Human Rights Volunteer Roles

 Days per week: Minimum 3 days a week.

Duration: 3 - 4 Months

Start date:  w/c 21st October 2024

Deadline for applications: 6 October 2024

Interviews will be held in the week commencing :7th October 2024

The Intern will be based within the Western Balkans team, working on rule of law and capacity building projects implemented in the region; in particular, there will be a focus on the capacity building of judiciaries.

The Western Balkans team has, for over a decade and a half, conducted a series of long-term rule of law programmes in partnership with domestic institutions and courts in the region. The aim of these programmes is to promote the national implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, assist the process of European integration by strengthening the rule of law and the full recognition of human rights, and encourage regional cooperation amongst judges and legal professionals.

For example, the AIRE Centre in collaboration with Civil Rights Defenders organises the annual Regional Rule of Law Forum which brings together representatives of the ECtHR, presidents and representatives of the supreme courts and constitutional courts from the region, presidents of judicial councils, directors of judicial training academies and institutions, government agents before the Strasbourg Court, representatives of NGOs, and prominent legal experts to discuss some of the crucial issues Balkan countries face when it comes to the protection of human rights.

More information about previous Forums, can be found on our website.

The team also drafts publications and guides on an array of human rights and rule of law related issues which are distributed to judges and legal professionals in the region. A copy of our publication on Covid-19 and Human Rights, which was launched at our Seventh Annual Regional Rule of Law Forum in October 2020, and can be found on our website.

We have also, recently, launched a new initiative on gender and the judiciary, including the publication of our most recent guide on ECtHR jurisprudence on gender equality, available here:

On a day to day basis, the Intern can expect to draft summaries of ECtHR cases for our regional European Human Rights Bulletin, Database, and publications, conduct legal research and assist with the drafting and editing of guides and publications such as this guide on Covid-19 and Human Rights linked above.

More generally, the internship will involve (non-exhaustive):

• ·Legal research: European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, human rights principles (specifically those of the ECHR), reports by Council of Europe and United Nations bodies, and academic commentary.
• ·Drafting: Case summaries, narratives of ECHR articles, reports and publications to support the preparation of materials for training seminars, and background briefs/notes.
• ·Supporting the Western Balkans team/the AIRE Centre at national and international events. International events may involve accompanying the legal team to seminars and conferences.
• ·Administrative tasks: Keeping effective files and assisting the office/team with any ad-hoc tasks. Interns are required to assist with administrative tasks as they arise.

All your legal work will be checked by your allocated supervisor. There will be opportunity to sit down with your supervisor and review your work and internship. We also like to assist current Interns with their future career plans.

Essential Criteria:

·A completed LLB / GDL or equivalent.

·A firm understanding of the European Convention on Human Rights and its case-law

·Excellent research and drafting skills

·A high standard of both written and spoken English

·The ability to work a minimum of 3 days a week for a minimum of three months

Desirable Criteria:

·A completed LLM or MA in Law/Human Rights

·Knowledge of the French language

·A quick learner

·The ability to work in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision

·Excellent verbal and oral communication skills

·Proficiency with Microsoft Office packages

·Familiarity with the legal reform process in the Western Balkans

Remuneration:

All of our internships are unpaid. However, we do cover up to £30 of expenses e.g. travel or lunch for the days worked at the office.

As a Retail Volunteer you will learn all about what goes into making our fantastic shop thrive. You can keep busy in the stockroom sorting and checking donations or be on the shop floor, serving customers and putting stock out on sale. Whatever suits you! Best of all you’ll be raising vital funds to support people facing poverty around the world.

About this role

We will give you all the training and support you need so you will develop your skills as part of our team. You don’t need to have any experience – we’ve got you covered. You can also get some lunch and travel costs too. Whatever you need, we’re here to help.

You can focus on any part of volunteering that interests you the most. As a Retail Volunteer you’ll develop skills that boost your confidence. Why not try a bit of everything?

• Sorting donations including checking and pricing
• Serving customers on the till
• Create stylish window displays
• Keeping the shop fully stocked
• Helping donors as they come in

Volunteering that works for you

Volunteering can be very flexible to suit you. So even if your availability or skills don’t match this role, get in touch and we will find something right for you. By volunteering for a few hours a week, you will meet new people and have some fun for a good cause.

The role:

Protection Approaches is looking for 1-2 trustees to support, challenge and inspire us at an exciting time of growth and possibility and to help deliver our ambitious strategic plan. We are particularly looking for outstanding guidance in the fields of finance, human resources, and/or charity law, but above all, we are looking for people who share our belief that the prevention of identity-based violence is a shared responsibility that stretches from governments to communities to individuals.

