Refugee Support Project Volunteer (Activities Group Hackney)

British Red Cross volunteers help thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants every year enabling people to draw upon their own strengths to withstand crisis and rebuild their lives.

Our project volunteers help the team as they support refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants adjusting to life in a new country and access the help they need. Providing emotional support is critical due to the range of vulnerabilities of people using our service.

We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help with supporting activities for destitute asylum seekers and refugees at our centre on Mondays and Thursdays for a minimum of 6 months. We plan to run English classes on Mondays and sewing on Thursdays. There will be other activities and trips coming up. As a volunteer, you do not necessarily need to have to skills for teaching. If you have additional skills you can bring to the projects then that would be welcomed!

We would be particularly interested to hear from you if you have experience of being a refugee or asylum seeker.

Health and Safety Statement

We take an individual approach to ensuring your safety.

We may ask you to complete a simple risk assessment. We will also have a conversation with you to discuss any restrictions that may still be in place in your region and identify any adjustments you may need.

More about this role

Volunteer role

Refugee Support - Project Volunteer

Volunteer manager

BRC Manager

Where you will be based

Office

Why we want you

Are you passionate about supporting people in crisis?

We are looking for enthusiastic Project Volunteers who enjoy being part of a supportive team. You will be friendly and welcoming, and keen to get involved in our diverse service and activities. You will enjoy working with people face to face in a multi-cultural environment.

Our Refugee Support Project Volunteers help to make people feel comfortable and engaged with the services we provide by providing emotional support. This can be a distressing time and we aim to ease the process of adjusting to life in a new country through resilience and empowerment.

What you will be doing

• Showing people where to find local services they need
• Helping the team to set up and help to run group work activities
• Distribution of things like food parcels and toiletries
• Supporting the team with some administrative tasks
• Use your Red Cross training to give emotional support to people

The skills you need

• Strong communication skills and empathetic about the situation and needs of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants
• Able to volunteer in a multicultural environment
• Good teamwork skills and a willingness to support where needed
• Speak English; knowledge of another language would be helpful (particularly one used in the current local refugee population)
• Emotionally resilient as you may need to deal with challenging or difficult situations
• Keep the people we support at the heart of what you do

What's in it for you

• Meet new people and be part of a supportive and inclusive team
• A great opportunity to develop your existing skills and gain new ones
• All training and induction for the role (there is no charge for training)
• Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses for the role including for attending training
• An opportunity to be part of the world's largest humanitarian organisation and the knowledge that you are making a difference to people's lives

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