Join our 2021/22 Oxford Committee!
Want to make a difference? Join our committee!
We’re looking for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join our team. If you live in Oxford and you’ve got a sense of fun, are willing to throw yourself into a challenge and want to make society a more inclusive place, then please apply to join our Committee!
Oxford, Oxford Brookes and Oxford residents are all equally welcome to apply for most of our roles. We especially encourage applications from disabled people, people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community and people who are the first in their family to go to university.
Photo ID: the KEEN Committee are wearing Christmas Party hats at a restaurant, and smiling and waving.
What’s the commitment like?
Most positions ask for about 3 hours a week, although some (like our Session Coordinator roles) are 4-6 hours. Each position is also yearly (so three terms). However, we aim to be as accommodating as possible, so if you’re interested, please get in touch and let us know how we can adjust to you!
Photo ID: two KEEN volunteers wearing face shields standing behind two KEEN participants who are wheelchair users. All are smiling and have traffic cones on their heads.
What’s in it for me?
The skills you’ll gain through being on the KEEN Committee are invaluable for future careers and volunteering opportunities. Across all roles, you’ll develop empathy and patience, and boost your organisational, communication and teamwork skills.
Most importantly though, you’ll be making a real difference in your community and having fun!
Photo ID: two KEEN volunteers on both sides of a KEEN participant who uses a wheelchair, helping him to draw. On the table is Neil the monkey, KEEN’s mascot!
What positions are up for grabs?
Secretary
Do you care about inclusivity for all? Are you an organised person who believes in the power of detail to help others? If so, please apply to become our Secretary! Secretaries often get a bad rap, but this is an absolutely essential role on the Committee, helping us to organise and schedule meetings during hectic university terms!
"Often seen typing frantically in committee meetings, I make sure that the committee meets regularly and monitor which tasks are given to who, to help everybody keep track of what they’re doing to help KEEN for the next few weeks. Lightning quick fingers not mandatory, just remember to use your absolute power over committee meetings for good rather than evil!"
Team Community & Schools Outreach Officer
Do you enjoy networking and connecting with others? Do you want to increase the representation and diversity of volunteers? If so, please apply to become our Team Outreach Officer! This is possibly one of the most important roles within KEEN - from working with community organisations to bring a more diverse range of Session Coaches to KEEN, to representing us at exciting events and visiting schools across the city, this is perfect for someone who would like to become more involved in the wider Oxford community.
Participant Community & Schools Outreach Officer
Do you enjoy networking and connecting with others? Do you want a wider range of disabled people to be able to access activities and society generally? If so, please apply to become our Participant Outreach Officer! This is possibly one of the most important roles within KEEN - this role involves working with community organisations and schools across the county to bring a more diverse range of session participants to KEEN, and is perfect for someone who would like to become more involved in the wider Oxford community.
Social and Events Officer
Do you love to come up with and organise events? Do you want to help our volunteers feel like part of a community again? If so, please do apply to become our next Social and Events Officer! It's a great way to get to know new people, learn about event organisation and planning, and, most importantly, get to have some fun!
"When people can’t decide if somebody is very brave or mad they were obviously thinking about social sec! I organise amazing socials to allow the KEEN family to bond, and along the way learn lots about event organisation and planning. It is a great way to get to know everyone, and really fun!"
Brookes Representative
Are you a Brookes student who believes more has to be done to represent you and your colleagues in Oxford-based activities? Are you passionate about inclusivity for all? If so, please apply to become our Brookes Representative! This is a really important role to make our work more inclusive for Brookes students and therefore for everyone!
Session Coordinator: KEEN Teens
Are you interested in leading a range of creative projects? Do you want to help disabled teenagers access as many wide-ranging opportunities as possible? If so, we'd love it if you applied to become our KEEN Teens Coordinator! This is a weekly session that's lots of fun to lead, allowing you to develop lots of skills and meet lots of interesting people!
"Getting lost in the creative world of KEEN is always something I look forward to. Whether it's through drama, creating music or just meeting new people, KEEN never fails to put a smile on my face!"
Session Coordinator: GrEAT Social
Are you interested in leading a range of creative projects? Do you believe in inclusive activities for all ages, including adults? If so, please do apply to become our GrEAT Social Coordinator! In this role, you'll plan and lead age-appropriate social events for our participants aged 18+ including connecting with local organisations, enabling you to develop strong communication and organisational skills.
"We've been so lucky to have such a range of activities at GrEAT Social, from drama with Oxford Playhouse and singing, to yoga and film nights. It's been fantastic!"
Session Coordinator: ZigZag
Are you interested in drama and the creative arts? Do you want to gain experience planning and leading workshops? If so, please apply to become our next ZigZag Coordinator! In this exciting role, you'll organise weekly inclusive creative arts workshops for children aged 4–13, developing your creativity and communication skills in the process!
"This year at Zig-Zag has been a blast, and it was a shame it had to end too soon. With all the magical adventures and the amount of glue, icing and sparkly bits that ended up on the floor, the excitement never seems to end."
Session Coordinator: KEEN +
Do you love planning social events and day trips? Do you want to help lead them for a larger group to promote inclusivity and continue events outside of normal term time? In that case, please apply to become our next KEEN + Coordinator! The sessions you lead can even be to London or other cities outside of Oxfordshire, and you can develop networking skills with organisations such as the Bristol Science Centre.
"KEEN + has been a whirlwind of amazing activities, including going to Space, School of Rock and the FUNomusica - in fab company too!"
Session Coordinator: INK Artistic Director
Do you believe in the power of visual artwork for good? Do you want to develop experience with community-based work? If that sounds like you, we'd love to receive your application for our next INK Artistic Director! In this unique role, you'll be networking with local artists to run workshops and facilitating participation at our weekly sessions with an Oxford-based social enterprise.
"Working with INK gave me an idea of what community-based work is like, which will be invaluable when I go into art psychotherapy. I felt that I could easily fit into the friendly team and you all made me feel welcome!"
Session Coordinator: GrEAT Sports
Do you enjoy sports? Are you interested in leading inclusive sports activities for disabled adults? If so, please do apply to become our next GrEAT Sports Coordinator! In this role, you'll be planning and leading age-appropriate weekly sports and games sessions for our 18+ participants, and potentially even connecting with local university sports teams!
"All participants are so engaged and active that it's really a pleasure, and definitely no hassle, to come along once or twice a week and have fun playing one cool sport or another!"
Alumni Officer
Are you interested in communications and marketing? Do you want to help alumni to stay involved with their charity and society university work after graduation? If so, please do apply to become our Alumni Officer! In this exciting role, you'll be able to connect with alumni, keep them up to date on the amazing work we're doing and even encourage them to continue to be involved!
How do I apply?
Click the link below to apply! We may invite you to an informal interview with some existing team members, where we’d love to hear your ideas for the role and why you’d be suited to it. Don’t worry - this is more of a conversation than anything!
Photo ID: a girl in a pink dress is playing a trumpet. To her right, another girl is wearing a shirt and smiling.