Volunteering

Globally connected, locally engaged. Volunteers make the world a better place!

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Volunteering at Shoreditch Trust

Shoreditch Trust volunteers are known as 'Community Champions'. The volunteer programme runs alongside the British Council ‘Active Citizens’ programme.

Community Champions give a few hours a week to support people in Hackney. There are lots of different volunteer opportunities. For example you could:

• support new mums and pregnant women who are nervous about giving birth through Bump Buddies,
• help with communications or administration,
• deliver meals to local people through Community Table,
• help to run online or face to face groups and classes,
• Offer telephone befriending to person who's feeling isolated,
• share your knowledge and experience of Hackney and tell people about local useful services.

Active Citizens

Shoreditch Trust volunteer training is run in partnership with the British Council's Active Citizens programme.

Active Citizens is social leadership training programme that promotes intercultural dialogue and community led social development. It runs in countries all over the world, connecting thousands of like-minded people who want to make a fairer and more inclusive society. 

The training will give you the skills to make a change right here in Hackney, but potentially affect change on a global scale.

Training takes four days, and includes everything from keeping safe, to communicating well. 

You can undertake Active Citizens Training and then volunteer with Shoreditch Trust or another a local charity, or just take the training and use the skills it gives you in your work or to set up your own social action project.

Why volunteer with Shoreditch Trust?

Volunteering can help you feel happier and healthier, improve your skills, or help you get a job.

Past Shoreditch Trust volunteers have used their experience to help manage mental health problems, increase confidence, learn new skills and share their passions.

Some have found jobs as support workers, administrators or have joined our staff team. Some volunteers have joined training courses to become health workers or found a new direction in life.

Who can volunteer?

Anyone aged 18 or over can apply to volunteer. You will need to complete the registration form (we can help with this if reading and writing are difficult).

You will also need to undergo a criminal records screening (sometimes called a DBS or CRB check) but you can often still volunteer if you have been in prison or have a criminal record.

How much time do I need to give?

• We ask all volunteers to commit to volunteering for at least 3-6 months.
• Most of our volunteering takes place Monday to Friday, between 9:00am and 5:00pm. 
• Some people volunteer for a few hours a week, some give a day or two.

We will pay travel to and from your volunteering. If you volunteer for a whole day we will cover the cost of your lunch. Unfortunately, we cannot provide childcare. Well behaved dogs are welcome by arrangement if you volunteer in our offices.

Apply to volunteer

Our current volunteering opportunities are listed on our Jobs and Volunteering page. 

To register as a volunteer for these and future opportunities please visit the online volunteer registration page.

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Company volunteering

We welcome companies who would like to give their time and skills to help people in Hackney. This might be:

• Sponsoring and helping at our Elder’s Feasts – meals for older people who are lonely or isolated.
• Community gardening at the Pitfield Street Civic Hub.
• Sharing your skills with staff e.g. public speaking, presenting, marketing or I.T.
• Arranging Christmas gifts for people using our services.

You can also give support by choosing offices from our workspace , booking catering from Waterhouse Restaurant, hiring meeting rooms at the Pitfield Street Civic Hub.