Blog: Opportunities & Events

This December 15th is Local Charities Day: a great opportunity to recognise and raise awareness of unsung heroes and local volunteers who are the backbone of our community charities. Local Charities Day is a chance for charities and volunteers to support one another. 

Are you a charity in need of volunteers? Post your opportunities with the hashtag #LocalCharitiesDay to capitalise on the campaign on social media!

Are you thinking of becoming a volunteer? Whether you’ve got an hour a week to spare, or an hour a month, or even just a day, there’s someone out there who could benefit from your support. Keep an eye out for the #LocalCharitiesDay hashtag, and take a look at the Oxon Volunteers website.

Finally, here’s a chance to show why you do what you do. Volunteers provide such crucial support – let’s talk about why it’s so important. If you’re a charity, you might like to share posts on social media to showcase the vital contribution your volunteers make. If you’re a volunteer, use the hashtag to let your friends know why volunteering matters to you!

Follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter: #LocalCharitiesDay

Whether you’re a volunteer looking for opportunities or an organisation looking for volunteers, the Oxon Volunteers website is the new countywide hub designed to make your search easier. Search for your perfect opportunity today!

 

Did you know?

This week is Trustee Week 2017!

Trustees play a vital role, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about the charity’s work. Trustees’ Week is an annual event to showcase the great work that trustees do and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference.

To help highlight the fantastic work trustees do and encourage others to consider becoming a trustee, we are asking for your help to boost the numbers of trustee roles available across Oxfordshire.

If your organisation or any other group you know is in need of trustees, please post your opportunity on Oxfordshire Volunteers to raise awareness of the opportunities available in our county.

Registering and posting opportunities is quick and simple and we can provide further instructions for those who haven’t yet had the opportunity to use the new site.

If you require any further help, please get in touch with your local volunteer centre and we will be able to help you.

We hope that this event will help to raise the profile of trustees and encourage others to get involved in making a difference.

As part of Trustee Week 2017, OCVA are opening their doors for the afternoon and warmly invite any current or prospective trustees to come in and get further help and support.

The afternoon will provide you with an opportunity to talk directly to OCVA about any aspects of being a trustee that you are unsure about or areas where you feel you may require further guidance and support.

We can help you with:
-Governance of your organisation
-Business and strategic planning for the future
-Managing conflicts of interest and personal liability
-How to become a trustee and finding the right role for you
-What to expect: your role and responsibilities

Any other questions you may have will be welcomed as well.

Date: 23rd November 2017

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Location: OCVA Offices, The Old Courthouse, Floyds Row, St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1SS.

To book your place, go to: http://bit.ly/T10AFT

Plus… get involved on social media using the hashag ‘TrusteesWeek‘ and share your experiences, stories and opportunities!

We are looking for people passionate about stories to join our Front of House team and bring our unusual exhibitions to life through enthusiasm and energy.

Your focus will be exceptional customer service, ensuring people know how to use the exhibitions and creating the opportunity to create discussions around stories. As a steward, you may also be required to help with our selection of varied and fun events – including author talks, crafting activities, city-wide events and, sometimes, slime-making workshops. Dressing up is always strongly encouraged!

Sessions will include setting up and resetting the exhibitions to ensure they are ready for use, supporting the Front of House team in emergency situations and being a friendly face in the museum. The museum is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday during term-time, and 7 days a week during school holidays. Shifts are 9.30 – 13.30, or 13.00 – 17.30, although there is some flexibility if required.

If you are interested please fill out an application form that can be found on our website: http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/
We require two references and will need you to attend an induction before volunteering can commence. Please get in touch if you have any queries: Jessica.Corfield@storymuseum.org.uk

ACTOBER – Get involved to help make Oxford a happier, healthier and more connected City with Team Oxford.

