Volunteers at our Birmingham office are involved in a range of activities in the community and in the office. Please have a look at these opportunities and make a note of any areas that you are particularly interested in on your application form.
Office-based roles
Below is a selection of our office based volunteer roles.
Information and advice service – 9.30am-5.30pm daily
Volunteers play an important role in our face to face and telephone information and advice service. This service provides information for asylum seekers on the asylum system, assists individuals with a range of support problems and provides information on different available services in the West Midlands. This role requires a full day commitment at least once a week
Relief Reception Cover – 2.30-5.30pm daily
Volunteers provide reception cover. This role involves welcoming staff and visitors to the office, liaising with and booking interpreters and answering the main office telephone; directing calls and taking messages where appropriate.
Destitution Fund – daily
Volunteers assist clients in applying to a local destitution fund. This includes interviewing clients, collecting, recording and sending information to relevant agencies and representing the Refugee Council on a fortnightly panel (held on Wednesdays) to decide who is eligible for financial assistance. Volunteers in this role also assist in helping improve local Refugee Council services to destitute clients through networking, awareness raising and service provision.
Fundraising - flexible
Volunteers are involved in collecting information on local trusts, grant making bodies and local businesses that can support local activities and helping to fundraise from these sources.
Statistics and Finance - flexible
Volunteers assist with monitoring and evaluation of client feedback forms, statistical work, finance work and other related administrative duties.
Research volunteers - flexible
We are always keen to develop new projects. Examples include researching the appropriateness and level of counselling provision and the scope and nature of illegal work amongst failed asylum seekers and are developing a best practice model for hospitality of destitute asylum seekers. This role requires initiative and some experience of report writing. All potential research projects must fit in with the aims and objectives of the Refugee Council
Newsletters - flexible
Volunteers needed to help produce and a volunteer newsletter which focuses on volunteering at the Refugee Council, changes and updates regarding the asylum system and regional updates on services and organisations.
Media Board - flexible
The Media Board is a new project to try to counteract the negative media portrayal of refugees and asylums seekers and promote positive images and awareness. Volunteers will research local press for articles relevant to the asylum debate, raise awareness on these issues and write letters and articles for local press and magazines with the support of our national campaigns team.
Office and Community based volunteering roles
These opportunities are based in our offices as well as in various locations across Birmingham
ESOL teaching – Tuesdays and Thursdays 6.15pm – 7.45pm and Saturdays 10am – 12pm (in initial accommodation) and Wednesday 2pm – 4pm and Thursdays and Friday 11am – 1pm (from our city centre office)
Volunteers run ESOL classes in the local community. A teaching certificate is required for running the classes, but there are no formal requirements for volunteering as a language assistant.
Storytelling – Wednesday evenings 6pm-7.30pm
Volunteer led storytelling project for children and young people living in initial accommodation hostel in Birmingham. CRB check needed.
Outreach volunteers – flexible
The aim of this volunteer led project is to strengthen the Refugee Council’s links with new and existing local agencies and service providers through making contact with and visiting them where appropriate, informing them about the Refugee Council’s work and gathering information and contacts that can assist our ongoing support of asylum seekers in the West Midlands.
Orientation project – flexible
Volunteers provide welcome orientation’s for newly arrived asylum seekers to Birmingham. This involves informal interviews, collecting relevant information, a geographical tour and limited befriending. Volunteers who speak different languages are especially needed!
Women’s project volunteers – Tuesdays
This project assists asylum seeking women in Birmingham, providing a welcoming environment in which to learn new skills, socialise and learn more about the UK. Volunteers are involved in organising speakers and activities, evaluating the project, communicating all women who have visited the project and organising transportation for those without adequate funds. The volunteers also, importantly, socialise with the women and offer a high level of hospitality to people who are newly arrived.
ESOL teaching – Tuesdays and Thursdays 6.00 – 7.30pm
Volunteers run ESOL classes in the local community. A teaching certificate is required for running the classes, but there are no formal requirements for volunteering as a language assistant.
Theatre education project – flexible
This project uses the participatory arts to engage young people in the West Midlands on the issue of asylum in an interactive, dynamic way. Volunteers are involved in organising events, workshops and creating and performing drama, music and dance pieces on the experience of asylum in the UK.
Creative art & drama workshops – Wednesday evenings 7.30-9.00pm
Volunteers run creative art & drama classes in the community for newly arrived asylum seeking women and children.
Community health workshop – Monday Evenings
Volunteers help run introductory health sessions for newly arrived asylum seekers. If you have an interest in, or experience of health education then this is for you!
Orientation project – flexible
Volunteers provide welcome orientation for newly arrived asylum seekers to Birmingham. This involves informal interviews, collecting relevant information, a geographical tour and limited befriending. Volunteers who speak different languages are especially needed!
Minibus driver – one afternoon a week
In order to run some of the activities above, we desperately need volunteers who are licensed to drive a 12 seater minibus.
Refugees Into Teaching
The Refugees into Teaching project is a national project based at the Refugee Council and funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools. We provide information, advice and support to refugees who are attempting to qualify or re-qualify as teachers in this country.
We are currently looking for teaching professionals to act as volunteer mentors to refugees to help them overcome these barriers. Supported by the Refugee Council, you would draw upon your own experience to provide regular one-to-one mentoring to a refugee from our database. A mentor could be anyone with experience of working in primary or secondary education in England. You may be a teacher, teaching assistant, ex-teacher, supply teacher, teacher trainee or newly qualified teacher. Alternatively you might work at a teacher training provider or in another related profession.
Refugees into Teaching Volunteer Mentoring role: - To work sensitively with a mentee from a refugee background
- To arrange and conduct regular one-to-one meetings with a mentee, in a suitable public location
- To be able to commit a minimum of one hour a fortnight for at least three months
- To complete a mentoring action plan in consultation with the mentee and the Mentoring Co-ordinator
- To regularly update the action plan and activity record with progress made
- To provide mentoring input (drawing upon your own experience of UK primary or secondary education and, where necessary, using other suggested resources)
- To keep in regular contact with the Mentoring Co-ordinator, reporting any problems as they arise
- To work within agreed boundaries
- To maintain confidentiality where necessary
- To attend the initial briefing session at the Refugee Council offices
- To take part in ongoing development
- To complete feedback and evaluation forms as required
For more information, and to apply, please visit the project website on www.refugeesintoteaching.org.uk
RIES Project: Refugee Integration and Employment Services
The RIES project aims to support newly granted Refugees to have a smooth transition into UK society and help re-build their lives. The service is available to clients for 1 year and is made up of 3 components: Integration, Employment and Mentoring. We are looking for Integration Volunteers and Volunteer Employment Coaches to support the service.
Volunteer Integration Advisers– 10am - 1pm and 2pm – 5pm daily
Volunteer Integration Advisers will be working alongside RIES Integration Advisers and will assist clients to access mainstream welfare benefits, housing and healthcare. They will also assist clients to access other services relating to client’s essential social integration needs.
Volunteer Employment Coach - 10am - 1pm and 2pm – 5pm daily
Volunteer Employment Coaches will be working alongside RIES Employment Advisers. The purpose of the role is to assist client’s access opportunities to gain new skills, and move closer to employment. Many of our clients face barriers to employment and the role will require you to be resourceful and find creative solutions to barriers.
We are always developing new roles so please feel free to apply to volunteer with us even if you would like to do something that is not currently listed above. In the past we have created a number of roles to suit individual volunteers and really welcome the knowledge, skills and life experience volunteers bring to the Refugee Council.
