Volunteer Buddy Programme

 

Buddying is at the heart of what we do, matching local families with newly arriving people seeking refuge

 

Become a Buddy

Do you have knowledge and understanding of Hastings/Rother/Wealden and the local area? 

  • Do you have empathy and a willingness and to learn and understand challenges faced by people seeking refuge? 

  • Can you commit to 1 to 7 hours a month volunteering? 

  • Become a Buddy and give invaluable support to a newly arrived person seeking refuge 

Are you a person seeking refuge?

We can support you to explore your new town and begin your new life. 

  • We can ‘match’ you with a Buddy to help you get to know your new community 

  • Match you with a buddy to practice conversational English 

  • Employment preparation support - computer skills, CV writing, and interview skills. Our employment support is tailored to your aspirations and needs. 

  • Interpretation and translation. Language should not be a barrier.

How we got started

We started in Hastings in 2017, branching out in the Bexhill area in early 2019, and from May 2019 became active in Wealden as well. In 2020, we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Rossana Leal, the Founder and Director of the Charity, has a vision for how this can work to establish a real culture of welcome and hospitality towards our new fellow-citizens from her own experience of seeking refuge many years ago.

Volunteers get involved

Volunteers began working with people arriving on the Vulnerable Persons’ resettlement Programme (formerly the Syrian Resettlement Programme. People usually arrive direct from refugee camps with nothing. The Buddies help people prepare a new home and provide the warm welcome that helps people start a new life in a peaceful country.

 

Working with local authorities

The Buddy Project works closely with the Local Authorities and full-time, paid Case Workers deal with all education, health, housing, financial and other official matters. The adult refugees normally attend English classes five mornings a week and the children go to local schools.

Open to all, regardless of status

The Project now also works with the wider community of people seeking refuge in Hastings as part of the Home Office Asylum Dispersal Scheme, in which people are still in the process of claiming asylum. The support we offer does not depend on a persons’ immigration status, but those still in the process of claiming asylum often require additional financial and social casework support which we also provide.

Become a Buddy

Step 1

Complete the ‘Apply to Volunteer’ form on our website and wait to hear from us.

Apply to Volunteer

Step 2

Sign a Confidentiality Agreement and return a Character Reference.

Step 3

Attend an Induction meeting to find out all about our processes and ethos.