Volunteer Task Description

We’re thrilled you’re interested in volunteering with us, and want to give you as much information about the volunteer role as we can, so this might seem a bit long but it’s still a page turner – in that its over one page.

Here’s some more information about volunteering at Views Heard;

Volunteer responsibilities

• Editing submissions
• Checking and verifying reliability of sources
• Partnering with others for double verification
• Representing the ethos of helping others, and spreading the word about our services
• List appropriate tags for posting

Direct contact for volunteers

Volunteers will be supported and supervised by the Editor. Further details provided upon volunteering.

Why we need volunteers at Views Heard

At Views Heard we want to give people a place that’s safe from bullying and harmful content, whilst also providing the opportunity of experience with a platform that showcases the amazing things people can do when given a chance.

To do this we’ve created an online platform that provides support through feedback and when publishing user content; checks, edits and moderates before the world sees it. This allows people to build a strong online portfolio whether for themselves or to show prospective employees, while protecting visitors at the same time.

We also cover a variety of areas to allow people to really shine, whether it’s in their writing, through research, or maybe it’s their passion, skill and knowledge of a particular topic; history, science, film, TV, literature and much more. There’s even an area to get creative with your hands; cooking, art, carpentry, craft, phew! That’s a lot, not forgetting we want our content to be positive, so our reviews are only recommendations, and we even have an act section – so people can share ways to make a real difference in their community or to their environment.

So, we’ve not really answered why we need volunteers have we? But look again, all that we’ve mentioned is possible because of our volunteers! We need people to copyedit, proofread and check the research behind a submission – ensuring that the publication is reliable and that the person whose view we’re listening to, can be heard that little bit louder, and that little bit clearer.

But why should I volunteer with Views Heard?

There are many organisations and charities that rely on volunteers, and we can’t say we’re more worthy, we’re not – animal charities rule our heart for starters. So, if your keen on volunteering, but are not sure it’s with us, that’s cool, have a look at all the different areas you’re excited about until you find the right partnership.

And now onto the question why volunteer with Views Heard. Well, we have;

• Variety, as mentioned we cover a wide range of topics
• Experience editing; copyediting and proofreading
• Experience research; verifying source material
• Experience in user-support
• Strengthening skills and learning new ones
• The chance to edit in areas your most excited about e.g. travel, film, literature, art etc – but due to submission numbers you’ll get experience in a lot of new areas too

And then there’s the obvious reason; to help others, whether it’s in confidence, in experience, or in helping them to get their foot in the door of their dream job.

What skills are we looking for?

• Patience – editing takes time, and some submissions are going to be longer or need more help than others.
• Restraint – to hold back in shouting your voice over others, but to help people find theirs.
• Strong use of the English language, esp. written – for now our publications are only available in English (we hope this will soon expand), and we need volunteers with strong spelling and grammatical skills.
• Research – ideally, we want experience in what makes a source reputable and reliable, and if it’s been interpreted correctly.
• Understanding of classifications/categories/genres/trends – do you know what tags a submission should have? For example; Film, Coming-of-Age, Romance, Drama, Comedy etc

Is there a dress code? What equipment do I need? Do I need to come to an office?

All of our volunteers and staff work from home, so first of all you can wear whatever you feel most comfortable in, whether that’s a suit, a karate kit, pyjamas, yoga pants (that are never actually used for yoga) or a Darth Vader outfit – although we might want pics of you battling Luke.

Aside from a no dress code, we do ask that you have;

• A computer in which to edit from
• An email address, I know it sounds silly right? But we do need you to have one
• A strong reliable internet connection, if you keep getting cut-off you might find someone else finishes your editing by mistake
• Time – just a few hours a week whenever you can.

And that’s it!

At Views Heard all of our volunteers are amazing, and we can’t thank them enough for their crucial support.