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Lifeafterhummus Community Benefit Society
Thanks to a team of 50 local volunteers supporting a small team of 3 people we run a surplus foodbank very close to UCL campuses in Somers Town (NW1 1ES) just north of the Euston Road behind the British Library. We collect surplus from circa 45 local supermarkets and stores every week using a mixture of hand carts, bicycle trailers, cargo bike and cars. This surplus is sorted thru at our surplus…
Description

The Inclusion Engine | Support. Mentor. Empower.

The Mission: To support and coach confidence at our community cafe

Our Community Cafe is more than just a place for chai or coffee; it’s a live employability space. We support local residents who have been overlooked by the job market, including those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), people returning to work after prolonged period and Refugees. We serve affordable tea at £1, filter coffee at £1.20 and chai at £1.70. 

We are looking for volunteers who can support the running of the community cafe as well as supporting our employability learners - encouraging them, assisting them, helping them to check through their checklist, helping them to navigate requests and being a critical friend. 

The Role: Empowering the Expert

Our dedicated Community Cafe Supervisor is the heart of this project, providing 1-on-1 coaching to our residents. But she can’t be everywhere at once. By joining our team, you become her essential support system. By helping manage the day-to-day flow of the cafe, you create the "breathing room" our supervisor needs to provide intensive, life-changing attention and support to the residents who need it most.

Why Join Us? (The "Hands-On" Advantage)

This is a unique opportunity for students interested in Inclusive Education, Social Work, Psychology, or NGO Management. You won’t just be watching from the sidelines; you will:

  • Learn in Real-Time: Observe and assist in how to tailor workplace support for neurodivergent individuals.
  • Bridge the Gap: Help translate employability skills into a supportive, real-world environment.
  • Direct Impact: Understand the systemic barriers facing residents and play a role in dismantling them.

Is this you?

If you are passionate about social justice and want to learn the "how-to" of inclusive employment—while supporting a vital community hub—we need your hands and your heart.

Duties

Your Role

As a volunteer, you are the essential link that allows our Community Cafe to function as a learning environment. Your duties focus on operational support to free up our Community Cafe Supervisor for intensive resident coaching and providing support directly to the learn 1-2-1 during your volunteer session.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Operational Partnership: Work directly alongside our Community Cafe Supervisor to maintain a smooth, welcoming environment, ensuring the "wheels keep turning" while she provides 1-on-1 support to our learners and vulnerable residents who use the cafe. This can be serving customers, loading the dishwasher, serving our special Chai and coffee or even our soft serve ice cream. 
  • Peer-Support & Modeling: Demonstrate professional workplace standards and soft skills in real-time, acting as a grounded presence for residents with SEND and those facing employment barriers. Be supportive, encouraging and their critical friend. Support them when needed with taking customer orders. 
  • Observational Learning: Actively engage with our inclusive support methods, learning how to adapt communication and tasks to meet the specific needs of our employability cohort.
  • Capacity Building: Assist with behind-the-scenes tasks—from setup to service coordination—that allow the employability project to scale its impact.
Training
Taught will be provided: we will provide free access to food handling level 2 via an online platform and through a community partner. We have found some volunteers have used this opportunity to support them in their applications for summer and part time jobs.

Time commitment

We ask for a minimum of 3hours per week. Asking you to stick to the same time every week as this helps with planning. We are open Tues to Saturday. We start at either 10.30am or 11am and finish at either 6.30pm or 7pm. If you visit our community cafe and speak to our supervisor she will be able to tell you in real time what regular volunteering shift would work best. And as a thank you you always get a meal, drink and ice cream at the end of your shift.

Causes

UCL Departments

This organisation is one of our community partner organisations.

Like all volunteer recruiters we work with, they have signed up to our service standards, agreeing to abide by our policy on partnership working to keep you safe and supported whilst you volunteer.

You’ll never be out of pocket for volunteering through us – with in-London travel expenses to and from your volunteering guaranteed.

In addition, the team here at Students’ Union UCL Volunteering Service is here to support you throughout your volunteering journey – you can get in touch with us at any time.