About Protection Approaches:

Founded in 2014, Protection Approaches is a fast-growing, dynamic, London-based charity that works locally, nationally, and internationally. We seek a world where everyone accepts and respects each other, regardless of identity. We want to change the way the world thinks about identity-based violence – and by so doing, change how we respond to and prevent it. From our local programmes in communities to challenge hate crime to our global efforts to confront mass atrocities and genocide, we believe that this mission is not only possible but probable, and are dedicated to doing the long-term, difficult work necessary to make it sustainable.

Specifically, we:

• Work on the local level towards community led change, collaborating with communities on tackling marginalisation, building resilience, and research.
• Work on the national level towards state level change, whether on domestic or foreign policy. Our atrocity-prevention programme has led efforts that have transformed the UK approach to crimes against humanity and genocide while our domestic Stronger Communities programme has opened up funding for community-led solutions.
• Work on the multilateral and global level to transform how identity-based violence is understood and responded to within our international system.
• Conduct training courses on identity-based violence, hate crime and atrocity prevention.
• Across all these areas, we undertake, commission, and coordinate research to ensure that the programmes we develop and implement are supported by evidence and in line with global best practices.

For more information on the role, application process and Protection Approaches please download the recruitment pack.

Care4Calais Heathrow is looking for placement volunteer/s for a minimum of 3 months or for the academic year 2024/25. 

We are looking for someone who is committed on a regular basis, therefore this role may suit someone who needs to complete hours for their university placement.

Half of the role will be helping asylum seekers with clothes, taking part in busy WhatsApp groups, being organised and there is quite a lot of physical lifting and bending needed in this part of the role. You will have an opportunity to supervise and organise other volunteers, to develop your leadership and people management skills.

The other half of the placement is as a Hotel Lead and will mainly be face-to-face, with some writing of emails, etc, to support this.

As a hotel lead, you would visit each hotel in your area of responsibility on a weekly basis, to support asylum seekers with their queries and to be a friendly face. You would signpost to other organisations, help manage people’s expectations (such as NHS waiting times), advocate on their behalf and give stock answers (such as when people need a lawyer) as well as finding answers and/or reaching out for help for more complex queries.

You may want to organise events, such as sports, summer picnics or trips to the zoo.

NB: Where it motivates you and there is an individual asylum seeker with very unique needs, you may be able to work 121 with them, for instance someone with a specific physical injury.

Ideally you would have a car but it is not essential.

Speakers of additional languages are particularly welcome as we volunteer with asylum seekers who typically have English as a second language.

Job Types: Part-time, Temporary contract, Volunteer, Internship

Contract length: 3 - 12 months

Expected hours: 7-28 per week

Benefits:

• Travel costs within London can be claimed (and backdated) once the first 50 hours have been completed.

Schedule:

• At least half of your hours will be completed on evenings or weekends

• Flexitime

Work Location: Hanger Lane and Heathrow.

Expected start date: September 2024.

The role:

Protection Approaches is looking for a new chair of trustees to lead, challenge, and inspire us at an exciting time of growth and possibility. We are looking for a proven leader with previous board experience, who understands how to lead established non-profits through transition. We need a strategic thinker who is able to make difficult decisions but who is also open minded, able to listen, and able to find consensus. Somebody who has the ability to communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds and is able to create an inclusive environment in meetings and in the charity where all are heard. Our chair will have an understanding of the work that Protection Approaches is engaged in and share our belief that the prevention of identity-based violence as a shared responsibility that stretches through governments to communities to individuals.

About Protection Approaches:

Founded in 2014, Protection Approaches is a fast-growing, dynamic, London-based charity that works locally, nationally, and internationally. We seek a world where everyone accepts and respects each other, regardless of identity. We want to change the way the world thinks about identity-based violence – and by so doing, change how we respond to and prevent it. From our local programmes in communities to challenge hate crime to our global efforts to confront mass atrocities and genocide, we believe that this mission is not only possible but probable, and are dedicated to doing the long-term, difficult work necessary to make it sustainable.

Specifically, we:

• Work on the local level towards community led change, collaborating with communities on tackling marginalisation, building resilience, and research.
• Work on the national level towards state level change, whether on domestic or foreign policy. Our atrocity-prevention programme has led efforts that have transformed the UK approach to crimes against humanity and genocide while our domestic Stronger Communities programme has opened up funding for community-led solutions.
• Work on the multilateral and global level to transform how identity-based violence is understood and responded to within our international system.
• Conduct training courses on identity-based violence, hate crime and atrocity prevention.
• Across all these areas, we undertake, commission, and coordinate research to ensure that the programmes we develop and implement are supported by evidence and in line with global best practices.

