The Volunteer Journey
From first interest to real impact in your community
Empowering Futures runs on people who show up. Here’s exactly what happens from the moment you express interest to the point you’re delivering real digital inclusion work in Southwark, Lambeth, Croydon, or Bromley, and beyond.
Discover & Express Interest
You find Empowering Futures through Southwark Works, our social channels, community events, or a friend who’s already volunteering. Submit a short expression of interest, no CV required at this stage.
Apply & Screen
A short application asks about your availability, your borough, and what you’d like to help with, digital skills, AI literacy, or sustainability. If your role involves working directly with vulnerable residents, we’ll arrange a DBS check before you start.
Onboard & Train
Every volunteer completes Digital Champion induction: safeguarding basics, an introduction to our Stage Index assessment tool, and a full walkthrough of the Digital Inclusion Toolkit you’ll be using in sessions. You’ll never be in front of a resident without this grounding first.
Match & Deliver
You’re matched to a borough and paired into live delivery, community workshops, 1:1 digital champion support, or estate-based sessions run directly by Empowering Futures. This is where the training becomes real impact.
Support & Grow
Regular check-ins and a peer volunteer community mean you’re never doing this alone. Optional add-on training, including Carbon Literacy and sustainability certification through Better Bankside and Positive Planet, is available to volunteers who want to keep building.
Recognise & Progress
Every volunteer receives a certificate and a reference for their contribution. From here, there’s a real pathway: paid Digital Champion roles, ambassador status, or a seat at the table shaping what Empowering Futures does next.
Become an Empowering Futures volunteer
No experience required, just a willingness to show up and help someone else close the gap between owning a device and actually using it.
Express Your Interest