Volunteer Facilitator

Are you a great listener, passionate about mental wellbeing and supporting others? Do you have excellent interpersonal skills while being comfortable with silences? 

Frazzled Cafe is looking for Volunteer Facilitators to join our amazing team to continue our mission to provide a space where people can come together to listen, share the ‘weather conditions’ inside their head, and feel heard without judgement or advice. 

Frazzled Cafe is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We welcome applications irrespective of people’s age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

What is Frazzled Cafe? Since 2017, Frazzled Cafe has supported people across the UK who are feeling frazzled and overwhelmed by the stresses of everyday life. Created by comedian Ruby Wax OBE, our free online and face-to-face meetings provide a place where people can talk and share their stories. People of every age and circumstance now attend Frazzled Cafe meetings every single day. 

Frazzled Cafe meetings are not about therapy or offering solutions. They provide a safe and confidential space where people can speak openly without worrying about judgement amongst a group of peers who understand how it feels to be frazzled.

What will I be doing? - You will run a weekly 1 hour session online for 12-15 people, delivering short mindfulness exercises before opening up and facilitating the space for anyone who wishes to share how they are feeling. There is no pressure on anyone to talk, and silences can often be welcome.   

What support and training will I get? Our intensive training will prepare you for the role, which takes place over several weeks and is a combination of group training over Zoom, observations and ‘on-the-role’ practice with support from our team. You will also receive ongoing training throughout the year to keep building your skills and confidence, and there are monthly opportunities to get together with other Frazzled Cafe Facilitators to share learning and peer-support. 

How will my volunteering make a difference? Your role as a Frazzled Cafe Facilitator is significant and rewarding on many levels. You will play a key role in bringing people together and making a positive difference in their lives.

Our meetings help people to get things off their chest, increase connection with others who feel the same, and improve their emotional resilience. By the end of the first half of 2023, 80% of all attendees felt ‘less frazzled’ after our sessions, with over 90% of all participants saying that they would recommend our service to others. We can think of no better way to describe the difference you will make than by sharing a comment we received recently from an attendee:

“Thank you so much for the online cafes, you have saved my life, having someone to talk to who knows what I am going through. Thank You” Anonymous Frazzled Cafe User - 2023.

How much time do I need to give? The time commitment once your meetings are running is one hour every week for a minimum of one year, although we of course expect you to have time off and holidays - just like with any other commitment!  

 If this sounds like something that you would like to be involved with, then please use this link to go to our application form - https://bit.ly/Frazzledcafevolunteer. Here, we just find out more about your availability and experience. 

Please note, as part of the application process, we ask that all prospective Volunteer Facilitators attend at least four facilitated meetings, as a participant, to start to understand the role and the importance of this not being an advisory or therapeutic support service. 

If you have any questions or would like an informal conversation about the role, please email team@frazzledcafe.org 

We look forward to hearing from you!

What skills do I need?

We are looking for Frazzled Cafe Facilitators with engaging interpersonal and listening skills, an empathetic and inclusive communication style, and the enthusiasm to support Frazzled Cafe in achieving its objectives. The ideal candidates demonstrate sound judgement and emotional intelligence, a strong understanding of the need for confidentiality, and a sense of humour. They are competent in identifying potentially disruptive behaviours and confident to discreetly intervene if necessary to disperse them. They should be confident in public speaking and managing a group, as well as being able to use Zoom and its meeting functions. We do not ask for any qualifications, but it is desirable if you have had experience of facilitating group sessions. Similarly, some experience with mindfulness is useful but full training will be provided.

When do I need to be available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Details

The time commitment once your meetings are running is one hour every week for a minimum of one year, although we of course expect you to have time off and holidays - just like with any other commitment!