From Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th June, we’re celebrating Volunteers Week — a time to recognise the contributions that volunteers make to organisations like Voices in Exile, as well as other charities, social organisations and groups across the UK.
Volunteers’ Week was first established in 1984, and since then it has grown in popularity and is celebrated by many charities across the UK, with this year representing it’s 40th anniversary.
As well as recognising the contribution that millions of volunteers make to society, the initiative also highlights the many benefits that volunteering also brings for those who do it. From building connections and learning new skills, to improving wellbeing and uncovering new talents, volunteering is a highly rewarding experience for those who get involved.
Throughout the week, we want to highlight the positive impact that volunteers have for our service users, staff, and local community through donating their time, effort and talents.
Read on to learn more about the history of volunteering at Voices in Exile, and how volunteers support us in delivering our services.
Volunteers at the heart of Voices in Exile since our early days
Did you know that Voices in Exile started out 19 years ago as a grassroots organisation completely run by volunteers?
The organisation was set up in 2005 to address the urgent need for practical support and legal advice for refugees and vulnerable migrants in Brighton and Sussex.
In the early days, we were run entirely by volunteers, with different backgrounds and skillsets, who donated their time to enable us to deliver our services. We became registered as a charity in 2009, and became OISC-accredited in 2011, so that we could deliver immigration advice and casework up to Level 2. We now work with around 700 clients a year, providing specialist legal advice to those otherwise unable to access justice, as well as many other holistic support services.
A growing network of volunteers support service users in many ways
As Voices in Exile has grown over the years, we’ve taken on a team of paid staff to meet our evolving needs, but we still work with a network of 55+ volunteers to support us with service delivery.
Our volunteers, several of whom are also service users, provide additional capacity in every area of our work, such as:
- Casework and immigration: helping with paperwork and accompanying our clients to appointments; supporting with immigration applications
- Skills and employability: English practice, CV writing, job searches, enrolment on training courses
- Food bank: processing donations, packing food, providing destitution information, driving to pick up and drop off deliveries
- Groups: encouraging participation, friendship, integration and information
- Resettlement: preparing accommodation for new arrivals, opening bank accounts, GP registration
- Communications and events: support with marketing, social media, website management and organising or running events
- Finance and admin: office support with finance and admin to keep things running smoothly
Offering our service users the chance to get involved with volunteering
Our evolution from a grassroots organisation — in which service users chose the charity’s name and aims — has established a collaborative approach that involves our clients in both developing and delivering our services. No one can better understand the needs and experiences of refugees, migrant and displaced people than those who have lived it themselves.
Our service users are encouraged to get involved with volunteering with Voices in Exile if they would like to. Supporting and training people to become volunteers can help develop English skills, build confidence, boost employability, and expand social networks.
Supporting our volunteers to make a positive impact
Our Volunteer Coordinator, liaises with staff to assess current needs and then recruits, trains and supports our network of volunteers. As well as making sure that Voices in Exile staff have the teams of volunteers they need, Sue works closely with the volunteers themselves to make sure that their experience is rewarding and positive too.
Our Volunteer Coordinator commented, “We rely heavily on our volunteer base, and I strive to make each and every volunteer feel included, appreciated, and supported. I believe volunteering opportunities should be an accessible path for everyone to get involved in their local community and support the integration of service users into the world of volunteering and the benefits that this offers to them.”
Thanks to our network of volunteers, who successfully support our core staff, our capacity to help clients is greatly increased. This means more people make progress towards secure immigration status and are reunited with family in the UK. It means that more people have access to accommodation, food, financial support, healthcare, education and training, skills development, English classes, technology and knowledge of local services.
Celebrating the many benefits of volunteering
People are drawn to volunteering for many different reasons. For some, it’s a chance to build confidence, develop new skills and make new connections. For others, it might be a way to take action to support a cause they care about or use their expertise to make a positive impact in society.
One of our volunteers, Aisha, said “I chose to volunteer with Voices in Exile because as an immigrant myself I feel an affinity with refugees and asylum seekers. I find it rewarding supporting my clients, giving them more confidence.”.
Another volunteer, Garry, commented, “The reward is in supporting refugees to continue their lives, in the UK, to the best of their abilities, feeling they have positive support if they need and in balancing out a little, the negative environment here.”
And another volunteer said, “The sense of community is a significant benefit of volunteering here – with volunteers and staff members around you who truly care about asylum seekers. I am excited to be a part of this community.”
Whatever path leads you to volunteering, the benefits and rewards are significant. This Volunteers Week, and every other week, we celebrate our amazing volunteers for the invaluable contributions they make to our organisation.