City of Sanctuary - Volunteer!
Posted on 25 June 2008 by Contributor
Leicester, City of Sanctuary has lots of ideas for events, activities and small projects, either to help raise awareness about asylum seekers and refugees or to better support those who are living in our community, and need more people to get involved in developing these ideas so if you are interested please get in touch, for example:
’speakers’ - we receive regular requests from organisations, groups, and schools, to go and talk to them about asylum seekers and refugees, and about Leicester, City of Sanctuary. We currently have a small group of people available as ’speakers’, who meet to share ideas and develop resources to use during talks - if you would like to join the group please let me know.
‘voucher exchange’ - many asylum seekers are issued supermarket shopping vouchers as their only means of buying food, toiletries, clothing etc, meaning they cannot make use of markets, charity shops, etc to make their limited income go further, and also meaning they do not have any access to cash, for example to catch a bus or to use a payphone. In other parts of the country there are projects where people who usually shop in supermarkets already can indirectly ‘exchange’ them, thereby giving an asylum seeker choice in where they do their shopping - but we need a small group of people to help us set up and run this project.
‘website development’ - we have our own section on the national City of Sanctuary website but are currently under-using this valuable resource - if you are interested in developing and regularly updating the information on the website please get in touch.
‘golden giver challenge’ - we have had an amazing response over the past few months when we have put out appeals for food and toiletries for the destitute asylum seekers supported by the British Red Cross, who provide approx. 150 food parcels each week to those denied access to housing and/or financial support, and also denied the right to work and support themselves. Because the need is ongoing, and as a way of encouraging and recognising those who give so generously, over Refugee Week we launched the Golden Giver Challenge - a challenge to get together with family, friends, colleagues, classmates etc, and over the period of a year donate 50 bags of food and other essential supplies to the British Red Cross (flyer below with more information) - this project has been launched but needs more people to get involved in it’s running and in taking it into schools and other groups.
‘refugee week 2009′ and other events - we are already thinking about future events, as far ahead as Refugee Week 2009 next June! - if you have ideas and/or would like to get involved in organising an event please let me know.
That’s it for now, if there is anything you would like more information on please get back to me
Gill Buttery
Development Worker
Leicester, City of Sanctuary
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