If you want to make a difference and be part of something bigger than yourself, then Actober is a your call to action! Activities will be taking place throughout the month of October which will give you the chance to engage with communities across the city, quickly and easily. You don’t have to be a regular volunteer, have got involved before or have lots of time to give – Actober is about bring lots of smaller deeds together to have a much larger impact on the community as a whole.  A wide range of organisations are part of Actober and so there will be a range of opportunities for you to choose from – or – if you know of an activity that would benefit from more people being involved, let the co-ordinator know about Actober and ask them to contact Team Oxford on hello@team-oxford.co.uk.

For more information on all the activities taking place as part of ACTOBER, click here.

We are looking for enthusiastic people who are curious about working in one of the following roles:

1. Public Festival Ambassadors:
This role involves being the official contact point for festival visitors and advising them on how to get the best Christmas Light Festival experience. In pairs of two, you will be stationed at the different festival hubs (Gloucester Green, Broad Street, new Westgate Shopping Centre and Castle Quarter) and welcoming visitors to the Festival, handing out brochures, getting visitor’s opinions with our electronic feedback forms, telling visitors about the artwork and much more.

2. Artistic Programme Liaison
In this role it’s all about coordinating the artistic programme and making it work smoothly.
This includes working on the art installations and assisting the public in engaging with them, supporting Sing Christmas (pop-up choir performances in spots around the city) and the lantern procession, meeting and greeting artists and assisting the stage manager on Gloucester Green.

Ideally you would be available for at least one shift between 6 and 7 hours during the Festival as well as the induction meeting around 2 weeks before the event.

Oxford City Council, OX11BX

Insight into working on a major city event, meeting new people and hot drinks and snacks in our break room all weekend!

Events,Art,Community,customer service

For more information or to apply click here.

Are you organised, reliable and a good communicator?

Can you manage conflicting demands, while being sensitive and empathetic?

Then why not become a TalkingSpace Volunteer!

TalkingSpace is the talking therapy service for people in Oxfordshire who are suffering from mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or depression. The service (provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Oxfordshire Mind) delivers Managing Depression and Managing Anxiety Classes.

TalkingSpace volunteers provide practical support at the classes by:
•Helping set up the room for classes
•Helping people to complete and return of questionnaires & feedback forms
•Liaising with venue staff
•Participating in class debrief
Classes run 6pm – 8pm for 4 weeks, though may be extended in some circumstances. Volunteering sign up to assist with classes as and when they are available. Full training is provided.

We will be running Selection Mornings for applicants on 15th and 22nd November. Training will run on 30th November and 6th December.

Full training is provided and reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. All volunteers receive ongoing support, supervision and training opportunities.

No previous experience is required. We are looking for volunteers who are organised, good at communicating, and able to offer empathy to those experiencing mental health difficulties.

For more information or to apply click here.

 

 

Read Easy Oxford East are looking for new Committee members to join our growing adult literacy group.  Previously known as Read Easy Blackbird Leys we have recently been renamed to allow for growth as we find more readers in need of our help with coaching on a 1-to-1 basis. If you are interested in literacy and would like to find out more about our vacant Secretary role, other committee roles or about Read Easy please email:  Oxfordeast@readeasy.org.uk

Please visit the Read Easy website for more information about the charity:  http://readeasy.org.uk/

What is the role: Volunteer Counsellors / Counselling Placement Opportunity

Who is the role for: Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC)

When does the volunteering take place: 1 morning or afternoon per week for at least 3 hours plus monthly supervision

What does the role involve: 

OSARCC’s counselling service is under huge demand, so we’re looking for new person-centred/humanistic counselling volunteers to enable us to support more women survivors of sexual violence. If you are interested in supporting survivors of sexual violence, developing your counselling skills, and joining a diverse group of supportive women then OSARCC would love to hear from you.

We ask you to see 3 clients per week and make a commitment of at least 18 months to the service; each client can be offered up to 48 weekly sessions. Monthly group supervision is provided, as well as initial training in working with survivors of sexual violence.

