect with his own community, friends and loved ones, go into education, training and employment, and to give a person a sense of hope for the future. As a charity we are reliant on volunteers; with your help we can continue to support people in prison to make and change to their lives, their family and wider society. We welcome all skill sets within Trailblazers as we work with a diverse group of men, all we ask if you have a genuine passion for social change and that you can commit to at least 1 young man for up to 12 months, so they have a consistent person in their life - something that some of our mentees have never had. The national average re-offending rate for a person leaving prison is up to 55%, the rate for those who have a Trailblazers mentor is lowered to 9%. 

We are actively looking for people to join our mentoring community with lived experience of the criminal justice system, underrepresented groups from BAME community, creative arts, business skills, wellbeing - whatever your skills and background we are open to hear from you to support our diverse group of men.Out of pocket expenses are covered as well as training to equip you for your role. More information and the application form can be found on the website. 

Role activities:

• To provide a positive role model for people in prison and in their own community, to be empathic and to have a desire and commitment to support people to fulfil their potential.

• To attend and participate fully in the initial and ongoing mentor training.

• To attend group support/supervision meetings and review performance within mentoring relationships.

• To complete mentoring session notes relevant to the mentoring service for monitoring purposes.

• To take part in introductory meetings with mentees and set ground rules and boundaries.

• To report safeguarding concerns immediately.

• To follow relevant policies and procedures. 

• To perform your role in line with the aims of the organisation.

• To meet with and actively develop a supportive relationship with mentees.

• Be prepared to travel and undertake visits for mentoring sessions. 

• To make the necessary practical arrangements to meet the mentee on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

• Assist the mentee to celebrate their achievements.

• Support the mentee to meet identified goals.

• Develop an understanding of the role, responsibilities and boundaries of a volunteer mentor.

• Be committed to the project for a minimum of 12 months.

• Regular communication with Trailblazers staff in support of your mentee. 

Skills/behaviours/knowledge required:

• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and challenges faced by mentees (Desirable) full training will be given. 

• Awareness of own professional boundaries and the ability to report any concerns within the mentoring relationship that could be pertinent to risk to the mentee, or to others. 

• To be an advocate for a mentee and to actively seek opportunities for mentees for resettlement back into their own community in conjunction with Trailblazers staff. 

• To be non-judgmental, focus on the person rather than the offense. 

• Professional but relatable with strong communication skills. 

• Awareness of adversity and how to overcome barriers to build a supportive network around the mentee. 

• Basic IT skills. 

• Be able to take advice and guidance from Trailblazers staff. 

Criteria: 

• Over 21. 

• We encourage applications from those with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System but you must be off licence for a minimum of 12 months, and not in crisis yourself. 

• You cannot apply to a project if you have been a resident in the same prison yourself. 

• A good level of fitness to able to move around a prison at fast past that does include stairs 

• Due to security checks at the prison you must be a British citizen.     

• Not committed an offense where you are barred from working with vulnerable adults or children. 

• Live within a 30-mile radius from the prison at which you would like to volunteer.

At POhWER, we help people who are most vulnerable due to disability, illness, social exclusion, abuse, discrimination, and numerous other challenges, to express their views, uphold their rights or to get the support they need.

Our mission is to empower people to have a voice and make a real difference to their lives. We do this by speaking for them when they cannot and supporting them to speak for themselves when they can.

What will you be doing?

We are seeking to appoint two new Trustees to join the Board at this exciting phase. You will be part of a committed and forward-thinking Board, acting as a “critical friend” to the Executive Team and offering clear governance oversight to the charity. You will have the exciting opportunity to help support the planning and implementation of our Strategy from 2025 onwards, and to help develop and shape our long-term business plans.

POhWER is particularly interested in candidates who can offer expertise in one of the following areas:

• Involvement in the social care/advocacy sector and with experience of the local authority and commissioning environment;
• Experience of HR, typically at executive or board level.

Time commitment: Approximately one day per month and no requirement to attend offices. Board and Committee meetings are generally held on a Thursday early morning.

What are we looking for?

POhWER is seeking particular knowledge, expertise and experience in the following areas:

1. Involvement in the social care or advocacy sector and with experience of local authorities and commissioning environment;
2. Experience of HR, typically at executive or board level.

You will bring an inspiring leadership approach, together with a dedicated knowledge in one of the areas as sought, to complement the skills of the existing Board.  

You will uphold high standards of integrity and probity, both personally and in ensuring POhWER aspires to the highest standards in all its dealings, internally and externally; 

You will be able to give enough time and thought to the role of trustee, eg preparing for, attending and actively participating in all meetings of the Trustees;

You will ensure that POhWER uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives.

What difference will you make?

This is a particularly exciting phase as we are developing our Strategy beyond 2025.  This will take into account the continued economic uncertainty, but ensuring that we continue to achieve positive outcomes for the people who seek our services.

You will add value to our existing Board by bringing dynamism and challenge to the way that POhWER is seen externally. 

You will bring an inspiring leadership approach, together with a dedicated knowledge in one of the areas as sought, to complement the skills of the existing Board.  

We encourage candidates who can contribute greater diversity and who are fully aligned to our vision and values.

Before you apply

Please apply through Reach in the first instance with CV and covering letter indicating you interest in POhWER.

Are you looking for a Fundraising role that makes a real difference to a local charity? 

 At Acorns we provide care and support for life limited or life threatened children and their families. We are a charity, and our fundraising is vital to enable us to continue providing care and support to the children: it costs around £13 million a year to run our care services. 

