An initiative of in association with Steven Howlett Volunteering, Asylum and Health

Asylum Seekers & Refugees as Volunteers Organisational reasons to include asylum seekers and refugees as volunteers: -Business Reasons Enhanced effectiveness - draw on a wider pool of talent Becoming more representative of service users (pupils) Help reflect better the needs of the local community Enhanced access to funding focused on social exclusion -Ethical reasons Equity - volunteering for all

Volunteering, Asylum and Health Asylum Seekers & Refugees as Volunteers Individual reasons for asylum seekers and refugees to volunteer: -Employability Skills Experience and references -Integration Feeling part of the community Helping break down prejudices Overcome feelings of isolation -Family Better understanding of the education system Promoting rights and protecting interests of own children -Others benefits Empowerment (skills, knowledge and confidence) Mental and physical well-being

Volunteering, Asylum and Health What Research Tells Us Stopforth, 2001, The Effects of Volunteering on Refugees -Much volunteering is occurring within own communities -Those with higher educational qualifications are more likely to volunteer -Volunteering often stops after paid work is secured IVR, 2004, Volunteering for All? -Cross-cutting barriers, routes into volunteering, benefits of volunteering Ellis, 2004, Barriers to participation in school governance -Many of the issues identified with access to school governance were similar to those found in other volunteer-involving organisation Home Office Citizenship Survey 2001 and BME groups are represented as volunteers, but it is more likely that you will volunteer if born in the UK

Volunteering, Asylum and Health Barriers to Volunteering Psychological -The public image of volunteering -Fear of over commitment -Lack of confidence -Other people’s attitudes -Fear of losing welfare benefits Practical -The difficulty of finding out about volunteering opportunities -Over formal recruitment procedures -Poor follow-up of potential new recruits -Physically inaccessible environments -The costs of volunteering – transport and childcare

Volunteering, Asylum and Health Routes into Volunteering Tried and tested methods to reduce the barriers to volunteering: -Publicising the reality of volunteering – through a range of format and disseminated widely -Building relationships – with organisations and networks -Capacity building – open-days or running pre-volunteering courses -User-friendly recruitment – minimising form filling and replacing interviews with a ‘chat’ -Creating an inclusive environment – both social and physical -Fitting the job to the volunteer – modifying volunteer role to match the capabilities, needs and interests of individual volunteers -Providing meaningful support

Volunteering, Asylum and Health Implications Despite the potential impact of volunteering, it is not yet realising its potential Volunteering is itself subject to the forces of exclusion Volunteer involving-organisations (including educational institutions) face pressures against being inclusive There are a number of steps which volunteer-involving organisations can take to become more inclusive