The role with Dumfries and Galloway Advocacy Service is to provide Independent Advocacy to vulnerable people across Dumfries and Galloway. To both empower and enable clients to be heard and to take as much control of their situation as is possible. Being an Independent Advocate involves listening and making sure the client’s thoughts and wishes are understood and that the clients’ voice is heard. It is about the client being in control of their situation. As well as having face-to-face and virtual meetings with your client there will be a requirement for all meetings and communications on the progression of the client’s case to be kept electronically. For this reason, you must have access to a laptop / computer, the internet and a landline or mobile phone. You must be able to keep confidences (organisational exceptions) and boundaries, express yourself clearly in verbal / written form, work as part of a team and on one’s own, be able to use email, word etc and carry out work electronically. You will also be required to attend meetings with the client and source information to allow the person to make informed choices. You will make a difference to other people’s lives; develop new skills and meet new people and you will work alongside a small friendly team.

>Who we are: The African Council is an independent voluntary organisation with a mission to promote the social and economic welfare of African People. We celebrate the best in African culture(s), history and values. We promote the attainment of education and life skills especially among Africans. We also advance active citizenship among Africans through engagement in civic and political process, institutions and leadership. >Some of our projects: 1. Employment/Enterprise coaching events • The event seeks to provide coaching and empowerment for Africans through education, guidance and support, to increase Africans involvement in employment, enterprise and entrepreneurship opportunities. 2. Civic and Political structures coaching events • The event seeks to provide coaching that encourages and provides guidance to Africans, to increase involvement and participation of Africans in civic and political life in Scotland, 3. Engagement events • Our engagement events seek to understand the challenges and barriers that Africans face in participating in all areas of Scottish life and ways to mitigate these challenges. >Volunteering Opportunities: Volunteers are vital for delivering the African Council's projects and services. We are looking for volunteers to join our team and we currently have volunteering opportunities available in the following areas: 1. Website Support 2. Corporate Communications 3. Social Media Management 4. Legal 5. Digital marketing and advertising 6. Event planning, support and management 7. Research 8. Administration 9. Help desk >Benefits of volunteering with the African Council include: 1. Opportunities to learn new skills 2. Employability training 3. Meet new people 4. Networking opportunities 5. Flexible working times 6. Develop your skills and talent and turn it to something employers will be excited about 7. Boost your CV with relevant work experience\n8. Fun hangouts, as well as, 9. Satisfaction of being a part of team that will make a significant difference in Scotland Fantastic opportunities to help at a very exciting time in the development of the African Council. All help is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact Ca-ananay Maduka, Volunteer Coordinator at E Mail: info@africancouncil.org.uk or Tel.: 01224 579218.

We are looking for young people aged 16-25, who are care experienced and/or at risk of exclusion to become peer mentors. The Project will offer young people aged 16-21 a chance to build relationships with volunteer peer mentors aged 16-25. This will be achieved by using group mentoring ratios such as 2:2, 1:1, 2:1 etc. We are recruiting 6 to 8 young adults that want to commit one year to develop their personal skills, knowledge and understanding to become effective peer mentors. Young adults will be able to apply directly to the Project to become a peer mentor, completing the Mentor Application Form. You will need to be willing to complete training and believe that there is a value in peer mentoring. OPEN are looking for those that are willing to share their life experiences and be a positive influence in supporting their mentees so they can make positive life choices and learn from their peer mentoring relationship.

The Western Isles Citizen Advice Service are looking for dynamic individuals to join their board of directors and assist with the strategic direction and future development of the service. WICAS is the leading information and advice provider in the Western Isles. The Board is made up of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and currently has vacancies for new members. This is a great opportunity to help shape the future of information and advice services and contribute to the making a real difference to those in your local community.