We support the new briefing paper from the Refugee Council which calls for:
Read the full briefing paper at https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/rescue-recovery-and-reform-towards-an-effective-asylum-system/www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/rescue-recovery-and-reform-towards-an-effective-asylum-system/
See our volunteer coordinator Ruhena speak with GoVolHerts about the support you receive when volunteering with us. Read more on our volunteering page: Volunteer
We are delighted that our report: Forced to Flee: Testimonies from young refugees in Hertfordshire is published today. Dispelling the myth that young men arriving on our shores are just economic migrants, our report has found that young male asylum seekers arriving in Hertfordshire fled their homeland because of ill treatment and fear of persecution. The young men had jobs and stable families, but were forced to leave their homes because their lives were in danger – beaten, threatened, captured, arrested, through no fault of their own. Their journeys here were dangerous, and they encountered further abuse as they attempted to make their way to safety. The findings come from an in-depth report by our volunteer Dr Marianne Coleman, who interviewed 35 single men claiming asylum in Hertfordshire between March and July this year. All were under 35 years old when they left their home countries, the majority under 25 and several aged only 18 or 19. They had all claimed asylum in the UK during 2022, and after approximately two years, had just been given refugee status. The interviews have been compiled into a powerful report published today Forced to Flee: Testimonies from young refugees in Hertfordshire. Here our volunteer Helen speaking on Heart Radio about the report: Partnership working! We are always looking for ways to work in partnership with other organisations for the benefit of those we support. Our Chair, Irene, and trustee, Kate, were introduced to the CEO of Emmaus, a charity and community working together to end homelessness, at a conference and started a conversation about working together.
Since then, Emmaus has responded to individual requests and then Gemma, Business Development Manager at Emmaus, contacted us in the summer with an offer of solid, quality furniture (chests of drawers, small tables, bookcases and bedside tables) that was no longer needed in a Cambridge college. This furniture was offered free of charge as part of Emmaus’ solidarity initiative. Transport costs are so often a barrier to taking up offers of donated furniture, but Emmaus kindly agreed to deliver items in return for a small contribution from HWR. Our volunteers Helen and Jane contacted asylum seekers who had recently received refugee status and needed furniture for their new accommodation. Then, Helen liaised with Emmaus about the complex delivery schedule. In early October over thirty items were delivered to 10 local families and single people, a very long day for Robert the driver and his crew of two Emmaus companions. People are delighted to have such great furniture to store their things as they begin to make their homes here in Hertfordshire. Gemma said: ‘We were delighted to be able to support Herts Welcomes Refugees with this project, and with their wider work to welcome and support refugees and asylum seekers in Hertfordshire. Solidarity is a huge part of what we do here at Emmaus Hertfordshire – projects like this can be very valuable for Emmaus companions as it is often key to helping to rebuild self-esteem, proving that everyone has the capacity to make a difference to the lives of others. Our two charities are united in a belief that everyone, no matter who they are, deserves a safe place to call home, and we at Emmaus Hertfordshire are especially proud to work with a charity like Herts Welcomes Refugees, who do such fantastic work supporting people to build a new life here in our county.’ Thank you so much to Emmaus, particularly Gemma for thinking of us, Robert the driver, the Emmaus companions and of course our wonderful volunteers. Herts Welcomes Refugees worked in partnership with Hart Learning and Development, to support 7 asylum seekers, four of whom had been given Leave to Remain, to achieve a qualification in Work Skills during August 2024.
The course ran from the 6th to the 19th of August 2024 with a cohort of 7 students who were all keen to improve their English and increase their chances of gaining employment by upskilling. The learners’ ages ranged from 24 to late 30s and came from a range of backgrounds and countries they had to leave, such as Honduras, Somalia, Southern Sudan and Venezuela due to difficult and complex circumstances. The course covered the following topics
On successful completion of the course, the students were awarded 3 qualifications at Level 1. These were in Mental Health Awareness, Customer Service Skills and in Employability. In addition the students were given the opportunity to progress onto a variety of different online courses, to access 1-year FREE access to Microsoft 365 and to a 1-year student discount. Maz, the course tutor, reported that attendance was fantastic each day and overall everyone was eager to learn and get involved in the different activities. The students enjoyed discussing British values, PREVENT, and how to apply and get ready for work. At the start of the course, both the tutor and the students found ways to understand and communicate with each other and to complete the work required to achieve their qualifications. By the end of the course the students’ English had improved, their confidence had grown, and they had made new friendships, providing mutual support throughout the 10 days. Maz observed “to watch them grow in confidence and have a better understanding of what it takes to live and work in the UK was fulfilling and they also taught me about their countries and their lives, the hardships and what they had to overcome to get to the UK. I wish them a happy future in the UK, they were honestly one of the best groups I have had the pleasure of teaching.” The comments below were made by three of the students about the course and what they got out of it.
We have some great new opportunities to volunteer with us.
On our management team we are looking for a Treasurer and Safeguarding lead and at a more operational level help with IT and book-keeping. Pop over to our Volunteer page for job descriptions or follow our new LinkedIn pages Interested? We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us at [email protected] We’ve been busy contacting all 12 of Hertfordshire's MPs since the general election to showcase our work and appeal for a better asylum system.
It was great to meet with new MP for Hemel Hempstead David Taylor (pictured above middle with representatives from HWR) recently, who said: “It's right that our Labour government will speed up asylum applications so that people are not left in limbo. I will also be pushing for a system that treats people with dignity, and addresses the problems in the system that leaves charities like Herts Welcomes Refugees picking up the pieces.” And two local volunteers were invited to address members of Welwyn Hatfield Labour Group, including newly-elected MP Andrew Lewin. They showed great interest in our work, particularly the support we give to asylum seekers in two local hotels, and were keen to know what help they might be able to offer. This is a dialogue we intend to continue and we have already received several expressions of interest to help! In Stevenage Kevin Bonavia contacted us for a very productive meeting. Kevin is the co-chair with Baron Alf Dubs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees so was keen to learn of our experiences of current issues. We were able to let him know about concerns across the county such as the speedy roll-out of e-visas and the dearth of local legal aid immigration lawyers as well as the situation at the local asylum seeker hotels which he hopes to visit.
Thank you so much to Tomasz for riding to London to Brighton in aid of Herts Welcomes Refugees!
Do sponsor Tomasz to help us raise much needed funds to continue to help welcome #refugees in #Hertfordshire: https://gofund.me/d97afd7c |
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