Volunteering

Our volunteers are essential and valued members of the SLRA team

Currently we are recruiting for these volunteer roles:

* Volunteer Photographer – to take photographs of activities, exhibitions and events on an ad-hoc basis. Some availability on Thursdays 11.00-13.00.

* Kitchen Volunteers – to prepare lunch for our weekly Community Hub during term time. Thursdays 11:00-14.30. Minimum 6 month commitment.

* Casework Support Volunteer – to support the Adults & Families team with admin tasks, and to research & signpost clients with regards to immigration, housing, welfare benefits and other issues. 1 or 2 days a week, 9:00-17:00, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Minimum 6 month commitment.

* ESOL Teaching Assistants – to assist Teacher Volunteers at our weekly ESOL classes. We are looking for people with previous experience of teaching and working with adults and excellent interpersonal skills to work with people from a range of backgrounds and across linguistic barriers and an understanding of how to take a flexible approach to learning. Volunteers must be reliable and organised and available on Tuesdays 10:00-12:30. Minimum 6 month commitment.   

* Community Hub Volunteers – to set up the space, welcome people to the Community Hub, and serve lunch on Thursdays during term time. Volunteers must be reliable and organised and be available on Thursdays 10:00-14:30. Minimum 6 month commitment. 

* Community Hub Facilitators – to facilitate regular weekly/fortnightly/monthly activities at SLRA’s Community Hub on Thursdays 11:00-13.00. Volunteer facilitators must have previous experience of running successful and accessible group activities (such as art, exercise or music classes).

* Cookery Facilitators – to facilitate sessions for Community Hub members to explore preparing dishes together by giving members a safe, supportive space to share a recipe with others and facilitate making this together. Availability for monthly sessions would be ideal. Cookery facilitators must have previous experience of running successful and accessible group cooking activities and be available on Thursdays 11:00-13:00.

* 1:1 Tutor Volunteers – volunteer tutors to provide 1:1 Maths and / or English support for young people preparing for exams. We are looking for people with previous experience tutoring, a good understanding of what young people need to be preparing for GCSE exams, the ability to be patient and compassionate with young learners, an understanding of how to take a flexible approach to learning and be prepared to work 1:1 in a youth drop-in setting where other activities and possible distractions are taking place. Volunteers must be reliable and organised and available on Thursdays 16.00-17.00. Minimum 3 month commitment.  

* Volunteer Interpreters – to provide friendly and confidential interpreting (Sorani, Dari, Pashto, Farsi, & Albanian needed). Flexible & Remote during the weekdays 9:00-17:00. Minimum 6 month commitment.

​​If you’re interested in volunteering at SLRA, please fill in our Volunteer Application form.

We welcome volunteers from all sections of the community, particularly those with lived experience of the immigration or asylum system.

We provide induction and ongoing training as well as regular group and/or one-to-one supervision.

Many of those who volunteer for us gain valuable knowledge and skills for future learning or employment.

If you have any questions or would like more information,
please email our Community Hub and Volunteer Co-ordinator, heather@slr-a.org.uk.

If you have any accessibility requirements in order to volunteer with us, please let us know so that we can discuss any reasonable adjustments.

We particularly welcome volunteers with lived experience of the immigration or asylum system and understand that it may be harder to provide the necessary documents for a DBS check. If, due to your current circumstances, it is not possible we can discuss alternative ways around this, based on the volunteer role – please don’t let this be a barrier to applying!

In the Application Form we need to ask you about any spent or unspent convictions as part of our duty of care. We do our best to ensure that our volunteer recruitment process is inclusive, which means that a prior or pending criminal conviction which is not relevant to the volunteer role for which you are applying will not be a barrier to you volunteering with us. If you have any queries about this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with heather@slr-a.org.uk. All information will be dealt with according to our Confidentiality Policy.