NATECLA South West and Yorkshire & Humber-  Volunteering Opportunities for ESOL Learners

• Title: NATECLA SW & Y&H:: Volunteering Opportunities for ESOL Learners

• Date: Monday 5 October 2026

• Time: 11:45–13:15

Volunteering Forum: Opportunities, Experiences and Benefits

Join us for our joint branch forum exploring opportunities and benefits of volunteering for ESOL learners. The forum will showcase successful volunteering programmes and demonstrate how volunteering can support language development, build confidence, improve wellbeing, create opportunities to meet new people, gain practical experience, and strengthen connections within local communities. 

The forum will bring together presentations and real-life experiences, highlighting a range of volunteering pathways, including English for Everyone���s Volunteering Programme at Bradford Museum, Lived Experience, Creating Pathways, Sue Ryder Retail Volunteering, and Charity Shop Volunteering Classroom Resources.

We hope the forum will provide ideas, inspiration and practical resources to support language learning, encourage volunteering, promote wellbeing, and help create pathways towards employment and wider community participation.

Agenda

Introduction – Lorna Rossi

English for Everyone Volunteering Programme at Bradford Museums – Sonja Kielty

Lived Experience – Elizabeth A

Creating Pathways – Philomen Adaghe

Sue Ryder Retail Volunteering – Leah Rubin

Volunteering Classroom Resources – Lorna Rossi

Presenter Information

Lorna is the ESOL Coordinator for the South West Strategic Migration Partnership as well as co-chair of the South West branch of NATECLA. Lorna has worked in various ESOL roles over many years and recently completed the TERM course through Nile.

For one of the TERM assignments, Lorna chose to create a teaching and learning guidebook to support ESOL learners who are volunteering or wish to volunteer in charity shops. She will present and share the guidebook, explaining how the resource was designed to enable teachers and students to work collaboratively with local charity shop volunteer coordinators and shop staff. The guidebook aims to support speakers of other languages to successfully volunteer in their local charity shops while developing their English language skills through meaningful, real-life experiences.

Sonja Kielty – Volunteer Coordinator at Bradford Museums, has been welcoming ESOL learners to 4 Bradford District museums as members of the ‘English for Everyone’ volunteering programme. Providing an opportunity for real-world communication practice, as well as local work experience, networking and employment opportunities.

Elizabeth A – is a relatively new arrival in Bradford who has embraced local volunteering opportunities and can explain what these roles represent for her and they enhance her life in Bradford.

Philomen Adaghe – leads Voices for Change, an organisation with a mission to ‘create inclusive spaces where those most at risk feel seen, heard and valued’. Two of their key programmes relate to creating pathways to integration and providing skills’ development opportunities.

Leah Rubin - Sue Ryder Retail Volunteer Coordinator

Leah is a Volunteer Coordinator with Sue Ryder, supporting people across the UK to access volunteering opportunities within Sue Ryder shops and services. A key part of her work has involved developing volunteering opportunities for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, working with organisations including Jobcentres, ESOL providers and community organisations.

Leah will share her experience of supporting refugees and asylum seekers into volunteering, including the benefits volunteering can bring in developing confidence, communication and employability skills, as well as creating opportunities to build social connections and gain valuable workplace experience. She will also share some practical examples and positive outcomes from her work, including a recent session delivered to around 80 refugees and asylum seekers through World Jewish Relief.