Northern Refugee Centre

Improving services and opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

We aim to provide a variety of volunteering opportunities, including;

• Volunteer mentors: We are recruiting volunteer mentors under the TimeBank Time Together Refugee Mentoring Scheme. Volunteer mentors will need to devote at least 5 hours a month to their mentee over a period of a year. Mentors help their mentee to feel more at home in the UK by sharing their knowledge and experience, and offering their friendship. This might mean doing anything from helping to write a CV, to visiting a museum or art gallery, to helping to practise English or explaining the peculiarities of British humour.
  
  You can contact us directly [e-mail or via the Timebank website which has more information on this scheme.
   
  
• Volunteer befrienders: matched one-to-one with particularly vulnerable refugees to help them overcome isolation, depression, difficulties of language and access to services. You can see a description of this scheme on the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation Website.
   
  Download our befriending scheme leaflet - front page (pdf 1.2Mb) / back page (pdf 1.1Mb)
   
  Befriending scheme referral form (Word doc. 29kb)- complete this form if you would like to refer a refugee or asylum seeker in the Sheffield and Doncaster areas to be matched with one of our volunteer befrienders.
   
  How the scheme works - download Befriending Scheme flow-chart (Word doc. 50Kb).
   
  E-mail if you want to become a volunteer befriender.
   
  
• Volunteer Advice Workers - following a training course and sitting-in with experienced advisers, you may undertake advice work, reception work, or administrative tasks with our Advice Service in Sheffield. You can e-mail our to express an interest
     
  
   
  
• Women's Conversation Club Volunteers - female volunteers help refugee and asylum seeking women to learn to speak conversational English, take part in group activities and support the running of the clubs. See our Women's Conversation Club pages for more details.

• Volunteer Interpreters - In conjunction with Voluntary Action Sheffield and NOMAD, we hope to be part of a scheme promoting opportunities for interpreters. Currently demand is being surveyed before funding for the scheme is sought.
   
• Working as an office volunteer on telephones, administration and co-ordination etc.. E-mail our
   
• REACT Project: refugees and asylum seekers are needed for this new project promoting the facts on refugees experiences. You may be carrying interviews with local radio, presentations to schools etc., professionals working with refugees and so on.
  See our REACT webpage, or .  

• The chance to make a real difference to people’s lives.
• Help with job search, interview skills and references (several of our volunteers have gone on to paid jobs)
• Flexibility around existing commitments.
• Training, new skills and qualifications.
• Payment of expenses.
• An opportunity to meet new people

ASSIST Sheffield
We are happy to support and recommend the work of ASSIST. They help destitute asylum seekers in and around Sheffield and welcome volunteers in their fundraising activities. See the ASSIST website for details.

ASSIST Rotherham
This is a new group, just started, and they also welcome volunteers for their service. Contact NRC for details of this group.

Sheffield Conversation Club
NRC works closely with Sheffield Conversation Club, which welcomes volunteers to help refugees and asylum seekers improve their spoken English, in a relaxed, group environment. For more information, please contact NRC’s , phone the Conversation Club mobile 07985 916683, or see their information leaflet (Word doc 1.4Mb)

Voluntary Action Sheffield
If you are a refugee in Sheffield and these opportunities do not interest you, then why not contact Voluntary Action Sheffield, who have a special Refugee & Asylum Seeker Project to help refugees into volunteering opportunities - see the VAS Website.