Volunteer Pet Welfare Speaker

Our Volunteer Pet Welfare Speakers help us reach thousands of children and young people in primary schools and youth groups, sharing knowledge about responsible pet ownership and dog safety. Join our team of confident, committed and self-motivated speakers to make a real difference to the lives of pets by helping us educate the next generation. We provide full training, fantastic resources and pre-designed presentations together with lots of support to help you make the most of your volunteering. If you love pets, enjoy working with children and find it rewarding to educate young people about pet care, this role is for you

More about this role

Volunteer role: Pet Welfare Speaker

Volunteer manager: Education Officer

Where you will be based: Community - currently looking for volunteers in the following areas - Exeter, Norfolk, Southampton, Peterborough, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Northampton, Stafford, Leicester, Bradford, Huddersfield, Harrogate, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Newport, Cardiff, Reading, Chelmsford, Colchester, Coventry, Banbury, Lincoln, Plymouth, Burford area

Why we want you

Sick, injured and homeless pets have relied on Blue Cross for help since 1897. Each year, thousands of dogs, cats, small pets and horses turn to the charity’s animal hospitals, clinics and rehoming services for treatment and support.

Our Volunteer Pet Welfare Speakers provide an informative and influential service by talking to children in primary schools and youth groups about responsible pet ownership and dog safety which enables us to improve the lives of thousands of pets. This role is for speakers who will visit and deliver talks to young people in primary schools and youth groups in their local area. We would love you to join us and help us help more pets in need

What you will be doing

• Having an informal interview with the team prior to selection
• Training online via e-learning to become a Pet Welfare Speaker
• Contacting primary schools using details we have given you to arrange all the details for your talks
• Visiting primary school and youth groups in your local area
• Delivering interactive presentations and fun talks to groups of children at primary schools during the day, and some youth groups such as Brownies and Cubs during the evening.
• committing to deliver talks throughout the school year on behalf of Blue Cross
• Using Assemble, our online volunteering system for information and communication

The skills you need

• To be a confident public speaker; happy to deliver PowerPoint presentations and talk to sometimes large numbers of children and young people in schools and youth groups
• To be self-motivated and happy to organise talks from details we have given you
• To be computer literate as you will need to complete your training online, deliver our pre-designed presentations and use Assemble, our online volunteering system to keep in touch
• To enjoy teaching and working with young people and have a keen interest in pet care and dog safety
• To have access to your own car or reliable public transport
• To have daytime availability during term-time

What's in it for you

• A chance to inspire young people to make better choices for pets
• You’ll be home-based, getting involved with influencing pet care within your local community
• You’ll use your skills such as customer service, communication and team working
• We’ll provide you a Blue Cross Polo shirt and ID, with all the training you need, including our GUEST customer service training, e-learning on the work of Blue Cross, basic pet care and tips on speaking to children and young people
• You’ll join a great team of like-minded people with closed social network groups and (optional) annual volunteer meet-ups
• You'll receive ongoing support and training through webinars and a regular newsletter

Disclaimer

Online training can take several weeks so you will need to commit to training before you can fully get stuck into your role. You will need to have term-time daytime and ideally some evening availability. You will need to have flexibility during the day in term-time and ideally some evening availability, dependant on demand. You'll need to be 17 or older for this role. You must have access to your own car or reliable public transport. Talks are delivered in person within a 20 mile radius of your home. Expenses are available. As this role involves liaising with children and young people, you will need to be prepared to undertake a DBS check. If you are using your own vehicle we will also need to complete some licence, insurance, MOT and tax checks. By submitting your application form, you consent to your personal details being passed to our external providers for them to carry out these checks, providing you are selected for the role. Blue Cross holds inclusion as a core organisational value. We positively encourage applications from eligible volunteers regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity. We actively embrace our differences and know that it is our differences that make us unique. You are very welcome at Blue Cross, without the need to hide any part of who you are.