For more information on the role, application process and Protection Approaches please download the recruitment pack.

Location: Hybrid/London (Finsbury Park)

Closing date: Sunday 29th September

Expected date of interviews : Tuesday 15th - Wednesday 16th October

Freedom from Torture is dedicated to healing and protecting people who have survived torture. We provide therapies to improve physical and mental health, we medically document torture, we provide health assessments and liaise with GPs, and we provide legal and welfare help. We expose torture globally, we fight to hold torturing states to account and we campaign for fairer treatment of torture survivors in the UK.

We campaign for national and global change, using evidence from our services and survivor voices to protect and promote survivors' rights and hold torturing states to account. We are proud to play a significant role in the global anti-torture movement. Survivors, active and empowered, are at the centre of all of our work.

​We are seeking to recruit new Members of the Board to join our committed Board of Trustees. We are looking for candidates who have clinical experience including:

• Strategic clinical leadership,
• A deep understanding/experience of evidence based clinical models for torture/trauma survivors,
• Ideally, prior governance experience in a charitable or statutory setting.

We are committed to achieving a diverse Board and would be particularly interested to hear from survivors of torture who have experience in one or more of these areas.

These are volunteer roles appointed for 3 years and renewable for an additional 2 terms. While the roles are unpaid, travel expenses and childcare costs will be reimbursed.

Freedom from Torture is committed to exemplary safeguarding practice, and we require an enhanced DBS check for these roles.

We provide a fulsome induction for all new trustees and gladly offer training and capacity-building opportunities on governance and trustee responsibilities, as required.

For more details of this opportunity, including how to apply, please visit our website. ​​

Freedom from Torture is strongly committed to diversity, equality and inclusion and we welcome applications to join our Board from individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion/belief, age, any disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marriage and civil partnership or socio-economic background.​

For a recent example of our work in action, you can learn more about A Sanctuary for Survivors ,our Silver-medal winning garden at this year's prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. Media coverage included a Channel 4 News segment featuring a survivor reading out a poem linked to horticultural therapy, a feature in the Guardian, a space on The Times' ‘gardens to look out for’ list, and a BBC interview with our CEO Sonya from the garden itself.​

UNA-UK is looking for an outstanding and inspiring individual to help this charity punch above its weight.

The past few years have seen our operating environment change drastically, with unprecedented global turmoil and domestic political volatility. We are proud to have risen to the challenge, with a dynamic team, significant campaign wins and a strong medium-term financial position. We are looking for a new Chair to provide strong leadership in a voluntary capacity and to:

·Build on our excellent reputation and record of achievement
·Position ourselves as a visionary organisation that embodies its values
·Stay ahead of the curve as we navigate the Charity to a new chapter

As UNA-UK believes diversity is crucial to its success, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Please see the attached Candidate Pack for more information about the role and how to apply.

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is looking for enthusiastic volunteer ESOL teachers to support refugees and asylum seekers in in-person classes in Birmingham.

Who we are:

ACAA works to empower and support refugees and asylum seekers by providing vital services that enable successful integration. These include English classes, mentoring, drop-in advice sessions, a legal surgery, employment and education training, counter-extremism workshops and youth and women's engagement services.

Role Summary:

Working as part of a small dynamic ESOL teaching team, responsibility for lesson planning and delivery will be shared between yourself and more experienced teachers. You will have the opportunity to shadow teachers and gain practical teaching experience before leading lessons. This is alongside training sessions for CPD (continued professional development), as you progress in the position you will take on more responsibility and develop your role. Classes meet both in-person and online and all days of the week (except Sunday), meaning you can teach any day that fits your schedule.

Duties will include:

• Preparing and delivering lessons to students of different ages and abilities
• Preparing classroom and coursework materials, homework assignments, and weekly hand-outs
• Assessing students' class work and assignments
• Creating an engaging and fun teaching atmosphere
• Ensuring all our students engage in academic learning despite their ability, to achieve their highest potential whilst developing personal and employability skills
• Setting effective targets to monitor students’ progress
• Supporting and motivating students to allow them to grow and enhance their own skills by both achieving qualifications and becoming ready for work

Personal requirements:

• Previous teaching experience is desirable, but not essential as support is provided
• ESOL qualification or equivalent experience
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Good listening skills
• DBS checked or willingness to be
• Planning and organisational skills

Volunteering with Independent Choices, the domestic abuse helpline for Greater Manchester

Do you;

Have an interest in supporting survivors of domestic abuse?

