Refugee Support - Peer Educator Volunteer (ESOL-Ashton-Q2-27)

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants? You could help them to draw on their own strengths to cope with crisis and to rebuild their lives. The British Red Cross is a volunteer led organisation and the UK’s largest independent provider of services and support for refugees and people seeking asylum. As a Peer Educator volunteer, you will be helping newly arrived refugees and their family members through the stressful and challenging time of not only moving to a new area but a new country as well. As part of a team, Peer Educators develop and present life skill programmes to help people adjust to life in the UK. ## **We would like you to:** - Volunteer every Thursday for 2 hours (flexible between 10:00-14:00) - Volunteer for a minimum of 12 months - Be able to deliver English (ESOL) classes to non-English speakers - Teaching experience is desirable but not essential ## **We would be particularly interested to hear from you if you are (or have been) an asylum seeker or refugee.** ## Diversity is something we celebrate, and we want you to be able to bring your authentic self to the Red Cross. We want you to feel that you are in an inclusive environment, and a great position to help us spread the power of kindness. **Health and Safety Statement** We take an individual approach to ensuring your safety. We may ask you to complete a simple risk assessment and will also have a conversation with you to discuss and identify any adjustments you may need. If you have any questions before applying, please contact us at volunteerrecruitment@redcross.org.uk
Why we want you: Our Peer Educator volunteers help refugees and their families to get to know their area and community to help them to settle in confidently. They are empathetic, professional and help people to gain independence and confidence through our programme. You will be friendly and welcoming, helping to make people comfortable. You will use your own experience to support and empathise with people’s situation, helping to make it easier for them to adjust to life in the UK. As a Peer Educator volunteer, you will be able to keep the people you help at the heart of what you do, supporting the Red Cross to understand people’s needs and the difference we can make.

• Tasks: Planning and delivering educational programmes for refugees and their newly arrived family members
  
  Creating presentations and workshops to help people really understand life in the UK (for example: how to access health care, education etc)
  
  Signposting people to other support
  
  Providing information about people’s rights and entitlements in the UK
  
  Providing language support
  
  Helping with other admin tasks

• Skills: Strong communication skills and empathetic about the situation and needs of refugees
  
  Able to use your own experience of migration to support others
  
  Able to sensitively communicate and build understanding of cultural differences and barriers and how people may overcome them.
  
  Able to use emotional support skills in a calm and responsible manner
  
  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 (such as Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic and Kurdish Sorani)
  
  Experience of providing language support would be useful
  
  Emotionally resilient as you may need to deal with challenging or difficult situations

• Benefits: 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
  
  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
  
  Build your confidence while gaining professional skills and experience in developing and delivering workshops and group sessions