Volunteering with Serve the City
If you’ve already taken part in one of our volunteering events you’ll know how rewarding it is to give a helping hand: whether it is providing a hot meal to people who don’t have a home, or enabling a woman who has suffered abuse to indulge in a makeover.
These are the things that make a difference and we are proud that Serve the City regularly mobilises eighty to a hundred volunteers for its volunteering events.
But there is a lot of work taking place behind the scenes to make the volunteering days happen. Can you help?
We have all sorts of volunteer leadership vacancies. Some only need a couple of hours every month or two, others offer the opportunity to design projects or create new activities. If you’d like to get more involved, take a look at the volunteer vacancies and let us know what interests you by contacting Jodi@servethecity.be
Want to get your hands dirty? Looking for a way to serve in Brussels? Want to get to know others who care about issues that you care about? You’ve come to the right place!
There are many ways to get involved, here’s a few ideas…
HIGH LEVEL OF COMMITMENT
Focus Group Leader: Victims of Abuse
Time Commitment: 5 hours per month, 2 additional hours in the run up to the annual Focus Day
Skills needed: Good spoken English and French, Access to a telephone during office hours, Attention to detail
Are you interested in helping victims of abuse? Perhaps you have been a Project Leader in this area already and would like to take on another challenge? You may already know how rewarding it is to take part in one of our projects, here is your opportunity to help design projects and make them happen!
We need a Focus Group leader for Victims of Abuse to work with the non-profit organisations (ASBLs) and to suggest and set up projects for the volunteering events. We need someone prepared to make an on-going commitment, as the Focus Group leader is the main contact throughout the year for this area. But most of the work would normally take place in the run up to the volunteering events, particularly the annual Focus Day.
We need someone who can contact the ASBLs in working hours, so access to a telephone during working hours is essential. Good spoken French is also an advantage but if you are interested and do not speak French, please still get in touch.
Focus Group Leader: Children in Need
Time Commitment: 5 hours per month, 2 additional hours in the run up to the annual Focus Day for Children in Need
Skills needed: Good spoken English and French, Access to a telephone during office hours, Attention to detail
Are you interested in helping children in need? Perhaps you have been a Project Leader in this area already and would like to take on another challenge? You may already know how rewarding it is to take part in one of our projects, here is your opportunity to help design projects and make them happen!
We need a Focus Group leader for Children in Need to work with non-profit organisations (ASBLs) and to suggest and set up projects for the volunteering events. We need someone prepared to make an on-going commitment, as the Focus Group leader is the main contact throughout the year for this area. But most of the work would normally take place in the run up to the volunteering events, particularly the annual Focus Day.
We need someone who can contact the ASBLs in working hours, so access to a telephone during working hours is essential. Good spoken French is also an advantage but if you are interested and do not speak French, please still get in touch.
Focus Group Leader: Homeless People
Time Commitment: 5 hours per month, 2 additional hours in the run up to the annual Focus Day for Homeless People
Skills needed: Good spoken English and French, Access to a telephone during office hours, Attention to detail
Are you interested in helping homeless people? Perhaps you have been a Project Leader in this area already and would like to take on another challenge? You may already know how rewarding it is to take part in one of our projects, here is your opportunity to help design projects and make them happen!
We already have an experienced Focus Group leader for Homeless People, Nino. But he needs someone to work with him in this important area. Nino leads on Food for Friends and volunteers in Gare du Nord on a weekly basis. But he needs someone to help manage connections with non-profit organisations (ASBLs) and to suggest and set up projects for the volunteering events. We need someone (or more than one person) prepared to make an on-going commitment. Most of the work would normally take place in the run up to the volunteering events, particularly the annual Big Volunteer Week.
We need someone who can contact the ASBLs in working hours, so access to a telephone during working hours is essential. Good spoken French is also an advantage but if you are interested and do not speak French, please still get in touch.
Focus Group Leader: People with Disabilities
Time Commitment: 5 hours per month, 2 additional hours in the run up to the annual Focus Day for Disabled People
Skills needed: Good spoken English and French, Access to a telephone during office hours, Attention to detail
Are you interested in helping disabled people? Perhaps you have been a Project Leader in this area already and would like to take on another challenge? You may already know how rewarding it is to take part in one of our projects, here is your opportunity to help design projects and make them happen!