Want to have a rewarding volunteering experience?

Want to volunteer within a supportive and caring team?

Have 3 hours a week to commit to making a difference?

We are looking to recruit female Helpline Volunteers to support callers on the Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline. On the helpline, volunteers provide high-quality, empowering, emotional, and practical support for survivors of domestic abuse and their friends & family members as well as professionals.

About Volunteering

•     Our shifts are 3 hours a week between 10 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday

•     Office-only volunteering

•     Training at your own pace

•     Based in Hulme

•     Reasonable adjustments can be made

Volunteering with Independent Choices Greater Manchester can be a very rewarding experience and you will gain many useful skills, as well as making a positive difference to survivors of domestic abuse. We provide:

•     Full and ongoing, training

•     On -site support and regular supervision

•     Flexible shifts

•     Expenses are paid in cash on the day of volunteering

•     A friendly office spaces

Who we are looking for,

Whilst there is no experience needed, we would ask that our volunteers have the following skills:

•     Good listening skills and the ability to communicate well with a variety of people

•     Punctuality, reliability, and a commitment to volunteering

•     Ability to empathise and be non-judgmental

•     Ability to learn new information and a can-do attitude  

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds, and are keen to hear from women who:

•     Speak another language including Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Polish, and Arabic  (but please do contact us if you do not have another language!)

•     Women aged over 50

Support U is a leading LGBTQ+ help and support service based in Reading, servicing the Thames Valley area.

We are looking to revitalise our Trustee Board and require a new Chair of Trustees. This is an exciting opportunity to help take the charity forward and have a real impact on those we support.

What will you be doing?

1. General statutory responsibilities as a Trustee (please request candidate pack for further details).
2. Specific responsibilities as Chair of Trustees: 

• Provide leadership and ensure focus on delivering the organization’s charitable purposes for greater public benefit.
•  Chair and facilitate board meetings.
• Direct board policy-making.
• Ensure implementation of meeting decisions.
• Represent the organization at functions and meetings, acting as spokesperson when appropriate.
• Bring impartiality and objectivity to decision-making.
• Plan the annual cycle of board and general meetings, such as the AGM.
• Set agendas for board and general meetings.
• Develop the board of Trustees through induction, training, appraisal, and succession planning.
• Address conflicts within the board and organization, liaising with the Chief Executive if staff are employed.
• This role is mainly office-based

Time Commitment

We have recently navigated a transitional period, which included our longstanding CEO stepping down and changes to the services we provide.

It would therefore be helpful to have someone who has slightly more time available than is typical during this interim period, as we are really looking for someone to lead the Board in deciding what direction Support U decides to move in. 

We are currently having monthly Board meetings (which are usually held online) which the Chair is expected to attend.

What are we looking for?

• Leadership skills.
•  Experience of committee work.
• Tact and diplomacy.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences.

In most circumstances, it would also be desirable for the Chair/Vice-Chair to have knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the organisation and a wider involvement with the voluntary sector and other networks.

What difference will you make?

As the potential Chair of Support U, you will have the opportunity to significantly enhance our ability to support LGBTQ+ individuals in Reading and Thames Valley. Your leadership will provide strategic vision, strengthen our existing services, and expand our outreach efforts. By focusing on inclusivity and accessibility, building strong partnerships, and advocating for greater awareness and inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues, you will ensure that Support U remains dedicated to its mission and is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of our community. Your experience and dedication will be invaluable in driving our organisation forward and making a lasting impact.

Join the Oxfam community

As a Retail Volunteer you will learn all about what goes into making our fantastic shop thrive. You can keep busy in the stockroom sorting and checking donations or be on the shop floor, serving customers and putting stock out on sale. Whatever suits you! Best of all you’ll be raising vital funds to support people facing poverty around the world.

About this role

We will give you all the training and support you need so you will develop your skills as part of our team. You don’t need to have any experience – we’ve got you covered. You can also get some lunch and travel costs too. Whatever you need, we’re here to help.

You can focus on any part of volunteering that interests you the most. As a Retail Volunteer you’ll develop skills that boost your confidence. Why not try a bit of everything?

• Sorting donations including checking and pricing
• Serving customers on the till
• Create stylish window displays
• Keeping the shop fully stocked
• Helping donors as they come in

Volunteering that works for you

Volunteering can be very flexible to suit you. So even if your availability or skills don’t match this role, get in touch and we will find something right for you. By volunteering for a few hours a week, you will meet new people and have some fun for a good cause.

Everyone has something to offer

At Oxfam we know that everybody can make a real difference. People come to us for all sorts of reasons, from all backgrounds, and we will do what we can to find a role which works for you. You can find out more about volunteering with Oxfam here.