Join our fundraising team at Asda, Chelmsley Wood on Friday 4th April and make a difference. We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us collect donations from shoppers, supporting our cause in a rewarding environment. Plus, enjoy the convenience of free parking for all volunteers.

 How much time will it take?  

The collection is from 10.00am – 4.00pm, but you can join us at any point for an hour or two.

 Am I right for the role? 

• We’re looking for volunteers who are
• Approachable and happy to raise awareness about Acorns
• Versatile and willing to adapt and help out 

  Why volunteer at Acorns? 

• To help a local charity and make a difference in your community
• Connect with likeminded people and make new friends
• Learn new skills to boost your CV
• Opportunities to progress to other roles
• Access to free online training courses
• Retail discounts

• Participation in our volunteer recognition schemes and rewards.

  We can only accept volunteers who are 18 years of age or older. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must also apply as they need to accompany you for the duration of your volunteer activities.

Trailblazers’ mission is to reduce re-offending and inspire new futures. Your support will help a young man to reconnect with his community, friends and loved ones, go into education, training and employment, and give a person a sense of hope for the future.

Trailblazers has been providing mentoring services to people in prison since 1998 with ultimate aim to reduce re-offending. We provide support to men between the age of 18 - 35 in custody who have 6 months left of their prison sentence, and then 'through the gate' into their own community for up to 12 months. The Education, Training & Employment (ETE) team supports our mentees in custody to break down barriers to employability. Post-release, this continues by supporting mentees to gain meaningful and career changing roles in sector specific industries such as Construction, Engineering, Catering & Hospitality or the Self-Employment route. 

The ETE team are looking to build a team of volunteers to work with mentees in the community and to shape the existing ETE service in the Thames Valley area. We are looking for volunteer mentors who can commit for up to 12 months and give a few hours a week to support men to change their life by being inspirational role models, helping with goal setting and supporting their mentee to access ETE opportunities and ultimately gain meaningful employment. Mentoring sessions will be 1:1, take place weekly and can be done remotely by telephone or online. These sessions will last approximately one hour, but some time should also be given to liaising with Trailblazers staff and researching relevant opportunities. 

Induction training is provided, out of pocket expenses covered, a mobile phone is provided to protect your identity, a Trailblazers T-shirt and lanyard are provided, DBS costs are covered, as well as regular reflective practice sessions to support you within your role. 

We are actively looking for people to join our mentoring community with lived experience of the criminal justice system, under represented groups from BAME community, creative arts, business skills, wellbeing - whatever your skills and background we are open to hear from you to support our diverse group of men. 

Trailblazers are looking for Volunteer Mentors who are:

• Empathetic with a positive outlook and manner.
• Able to help others without judgement or discrimination.
• Excellent communicators with a sense of humour.
• Well organised, can prioritise and multi-task.
• Reliable and able to commit to the role for up to 12 months providing weekly ETE sessions remotely either by telephone or via Zoom / MS Team digital platforms.
• Have skills and experience in supporting those who are disadvantaged into education, training and employment (ETE).
• Able to work independently with the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload with minimal supervision taking a flexible and creative approach to the demands of the post.
• Able to demonstrate sensitivity to other cultures, working with people from other backgrounds and demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities.

Amazing, giving, and inspiring are just a few words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers are integral to the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Volunteer Café Assistants to support our John Hall Wellness Gardens in Leek. You will be based at our new Café and, ideally, you will be able to commit 4 hours per week to volunteering.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. 

About the service

John Hall Gardens is a Community Education Garden & Café green space for the community of Leek, local schools, colleges, and social enterprises. With the aim of enabling the local community to work/learn and socialise with people with mental and physical health support needs. This includes adults of all ages and children and young people.

Assisting the Café Supervisor and your fellow volunteers, you will play an integral part of John Hall Wellness Garden’s future, by helping to deliver a café experience for the general public, Friends of the Garden, and guests.  If you think you can make a difference and commit some time on a regular on-going basis, we would love to hear from you!

This is a great opportunity to develop your current existing skills, learn new skills and network with other volunteers. We welcome anyone wishing to gain experience or have an interest in going into the hospitality sector.

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Café​ Assistant

You will have the opportunity to assist with food preparation, presentation, cleaning and serving/selling high quality food and beverages.

Under the guidance of the Café Supervisor, you, together with other volunteers will ensure that the Café is compliant with all relevant health and safety legislation and pursuing an outstanding performance and food hygiene rating.

In addition, there will be further opportunities to support activity groups in the café, special events and input into event and menu planning.

The main tasks volunteer café assistants will support with are:

• Support Café staff, other volunteers and trainees in the smooth day to day running of the Café.
• Carry out basic catering tasks including food preparation, cleaning and serving food to customers.
• Operate the coffee machine (full training will be provided).
• Handle cash or card transactions and operate the till.
• Work with the Café Supervisor to ensure relevant paperwork is completed and checks are carried out ensuring compliance against relevant food safety and health and safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure kitchen area and Café are clean and tidy (including equipment, walls, floors, tables, work surfaces), and waste is discarded safely.
• Provide good customer service, dealing with visitors and customers in a friendly and polite manner.

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Eagerness to learn and train in all aspects of the café catering operation
• Cheerful nature, good interpersonal skills, can communicate confidently with a range of people of all ages
• Good customer care service skills

Although this is not essential - you may also have:

• Basic food safety knowledge or HACCP. Further training, will be provided including allergens
• Experience in food handling and basic preparation of foods

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”    

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.    

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion  

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.  

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation  

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.  

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.