Why you should sign up: 

As well as providing specialist training in working with survivors of sexual violence, volunteering at OSARCC will offer you the chance to experience quality supervision as you complete the counselling hours you require towards your qualification or accreditation process. There may also be opportunities to co-facilitate therapy groups alongside, as well as getting involved with other aspects of OSARCC’s work such as training and campaigning for counselling volunteers who would like to do this in addition to their agreement to seeing service users for 1:1 counselling.

Skilsl required: 

To apply, you must be in a counselling training programme leading to a professional qualification in counselling or be post-qualified. In addition, you should have completed at least 30 hours 1:1 counselling (supervised) client work, and be a member of an appropriate professional body with an ethical framework (BACP, NCS, UKCP etc).  We are looking for people who are empathetic, emotionally robust, open-minded, and good teamplayers.

OSARCC operates a policy of equal opportunities and welcomes applications to volunteer from self-defining women from all walks of life. We are particularly keen to hear from women who belong to under-represented groups, for example women from Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority backgrounds; lesbian, bisexual and trans women; and women who are disabled.

Due to the nature of this role references and a DBS check are required and there is an application process involving an interview.  Expenses are paid. 

How to apply: 

For more details please visit http://www.osarcc.org.uk and email recruitment@osarcc.org.uk for an information pack and application form, or apply online at  https://www.charityjob.co.uk/volunteer-jobs/volunteer-counsellors/522687?tsId=8

The closing date for the current round of applications is midnight Wednesday 13th September 2017.

Interviews are to be held on Tuesday 26th September 2017.  Initial training will commence 7/10/17, and volunteers will need to be available for 8 sessions of training to be attended Wednesday evenings 6-9pm (planned dates 25/10/17; 15/11/17; 22/11/17), and Saturdays 10am-5pm (planned dates 7/10/17; 14/10/17; 28/10/17; 11/11/17; 18/11/17).  Please note that current planned dates may be subject to change

 

The RSPB are looking for a Volunteer Intern to join their team in Banbury as a Conservation Officer.

Why you should join: 

If you want a career in conservation, then this internship can really help you on your way. You will gain valuable practical experience working on current conservation challenges as an integral member of a small, busy team covering a large region.

Specific work varies according to circumstance and time of year. Depending on your own interests, career aspirations and duration of your internship we can help you specialise in particular areas such as: Planning casework and site protection; conservation policy advocacy; conservation advice delivery; wildlife survey and monitoring work; project development and management; GIS use for conservation.

Volunteer Perks: This opportunity is designed to give you the training and experience needed to kick-start a career in conservation. We will assist and support your personal development and progression towards this goal.

We offer to reimburse your travel expenses within a 25 mile radius of the office.

Skills required: 

It is essential that you… 1)     Have enthusiasm for and a demonstrable interest in nature conservation; 2)     Have a desire to pursue a career in nature conservation; 3)     Are 18 years old or over when you start the internship; 4)     Are available 3 days per week for at least 6 months; 5)     Are educated to A-level standard or equivalent; 6)     Are computer literate on core Microsoft Office packages; 7)     Have a confident, friendly and polite phone manner; 8)     Have a high standard of written and spoken English; 9)     Are prepared to maintain confidential information; 10)   Are able to collate, process and present information from different sources, in graphic and written forms; The ideal candidate will also… 11)         Be able to travel independently to sometimes remote locations in the region; 12)         Have some general knowledge of British wildlife; 13)         Have some basic knowledge of current nature conservation issues in Britain; 14)         Have prior experience working with maps and spatial data (and ideally, GIS).

Location: RSPB Midlands Regional Office, Banbury, Oxfordshire

When does the volunteering take place: The volunteering will start in October 2017.

The RSPB are looking for a commitment of 3 days a week for 6 – 12 months.

There is an application process for this role. The deadline for applications is Monday 4th September at 9am prompt. 

Interviews will take place on Friday 15th September in Banbury. 

How to apply: 

Please see our website for more details, or to request an application pack, please email Carolyn.tovell@rspb.org.uk.