Virtual group volunteer (British Sign Language

Come and join the fun …. We need friendly, outgoing and welcoming volunteers to assist at our regular online group meet ups. Are you a BSL user or do you have BSL Skill Level 2 or equivalent and want to put your skills to good use. Then we may have the role for you!

Our members really enjoy getting together and, here at Deafblind UK, we run a BSL Video Group every other Tuesday from 2.00-3.00pm where our members get together online.

How can you help…?

Virtual Group Volunteers are a fantastic support to our members and you can also benefit immensely by gaining new friendships yourself. We are looking for volunteers to support in facilitating small groups to enable our members to make the most of their time together, encouraging chat and opening up discussions so everyone gets a chance to participate.

No previous experience is required but a familiarity with the appropriate technology and having access to a computer, laptop or tablet would be required. A confident, outgoing personality with a good sense of humour goes a long way too!

Dual sensory loss can be isolating and lonely, however getting people together to enjoy each other's company goes a long way to tackling this.

We provide full training and ongoing support in this role and ask for a minimum commitment of three months.

Where you will be based

Home

Why we want you

A Virtual Group Volunteer facilitates the remote group calls with our members. The group call could either be a video call, telephone or video call for our BSL members, depending on your chosen role. You would ensure that members are following the guidelines for the group calls and, where required, engage in conversations of mutual interest offering support and company to the group. Your involvement can greatly improve our members’ quality of life and reduce their isolation.

What you will be doing

• Hosting a recurring group meeting with the same members on a fortnightly basis (the meeting and invitations will have been generated for you in advance by a member of the Deafblind UK staff team).
• Ensuring all members participating in the call are welcomed and actively joined into the group
• Enabling the members to discuss topics of their choice without discriminating against anyone.
• Engaging in conversations of mutual interest with members and to provide encouragement to maintain the flow of conversation for the allotted time
• Providing advice and guidance to a deafblind person to a level appropriate within a mutual friendship
• Providing regular updates of your volunteering activity to your named Deafblind UK contact to flag any concerns or queries
• Assisting in making the groups fully accessible for our members

The skills you need

• Willing to share their own personal interests with members who have similar or the same interests
• Willing to engage in conversations with deafblind people to share interests
• Willing to learn communication techniques to meet the needs of the deafblind person / people (full training will be provided)

What's in it for you

• The satisfaction of knowing you will be making a difference to real people’s lives
• Opportunities to meet like-minded people in your community
• Be part of a friendly and dedicated team
• Acquire new communication and awareness skills
• Establish positive employability skills to help you in your career path
• We ensure all volunteers who join our team are well equipped to undertake any tasks and will provide training and supervision throughout your journey with us. Any specific training will be outlined within your onboarding and induction stages and then discussed at your reviews with your named lead contact.