What happens next?

After you apply the manager will ask you to come in for an initial chat. This is not an interview, just a chance to get an idea of what you'd like to do in the shop. From there you can meet the rest of the volunteer team and get involved with whatever area of the shop takes your interest!

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is looking for enthusiastic volunteer ESOL teachers to support refugees and asylum seekers.

Who we are:

ACAA works to empower and support refugees and asylum seekers by providing vital services that enable successful integration. These include English classes, mentoring, drop-in advice sessions, a legal surgery, employment and education training, counter-extremism workshops and youth and women's engagement services.

Role Summary:

Working as part of a small dynamic ESOL teaching team, responsibility for lesson planning and delivery will be shared between yourself and more experienced teachers. You will have the opportunity to shadow teachers and gain practical teaching experience before leading lessons. This is alongside training sessions for CPD (continued professional development), as you progress in the position you will take on more responsibility and develop your role. Classes meet both in-person and online and all days of the week (except Sunday), meaning you can teach any day that fits your schedule.

Duties will include:

• Preparing and delivering lessons to students of different ages and abilities

• Preparing classroom and coursework materials, homework assignments, and

  weekly hand-outs

• Assessing students' class work and assignments

• Creating an engaging and fun teaching atmosphere

• Ensuring all our students engage in academic learning despite their ability, to

  achieve their highest potential whilst developing personal and employability

  skills

• Setting effective targets to monitor students’ progress

• Supporting and motivating students to allow them to grow and enhance their

  own skills by both achieving qualifications and becoming ready for work

Personal requirements:

• Previous teaching experience is desirable, but not essential as support is provided

• ESOL qualification or equivalent experience

• Excellent verbal communication skills

• Good listening skills

• DBS checked or willingness to be

• Planning and organisational skills

Solace is a Domestic Abuse Charity, this year celebrating 50 years of providing services to women and children. We are at an exciting time in our development with a new Executive Team. We are seeking new Trustees to contribute and define our role and maximise our impact.

Those using our services often have multiple and complex needs relating to their health and wellbeing, often experiencing multiple traumas in their lives.  We are unique in our offer, offering a range of services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence.

We are looking for someone who values the equality of all women, is passionate about their wellbeing and the challenges they face in violent and abusive environments. An interest in Solace's work and approach are essential as well as an ambitious outlook for Solace's future

Trustees with expertise in the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply: legal ; fundraising ; NHS comissioning ; Digital technologies/competencies. 

About Circles South East

Circles South East, based in Oxfordshire, is an award-winning charity which works to reduce the impact and instances of sexual harm through prevention, rehabilitation, education and safeguarding.

We have a long record of working within the field of reducing impact of sexual harm. We work with Survivors and others impacted by sexual violence to help them heal and perpetrators to help them to avoid re-offending. 

We are organisational members of the BACP, and take referrals from organisations such as Victim Support, Children’s and Social Services, Rape Crisis, Probation Victim Liaison Units, GP Surgeries etc as well as from potential clients themselves.

Volunteers are at the core of what we do, and operate across all aspects of our work.

What will you be doing?

Trustees ensure their charity has a clear strategy and that all decisions put the needs of the service users first. They safeguard the charity’s assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. They make sure these are used well and that the charity is run sustainably. They hold the CEO to account and provide support and encouragement to them and the team. Trustees are jointly responsible for all their decisions and work together to ensure the charity delivers it’s aims.

A full list of duties can be found in the candidate pack attached.

This role is mainly home-based.

What are we looking for?

We are particularly, but not exclusively, interested from hearing from people with the following skills/experience:

• Legal
• Business
• Marketing & Branding
• London communities. We work in a lot of London communities and have no one on our board with knowledge of this part of the UK

We would especially welcome applicants who are from Black, Asian or other minoritised ethnic groups, people with a disability, and young people under the age of 35’ who are all under-represented on our board. We strongly value the contribution that people with these characteristics would bring to our board discussions.

What difference will you make?

We are looking for a Trustees to contribute to our plans for an exciting future. While continuing to provide Circles across the South East we aim to further develop our complementary services of counselling, victim support and training. We are constantly innovating new methods to deliver our goals and currently have two funded pilot projects which we hope to further develop. We have recently secured sustainable funding for our core Circles work providing trustees with a fabulous opportunity to be part of the charity as we build on this.

Commitment:

Estimate of time needed: up to five hours per month.

The board normally meets 5 times a year. The board meetings are quarterly and usually take place 4-6pm on a weekday. We are currently meeting remotely.