Job Title: Praxis Chair 

 We are looking for some bright, motivated volunteers to help us in the following areas:

Reception and Visitor Welcome Volunteers

This role involves assisting our reception staff with greeting and directing visitors to the building, operating the switchboard, keeping the reception area looking attractive, maintaining resources and ensuring that visitors in the reception area are made welcome. The main requirements are a friendly, outgoing disposition and good spoken English, although the ability to speak a community language would be an added bonus.

If you would like to volunteer for this role please request an application form and write ‘Reception volunteer’ either in your e-mail subject line or on the top of the application form.

Advice Support Volunteers

This role involves assisting our advice team in provision of advice on immigration, benefits, housing and homelessness, debt and similar issues. Tasks will include assisting clients to fill in benefits forms, calling outside agencies (for example utility companies or Jobcentre Plus) and advocating on behalf of clients, writing letters on behalf of clients and similar duties. You will also be expected to input details of client work into the advice database and to assist advisers with other administrative tasks. The main requirements of this role are at least a basic understanding of the benefits and housing system, the ability to speak and write effectively in English and ability to learn quickly and develop your knowledge. An ability to speak a community language is an advantage, but not essential. An interest in migrant issues and a commitment to access to basic human rights for all is essential.

If you would like to volunteer for this role please request an application form and write ‘Advice volunteer’ either in your e-mail subject line of on the top of the application form.

Social and Leisure Group Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to help to set up and run social and activity groups for our clients in various different areas. We have some ideas of groups that we would like to run but require committed volunteers to give time to facilitate the group and also to assist with raising funds or resources to enable the groups to run. The aim of these groups would be to provide stimulating activities and develop personal capabilities of clients. At present we are looking for volunteers for the following activities:

• A book group – running a group where clients will read together and discuss a selected book in a similar way to a traditional book group but with an added element of improving knowledge of the English language, exploring other cultures, and reading aloud extracts together.
• A sewing and/or knitting group – a space for clients to learn or improve their sewing/knitting skills (sewing machines provided) and to enable them to make their limited resources stretch further by enabling them to make clothes for themselves and their families.
• An Internet freecycle/ebay support group – support and computer access for clients to set up freecycle and/or ebay accounts to enable them to find free or low cost resources for their daily lives.
• A football team – football teams for men or women.
• Running club – support and assistance for clients who would like to run in London
• Local walking group – a walking group to walk to and learn about local places of interest in the Tower Hamlets area.

For all of the Social and Leisure Group Volunteer opportunities we are looking for self-motivated friendly people who have good organisational and interpersonal skills and some skill in the area required.  

If you think you could help us to set up and run any of these groups please fill in the application form and send it to us by email. Please write ‘Activity volunteer’ either in the subject line of your e-mail or on the top of the form and also specify which activity you are interested in being involved with in the form.
 

Praxis Volunteers

What our Volunteers are saying.

Hasina Begum is the British born daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants.
Hasina is a volunteer at Praxis while studying for a degree in sociology at the University of London's Goldsmiths College. I've always wanted to do voluntary work and my sister suggested I give Praxis a call. I do a bit of admin and I also assist the advisers. At first I thought Praxis just gave advice but now I realize they do so much more; like the courses helping people with education and employment and the Time Together mentoring scheme. Everyone at Praxis is very friendly and supportive.

If you have any time that you can offer to helping Praxis then please get in touch with us.