THE CENTRAL BRITISH FUND FOR WORLD JEWISH RELIEF
Remote
Part-time
WORLD JEWISH RELIEF Volunteer Role Description & Specification Volunteer Role: STEP Experts by Experience (EbE) Advisory Board Member Commitment: Approximately 2-4 hours a month depending on activities decided by the board Works with: The STEP Programme Managers and STEP Board Leads Location: Home-based (remote), with occasional travel to in-person events upon agreement between the board members About World Jewish Relief World Jewish Relief provides life-saving and life-changing action to people in crisis around the world. Founded in 1933 and proud to have rescued over 65,000 Jews fleeing the Nazis, World Jewish Relief today supports vulnerable people from marginalised communities, suffering the consequences of conflict and disaster. We work with our trusted local partners to help people survive the consequences of conflict and disaster, to thrive and rebuild their lives. We deliver programmes using our expertise, with urgency to achieve maximum and sustainable impact for those within and beyond our community. About the Specialist Training & Employment Programme (STEP) World Jewish Relief created the Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP) for refugees in 2016 and today we are the largest provider of specialist employment support to refugees in the UK. STEP aims to support and empower people with experience of forced migration through a tailored employment programme that addresses the complex barriers refugees face in preparing for, and ultimately finding, work in the UK. We have five programme streams within STEP: STEP UK, STEP Ukraine, STEP Forward, STEP Refugee Employability Programme (REP) South West, and STEP for People Seeking Asylum. While each programme stream has unique elements, we have four core values at the heart of everything we do: Individuality: At the heart of the programme is an individualised approach, through which we are reminded of the diversity within the group and the broad range of education and experience. We work to ensure that the specific needs of each person are met, rather than taking a generic approach.(cid:3031) Partnership: A key element of STEP is our work with partners. On STEP you we work closely with delivery partners as a national STEP network, as well as activity partners, Business in the Community for Employer Engagement and The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) for Self-Employment. Speed: Upon joining the programme, participants are eager to move into employment as soon as possible. In every case, we take into account individual needs and circumstances, ensuring participants meet regularly with programme staff. These meetings highlight any activities that individuals require additional support for, enabling us to help participants into employment in the shortest possible time.(cid:3031)(cid:3031) Ambition: It is important that we are ambitious alongside participants - aiming to find work that complements their previous education, experience and existing skill set.(cid:3031)(cid:3031)(cid:3031) About the STEP Experts by Experience (EbE) Advisory Board We are looking to expand our Experts by Experience advisory board for STEP, made up of volunteer board members who are experts by experience (EbE). The STEP EbE Advisory Board is a structured and collaborative way for World Jewish Relief to engage with external advisors (in this case, volunteer board members) to advise and help on various programme design and decision-making. The members of our advisory board support our programmes with their knowledge and expertise to offer more specific help and ideas in managing different aspects of STEP. The aims of the board are: To be advised on, learn and implement new perspectives about STEP: Work with the EbE board to discuss new ideas and apply advice to the STEP programme streams. Increase co-production: Particularly in programme design and decision making. The 2023 STEP Evaluation highlighted that beyond employing people with lived experience, STEP Programme Design was not informed by the perspectives of people with lived experience in other ways. Increase critical reflection: With the aim to improve the STEP programme for participants and other stakeholders involved. Board members will have lived experience of being a refugee or a person seeking asylum. The EbE board members will have extensive training on World Jewish Relief as an organisation and the STEP Programme, including workshops, shadowing, necessary IT training, and meetings with World Jewish Relief employees, STEP partners and other stakeholders. Once the EbE board members are onboarded, they will be asked to advise on topics and focus areas based on the feedback from initial board user focus groups. About the STEP EBE Advisory Board Member Volunteer Role We are excited to be expanding our STEP EbE Advisory Board. We are recruiting for EbE board members on a volunteering basis, and all board members will have lived experience of forced migration. We are now recruiting for a further 3 board members who are of Ukrainian nationality or a Hong Konger BNO status / visa holder as we are launching a new STEP programme supporting these communities. Volunteer Board Member Responsibilities The board members’ responsibilities will vary depending on the topic of advice in discussion. Board activity will be further discussed and agreed with board members, however, as an outline, suggested activities include: Board member meetings to discuss ideas and create recommendations Group and 1:2:1s meetings with STEP stakeholders (employment advisors, participants, WJR, WJR board, partners) Document reviews (e.g. programme materials) Presenting recommendations in different formats (e.g writing, speaking) Attending optional training sessions chosen by the board About You – Volunteer Role Specification Full training and ongoing support will be provided for this role, so you do not need experience. We are looking for board members who: Have lived experience of forced migration i.e. refugee status, humanitarian protection, people seeking asylum, and Ukrainian extension scheme Are of Ukrainian nationality or a Hong Kong BNO status/visa holder Have an intermediate and above understanding of English (B1+) Can commit to 2-4 hours a month Comfortable with IT, training can be provided Have or interested in developing the following skills: - Empathy & emotional awareness - Learning mindset - Able to work well in collaborative settings - Good communication skills - Being open-minded and honest Board members can have experience of being on STEP as a participant, but it is not a requirement. We aim for there to be a mix of experience with STEP on the board. **While the board structure and meetings are to be discussed with new members and agreed, we propose: to seek the expert’s advice approximately once a month Board members can have experience of being on STEP as a participant, but it is not a requirement. We aim for there to be a mix of experience with STEP on the board. What you can expect from us Each member will: Be provided with complete, accurate and meaningful information in a timely manner Be given reasonable time to plan and make decisions Be kept informed about programme updates Receive openness and honesty from the World Jewish Relief team Have access to support from World Jewish Relief Expenses: World Jewish Relief will pay for any expenses related to costs incurred for volunteers (e.g. travel expenses) Equipment: World Jewish Relief will provide any IT/ Digital Access equipment needed for the role. Training and materials: Induction training and materials will be provided as well as other training as requested by board members. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion World Jewish Relief values equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace and we encourage applications from candidates of all ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, genders, sex, sexual orientations, ages, disability, faiths (or non), marital status (or non), that meet the criteria set out for this role. We are striving to build a team reflective of the communities we work with. This role is targeted for people with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds as experts by experience. If you have first-hand experience of forced migration, please let us know in your application. Additionally, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all the requirements that are listed within the role specification. We respect that people’s identity is not defined by their past experiences and do not expect candidates to describe their lived experience during the interview process unless they wish to do so. You don’t need to be Jewish to volunteer with us, but you must be committed to our faith- based values of Justice, Kindness, Repairing the World and Welcoming the Stranger. We are inspired by these values to work beyond our community, recognising the dignity and potential of all people. To apply Please upload Your CV A one-page cover letter that answers the following two questions: 1. 2. Why do you want to be a STEP EbE Advisory Board Member? What skills can you contribute to the board? Please note that your CV will only be used during the recruitment process to find out about your previous experience will not be assessed against any criteria. Information Session We will be hosting an information session about the role on Thursday 30th October 12pm- 1pm. To sign up to join the session please fill in the form and someone from our team will send you the invitation and link to join: https://forms.o(cid:407)ce.com/e/5apE5KZCub