Unpaid Volunteer Opportunity

The scheme is funded until 31 March 2013

Responsible to: HEARTS Senior Project worker

Location: Leeds

Hours: Approximately 2-10 hours a week 
 

Objectives:
We need ten volunteers to support our work with refugee and asylum seeking children and young people.
Depending on the skills you can offer, you will be assigned to work under either of the following two programmes

School programme:
Offering extra-curricular opportunities to refugee and asylum seeking children, delivering awareness raising sessions and promoting children’s rights in one primary school and one secondary school each year to encourage community cohesion.

Life skills programme:
The life skills programme consists of a 5 to 10 week rolling programme aimed at unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). This programme aims to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children to acquire the necessary skills to run an independent and healthy life covering various subjects such as personal safety, cooking skills, ESOL, rights and entitlements, budgeting, the UK culture.

Tasks

School programme:

• Promote community cohesion by raising awareness of children’s rights and asylum in schools (primary and secondary)
• Deliver group work activities and develop welcome materials aimed at children new to the country such as Welcome book, welcome DVD, buddy systems …
• Deliver group work activities, which will enable young refugees to improve their language and social skills (i.e. homework clubs, Art clubs…)

Life skills programme:

• To support the skills co-ordinator in giving care and support to young refugees and asylum seeking young people, mainly unaccompanied minors new to the country, aged 14-19, to help them to integrate safely and confidently within their new communities.
• To support the skills co-ordinator in delivering skills-based sessions through group work, making sure that young refugees have the opportunities to get skills and training to overcome daily life barriers.

Skills

• Experience of direct work with vulnerable children and young people, both individually and within groups.
• Experience working with young people from different communities.
• Experience in Media (i.e. filming, editing, publisher, Photoshop...)
• Experience in Drama, Art…
• Experience in ESOL, teaching
• Any Language skills would be helpful in supporting children and young people whose first language is not English…
• Listening, empathy, understanding, a sense of humour, tact, diplomacy and patience.
• Good communication skills
• Reliability and good time keeping
• Good organisational skills.

Training and support

• Full training and induction programme which volunteers attend prior to working with children.
• Continual support and advice from HEARTS project workers and senior project Worker, regular supervisions, regular opportunities to talk to other volunteers as well as regular training opportunities.

Other information

• Volunteers receive reimbursement for all out of pocket expenses
• Volunteers will be required to undertake and enhanced CRB (which we will pay for) and provide two references.
• Volunteers will be managed in line with our Volunteer Policy.