How to write inclusive Position Descriptions
It’s really not as hard as you might think!
In this blog we will discuss attracting volunteers with lower levels of English to your organisation.
Many people who want to volunteer do not have English as their first language. Some may be fluently bilingual, whereas others may be eager to improve their conversational English skills. At Volunteer West, we use to term “low English” to define a person who has attended English lessons and can communicate in English, however they lack the fluency and slang that more confident users include. This video gives an example of what we’re talking about: IELTS Level 5.0.
Having bilingual volunteers is a massive asset to your organisation.
They can reach out to members of their communities and play an integral part in expanding your organisation’s reach, so it’s important to provide a welcoming environment for them. Remind yourself that it takes great courage to apply for a volunteering role in your second language, and to put yourself out there.
Your organisation might be one of the many in Melbourne’s West that supports new migrants and people from CALD communities. Have you considered that hiring them as volunteers can be considered ‘helping’ in its own right? That CALD members don’t have to be seen as simply the passive recipients of your services, but can also be the drivers, the active participants, the helpers within your organisation. If your organisation's mission is to help CALD communities then involving them as volunteers is a valid and important way to do that.
Here are some other practical tips that might help:
Could you get some of your more complicated onboarding documents/policies/procedures translated into a few community languages? (You could even hire a volunteer to do the translating!)
If you’re hiring a Social Media volunteer, they could improve their English writing skills by writing posts in English (with support and editing help), and also in their mother tongue to let members of their community know about your organisation.
Older, less confident speakers could be buddied up with younger bilingual volunteers who speak both English and their shared native tongue.
Have a think about the types of volunteering roles on offer – many roles would offer great opportunities to practice English conversation, especially those that are more physical – gardening, setting up for events, handyman.
Can some of your volunteer roles be split into two, and one of them made suitable for lower English levels? For example, a receptionist role. A more confident speaker can answer phone calls and write emails, a less confident speaker can do photocopying and filing, and perhaps ‘graduate’ to the other role as their English improves.
Consider linking with an organisation that is teaching the Adult Migrant English Program – this helps you to understand the level of English that students achieve, so you know what to expect.
If you’d like to read more about working with volunteers who are learning English, we recommend the following resources:
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Information Sheet (Volunteering)
Guidelines for managing individuals - CALD background (Volunteering Victoria)
If you’re ready to work with us in creating Position Descriptions that are diverse, inclusive and specific, please visit: PD Pivot — Volunteer West
This is the second in a two-part blog series about inclusivity in Volunteer Roles. Part one talks about how to write inclusive position descriptions for people with disabilities, you can read it here.
Author: Avalon Carr
Project Officer at Volunteer West
Avalon has created and is running the PD Pivot Service, which has thus far helped over 40 organisations to create inclusive, specific and diverse Positions Descriptions.