Jobs & Volunteering

To collect food from the various food donors located throughout the city centre, and to deliver them to the Care Van kitchen in Jane Street.

General responsibilities:  

• To collect donated food from Pret a Manger and Patisserie Florentin at closing time- further details regarding times and locations will be provided during induction;
• To deliver the collected food to the Care Van Kitchen in Jane Street-further details will be provided during induction;
• To check the fridges for sandwiches from the previous day and dispose accordingly ;
• To communicate to the serving Care Van Team the amount of food collected.

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• A full UK driving License and knowledge of the Edinburgh City Centre.
• A friendly and cooperative manner especially when dealing with sales staff
• Though the role does not require the volunteer to be a Christian, they must be aware and respectful of the Christian ethos upon which Bethany Christian Trust is founded.
• Please note that volunteers are responsible for ensuring that they have the correct car insurance to carry out this role as it may be considered business use

Location:

• 32 Jane Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH6 5HD

Pattern of hours:

• Varied but mainly late afternoon and early evening. Volunteers would usually have one shift a week, though this is flexible

Retail Volunteer- Morningside and Haddington Place

Retail volunteers are the backbone of our shops. A day can include sorting donations, operating the till or pricing stock- but every day, and every shop, is different! Each volunteer brings their own skills, experience and character to a role.

We are currently looking for volunteers at our Morningside and Haddington Place branches. At Morningside, we need volunteers on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and at Haddington Place, we need volunteers on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

General responsibilities;

• Assisting customers in the shop in a friendly and professional manner;
• Dealing with telephone enquiries from members of the public, Bethany staff and other organisations;
• Sorting donated goods. This a large part of every retail role and, depending on the shop, can be done independently or as part of the team;
• Pricing donated goods;
• Replenishing and changing the stock on display. This can involve creative flair, and responding to appropriate cultural events through displays;
• Tidying the stock room(s) and shop floor;
• Operating the till. This includes processing purchases and being a welcoming and knowledgeable point for customers in the shop.

 Important pre-requisites for the role;

• Volunteers need to be able to plan their time in the shop to ensure that they are productive and effective in their role. The tasks and time frames assigned should be decided through discussion between the volunteer and their line manager;
• Volunteers need to trustworthy and focussed as, at times, retail positions involve lone tasks, such as stock sorting;
• Volunteers should be friendly, open to learning and willing to take direction from their line manager;
• Not all shop roles are front-facing; many retail roles involve behind the scenes stock sorting, a level of interaction that some volunteers prefer;
• Though the role does not require the volunteer to be a Christian, they must be aware and respectful of the Christian ethos upon which Bethany Christian Trust is founded.

Location

We are particularly looking for volunteers at our shops in Morningside (93 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4AY) and Haddington Place (32B Haddington Place, Edinburgh, EH7 4AG)

Pattern of hours

At Morningside, we need volunteers on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and at Haddington Place, we need volunteers on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

We ask that volunteers do not volunteer more than 16 hours a week, and on a maximum of four days a week

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness helping them to: find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities. This role is part of Homelessness Prevention.

Summary of the role:

Bridge to Freedom is a Christian community-based recovery group for men and women aged 18 years and over who are suffering from substance addiction and are looking to establish abstinence and make positive changes in their lives. The programme’s 45 sessions cover topics such as identity, honesty, managing negative thoughts, freedom, self-esteem, forgiveness and relationships.

We are looking for volunteers to support the running of the group, and volunteers to befriend attendees on a 1-2-1 basis. The group has Christ at the centre, and group volunteers need to have a Christian faith with a church connection. For those engaging in 1-2-1 support, a strong Christian faith is required, ideally with lived experience of addiction or experience of working in this area.

Group volunteers should;

• Help attendees feel welcomed and comfortable, whilst also maintaining appropriate boundaries, e.g. chatting and contributing to the group discussion.
• Provide a listening ear and encouragement
• Help practically at the venue with setting up rooms and providing refreshments.

1-2-1 volunteers should:

• Be willing to meet up with a group attendee weekly or fortnightly, helping them to examine current or past substance use or other addictive behaviour in more depth
• Be non-judgemental, providing a listening ear and encouragement, signposting to other professional support services where appropriate
• Help to keep individuals accountable, committing to pray for them

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• Be 18 years old or over
• Be a person of Christian faith, rooted in a Church community.
• Be aware of, and able to demonstrate, good confidentiality and boundaries practice.
• Be able to operate under the guidance and support of the Bethany Christian Trust staff
• Be sociable and have an approachable manner
• Have good time management and organisational skills
• This role requires working with adults who may have a variety of additional support needs. Ideally, a volunteer would have experience of working with individuals facing addiction issues and struggling with their mental health.
• The role may be challenging, and so the volunteer must be patient, understanding, non- judgemental and willing to be proactive in engendering a positive environment.
• Volunteers must complete the necessary training and induction for this role.

Location and Pattern of Hours:

There are various groups at different locations. Volunteers must indicate the group they wish to join, while understanding that this may not always be possible due to the current volunteer capacity. Volunteers must attend one group consistently.

Bridge to Freedom groups are 2-hours long, with an expectation that volunteers will arrive early to help set up and also clear away at the end. Weekly or fortnightly commitment is expected for a period of at least 6 months.

Edinburgh:

• Moredun (more details on request)Thursdays, 7-9pm
• Gorebridge (more details on request) Fridays, 2-4pm
• Leith (more details on request) Mondays, 2.30-4.30pm

Glasgow:

• Tuesdays, 2-4pm. Further details on request.

