What is the Refugee Empowerment Project?
Funded by Trust for London, this one year project aimed to recruit and improve the campaigning skills and capacity of 18 London based refugees and asylum seekers, and the refugee community organisations they are involved in, through the provision of training, mentoring and other forms of specialist support.
Each REP campaigner participated in a series of interactive training workshops in May and June 2011. Each RCO was assigned a mentor during the training workshops in June 2011.
With support from Refugee Council and an assigned mentor, recruited individuals worked together to develop their own campaign action plan to be delivered by their RCO, and make a real difference in their communities.
Refugee Empowerment Project 2011 information open day
The Refugee Empowerment Project (REP) information open day took place on Thursday 24 February 2011, at the Refugee Council, Brixton. The event was well attended with a diverse mix of passionate refugee community organisations (RCO) leaders, who were keen to hear about the new REP project and how this one year campaigning project could help them effect change in their community.
Campaign issues
Being guided by refugee participants and their RCO, we will prioritise, but not exclusively, campaign activities focusing on destitute asylum seekers.
In addition to our campaigning priority of destitution of asylum seekers, project campaigners can focus on issues that affect refugees and asylum seekers, including poverty, social exclusion and unemployment.
For more information about the project and how to apply, please email penny.mclean@refugeecouncil.org.uk.
Become a Volunteer Campaign Mentor with the REP project
Upon completion of the workshop programme, each RCO will be assigned a campaign mentor who will help them pursue their campaigning goals through mentoring. We are looking for mentors to help RCOs achieve their campaign goals.
The mentoring will take place from June to November 2011. Mentors will be introduced to their RCO at the final REP workshop, scheduled to take place on 1 June 2011, to begin the mentoring process.
We still have some mentoring spaces available!
If you are interested in becoming a REP Campaign Mentor, please email pennymclean@refugeecouncil.org.uk or call Penny on 020 7346 1052 to discuss further.
