Student Voices Volunteer Role Description

Role: Student Voice

Type: Volunteering

Eligibility: Applicants must be a student (or recent graduate) aged 16 years or over living in England and have lived experience of being blind or partially sighted.

Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) would like to engage with the voices of students who are blind and partially sighted to help shape our education work as well as TPT’s wider work in areas such as policy, leisure, and employment.

The Education Team provides support for students, their parents or carers and professionals. We support students who are blind and partially sighted to enter and get the most out of their education whether that’s school, further education, or higher education. We want to ensure that the voice of blind and partially sighted students is at the heart of everything we do, now and in the future.

You will be part of an exciting team of volunteers who share a passion for enabling blind and partially sighted students to access and remain in education as well as accessing opportunities during this period of their lives whether that’s funding, technology, or extra-curricular clubs.

Have time to commit to: attend online monthly meetings, attend at least one in-person meeting per year in London and engage with at least four volunteering opportunities per year that can fit around your studies and family life. This can range from collaborating on creating resources for our website to inputting into our Student Voices podcast.

Main aspects of the role:

Be part of a consultative forum to represent the views and experiences of blind and partially sighted students.
Be confident enough to share your ideas and support the planning and development of resources that capture the voice of blind and partially sighted students to access and remain in education.
Willingness to network with other students and key stakeholders to share your experiences, positive and negative, to help implement change.
Be prepared to co-produce accessible materials and content that will be shared across our digital platforms including TPT website and social media channels.
Act as a positive advocate for TPT.
Attend and assist with events where appropriate.

What skills, experience and qualities are required?

You should be a student or a recent graduate who is blind or partially sighted aged 16 or over.
Be able to positively engage with others and work well in a team.
Demonstrate good listening and communication skills.
Commitment to learning and development.
Be reliable with good time management skills.
Confident in using technology, including Microsoft office Word and Teams and able to access and reply to emails.
Be creative, motivated and an effective problem-solver.

Special requirements:

A willingness to travel within the UK for certain opportunities.
Access to the internet and a device enabling you to join virtual meetings and to produce content (if this poses a potential barrier, then please get in touch for a confidential discussion).
A willingness to volunteer in an environment where guide dogs may be present.

Benefits and what you will learn and achieve:

A chance to shape the strategy and future of the organisation, in collaboration with, the Education Team.
The production of materials and promotional content.
The opportunity to demonstrate your commitment, and organisational and communication skills – which looks great on a CV.
Networking and teamwork skills.
An understanding of how charities can influence change.

What support you will receive:

A core volunteer training package with further opportunities for learning and development.
A dedicated volunteer manager who will support you in 1-1 catch ups and offer suitable opportunities to fit your areas of interest and skills.
We can reimburse essential travel expenses which are agreed in advance.
Attendance at celebration events.