Volunteer with Faith to Faithless Helpline
Volunteer role (Three hours per week)
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Faith to Faithless, Humanists UK’s support programme for so-called ‘apostates’. The whole Faith to Faithless service is led by apostates themselves, who have knowledge and experiences of apostate communities facing serious and systemic issues. These issues range from emotional and physical abuse from family members, friends, and peers in their community through homelessness, shunning, ‘honour-based’ abuse and killings, and systemic failures by statutory organisations to support apostates.
Faith to Faithless engages in several activities, over three main areas of work:
- We provide a platform for apostate voices to be heard, and raise awareness of the issues they face so that others don’t suffer in the same ways, ensuring we have built trust within the apostate community. We do this both online, through our dedicated website, and through speaker and panel events that are open to the public
- We provide an apostate support programme through facilitated peer support groups and other ‘meet-ups’
- We train statutory and support organisations like police, social services, and mental health organisations to better understand the issues apostates face, and the sorts of policy and practice implications this might have for the organisation.
Our work has brought us into contact with tens of thousands of apostates, and we have been able to directly support over a thousand since the dedicated programme started.
We launched a helpline for apostates in the summer of 2023, for people leaving high-control religions, and we're looking for committed, compassionate volunteers to join the expanding team. You can positively impact lives and help create a more inclusive society. Join us today and be part of the change!
The current helpline opening hours are:
- Wednesday - 10:00-13:00
- Thursday -16:00-19:00
- Friday - 08:00 -11:00
To find out more about the role of a Helpline Volunteer, take a look at our application pack and see if it sounds right for you.
You are welcome to contact the Faith to Faithless Service Manager, Donna, by email at donna@humanists.uk, or Humanists UK at volunteers@humanists.uk, to discuss the role before applying.
Our Recruitment and Promotion and Equal Opportunities policies are available to view via the Careers Menu or at the foot of our main Opportunities page.
Volunteers need to be based in the UK for this role. We would particularly welcome applications from those with lived experience of leaving a high-control religion.
Please note that volunteers will be subject to a DBS check and required to complete adult safeguarding training if recruited.
- Department
- Faith To Faithless Apostate Support
- Role
- Helpline Volunteer
- Employment type
- Volunteer
- Job type
- Volunteer
- Remote Status
- Fully remote
About Humanists UK
We started out in 1896, and since then we’ve always been a growing movement at the forefront of social change. Today we’re trusted by over 120,000 members and supporters and over 70 local and special interest affiliates to promote humanism.
We put humanism into practice through effective campaigning and services, supporting lasting change for happier, more fulfilling lives. Our policies are informed with the support of over 150 of the UK’s most prominent philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers and experts and we seek to advance them with the help of over 100 parliamentarians in membership of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. We bring like-minded people together to make change happen, and we strive to be their voice in public debate, drawing on contemporary humanist thought and the worldwide humanist tradition.
We’ve been conducting non-religious funerals, weddings, and baby-namings for 120 years. Our highly trained celebrants are the best you’ll find anywhere, and they support individuals to create authentic, bespoke ceremonies that put people and their stories at the heart of every occasion.
We also help vulnerable people easily access like-minded and effective non-religious pastoral support that is specially tailored to work for them. Our trained and accredited non-religious pastoral support volunteers operate across hospitals, prisons, and the armed forces.
Volunteer with Faith to Faithless Helpline
Volunteer role (Three hours per week)
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