Aberdeen and Inverness:

• Details on request.

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness helping them to: find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities. This role is part of both Income Generation, through the Bookshop, and the Volunteer team, through the development of an online volunteer presence.

Summary of the role:

The Bethany Bookshop is a volunteer led shop that will shortly launch a book and DVD review blog, complemented by a Twitter and Instagram account. Volunteers are required to plan for and run these accounts, establishing an online presence for the shop and its volunteers.

General responsibilities:

• Build and maintain the Bethany Bookshop Blog using WordPress
• Create quarterly and monthly social media content plans for Twitter, Instagram and the Blog to be reviewed by the Bethany Media and Marketing Team, and other relevant staff.
• Communicate regularly with the Volunteer Coordinator and Retail Administrator regarding ideas and content, and present plans fortnightly for review.
• Organise the three book, and one DVD reviews, each month, ensuring that the relevant customer, volunteer or staff member has completed the review in a timely manner.
• Organise the photographs and visual content for each post, working with other volunteers when required
• Build relationships with book and media review social accounts, and organise ‘guest’ reviews for the Blog and social platforms

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• A good knowledge of Instagram and Twitter is essential, and experience using WordPress is desirable.
• Volunteers must have an excellent standard of written English
• A keen interest in books/ films is required
• Volunteers must feel confident working independently, as well as collaborating and communicating with others
• Volunteers must be organised and punctual to ensure content is posted in a regular and timely manner
• The role requires volunteers to think creatively and innovatively
• Though the role does not require the volunteer to be a Christian, they must be aware and respectful of the Christian ethos upon which Bethany Christian Trust is founded.

Location

• This role can be done remotely though will, at times, require the volunteer to operate from the Bethany Bookshop (33a Haddington Place, EH7 4AG).
• Access to a laptop/ appropriate computer equipment is necessary as it may not always be possible for Bethany to provide equipment.

Pattern of hours

• The role can be done flexibly, as it is self directed, and will require social media accounts to be monitored outside of business hours. In order to communicate with staff/ access the Bookshop, there are times where it must take place during business hours.
• The role should take around 8 hours a week.

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness helping them to: find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities. This role is part of Homelessness Prevention, specifically the community work done in Moredun. The aim of this project is to enable women who have English as a second or third language to improve their English skills, allowing them to build connections in the local community.

Summary of the role:

To provide opportunities to practice spoken language, and to lead discussions on information regarding life in the UK.

General responsibilities:

• Supporting the Community Development Worker (CDW) in managing teaching and discussion in both a larger group and smaller breakout groups.
• Working with the CDW to create relevant, informative and engaging plans, and preparing any resources required.
• At times, attendees may require one on one teaching, practice and support. 

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• Volunteers must be TEFL trained, and preferably have experience in teaching
• Volunteers must be compassionate and patient. Most attendees at the group have come from countries that are very different to the U.K, and may struggling with adjusting to the culture, as well as the language.
• A good level of technology knowledge is required, as the group will be taking place over video software for the foreseeable future
• Volunteers must be comfortable and in sympathy with our mission and values: Our Mission is to relieve the suffering and meet the long-term needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland while our values are to put Christian love into action and demonstrate the transforming impact of the Gospel in all that we do.

Location

The group will be run on Zoom for the foreseeable future, but would normally be run at the Goodtrees Community Centre in Moredun: 5 Moredunvale Place, Edinburgh EH17 7LB

Pattern of hours

The group runs at 1pm on a Tuesday for about an hour. This may be subject to change depending on the needs of the community

The Men’s Group is a place for fellowship, support and encouragement. Volunteers are required to help facilitate this in a variety of ways.

General responsibilities:

• A volunteer would need to set up the hall for use during the group, and prepare food and drinks in the case of a special celebration, e.g. Burns Night. After the group has finished, the volunteer is also expected to assist in cleaning and housekeeping. For this reason a volunteer should arrive on time and give as much notice as possible if they are unable to volunteer. 
• Helping to make the individuals attending the group to feel welcomed and comfortable. This can be through serving food and drinks, facilitating activities or having a chat. The volunteer should balance this with being aware of boundaries.
• At times, and where appropriate, a volunteer may need to take the lead on preparing and/or supervising an activity, though always with the supervision and support of the Community Development Worker. Volunteers are encouraged to use their knowledge and skills to support Bethany staff to create an activities programme.
• Help to facilitate and organise trips (if there is a desire to do so).
• Signpost individuals who are seeking support to staff or to other relevant services.
• Alert a staff member in the group if you have concerns about an individual or situation within the group

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• Having a particular skill or talent (e.g. playing the guitar) can be really useful.
• This role requires working with adults who may have a variety of additional support needs. Ideally, a volunteer would have experience of working with individuals with mental health issues, learning disabilities or addiction issues.
• The volunteer would need to be reliable and willing to commit to building stable connections with clients.
• The role may be challenging, and so the volunteer must be patient, understanding and willing to be proactive in engendering a positive environment.
• Though the role does not require the volunteer to be a Christian, they must be aware and respectful of the Christian ethos upon which Bethany Christian Trust is founded.

Location

• YMCA Acorn Centre, 1 Junction Place, Edinburgh, EH6 5JA

Pattern of hours

• The group runs on a Thursday morning and volunteers would need to be available between 10:00 and 13:00 for setting/ clearing up. We ask that volunteers commit for a minimum of 4-6 weeks.