We already have an experienced Focus Group leader for Disabled People, Laura. But she needs someone to work with her in this important area, particularly when other commitments require her to travel . You would jointly be responsible for managing connections with non-profit organisations (ASBLs)and suggesting and setting up projects for the volunteering events. We need someone (or more than one person) prepared to make an on-going commitment. Most of the work would normally take place in the run up to the volunteering events, particularly the annual Big Volunteer Week.
We need someone who can contact the ASBLs in working hours, so access to a telephone during working hours is essential. Good spoken French is also an advantage but if you are interested and do not speak French, please still get in touch.
MODERATE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT
Project Leaders
Time Commitment: We need Project Leaders for each of our Focus Days i.e. one Saturday every month. You don’t have to volunteer every month but we’d like Project Leaders to lead at least once every three months. We also provide a training session for all new Project Leaders.
Skills needed: Reliability, enthusiasm, compassion and flexibility. Language skills are a bonus.
Have you already joined us as a volunteer at some of our Focus Days or during Big Volunteer Week? If you enjoyed the experience and plan to volunteer with us again, you might like to take on a leadership role next time.
All our volunteering days involve a lot of projects and each one needs a Project Leader to make sure that it runs smoothly. Projects are set up in advance and Project Leaders are given an information pack with details of where to go and what the project involves.
We need Project Leaders who will read the information in advance and come to the volunteering day prepared to lead a small group of volunteers assigned to the project on the day. Successful Project Leaders are reliable, enthusiastic and compassionate. It helps to be flexible as things don’t always go to plan!
Serve the City relies on its Project Leaders. We are proud to have a group of inspirational people volunteering in this role already. The more Project Leaders we can call on, the more projects we can run and the more people we can help.
Activities Coordinator
Time Commitment: 3 hours per month
Skills needed: Enthusiasm, imagination and attention to detail
Are you creative and enjoy organising activities for your family and friends? We need someone to coordinate the activities which Project Leaders will lead during volunteering events.
On a practical level, that means ensuring that activity packs are cleaned and replenished after they used at volunteering events. On the creative side, we’d love someone to come up with ideas for new things to do in each of the activity areas.
The Activities Coordinator will manage a pool of people willing to help out both practically and with ideas in each of the activity areas below: Sport, Food4Friends, Beauty, Social, Arts and crafts, Practical
After events the sports equipment needs checking over, balls pumping up etc. On an ongoing basis we need help finding new venues for sporting activities in the communes.
Food needs to be bought, prepared and served at volunteering events.
Makeup and other supplies need to be replenished and cleaned after events.
We need help finding new venues for social events with details of opening hours and entry prices etc.
After events supplies need to be checked over and replenished. We need new ideas for activities for children from ages 3-5 and from 6-12.
When practical projects are suggested for volunteering events (such as painting or repair work) we need someone to scope out the job, check that it is manageable and make sure that the supplies needed are in place.
LOWER LEVELS OF COMMITMENT
Activities team member
Time commitment: 1 hour per month
Skills needed: Enthusiasm, imagination and attention to detail
Would you like to get more involved but only have a few hours to spare now and then? This could be the opportunity for you. We need a pool of people willing to help the Activities Coordinator to keep the activity packs in good condition and come up with new ideas for activities. With enough people to help out, team members should only need to help out once every few months. But if you have more time free, there is lots of scope to use your creativity to come up with new ideas!
Volunteer Group Liaison Officers
Time commitment: 2 hours per month
Skills needed: Good written English, French useful, Access to the internet
Do you have good communication skills, access to the internet and a few hours to spare each month? We need people to act as the Serve the City Liaison Officers. Before each volunteering event, the Liaison Officers will send round emails (in English) to social and community organisations to see whether they would like to send volunteers to get involved on the day. Afterwards the Liaison Officers will thank participating organisations and keep in contact with details of other upcoming events. Liaison Officers will also maintain a list of contact details in their areas.
We would like a Liaison Officer in each of the following areas: Churches, Schools, Corporations and the Commission, Clubs and Societies
Driver
Time commitment: 2 hours per month
Skills needed: A confident driver with access to a people carrier or small van
We need someone to help out at volunteering events by transporting sound equipment from storage to the venue for the day. The equipment is not bulky but would be too large for a medium sized car so we need someone with access to a people carrier or small van. It would be great to have several volunteers in this area so that drivers only need to help out once every few months.
For more opportunities outside of Serve the City, go to Volunteer Opportunities.
