Refugee Support Volunteer - Invercargill

New Zealand Red Cross Refugee Support Volunteers work in teams to provide support for former refugees as they embark on their resettlement journey. Teams are decided upon volunteer availability and they also try to match people with complementary skills.

After completing the training programme, volunteers begin their placement with the newly arrived family or individual. They then work in teams to provide support for up to three months - about 4 hours per week for the first month of their arrival and 1-2 hours for the next two months.

As a Refugee Support Person  you will be:

• Helping people navigate life in a new country.
• Setting up a home for a family or individual before they move in.
• Connecting people with schools, English classes, GPs, and other services.
• Assisting the family navigate the city or town using public transport.
• Learning about another culture and sharing your own.
• Being a friendly, welcoming presence.

What Training is involved?

All Refugee Support Volunteers take part in a comprehensive Training programme which is run in each of the settlement areas at varying times throughout the year.

Upcoming Invercargill Training Series:

• Thursday 21 November, 6PM to 8PM.
• Tuesday 26 November, 6PM to 8PM.
• Thursday 28 November, 6PM to 8PM.
• Tuesday 3 December, 6PM to 8PM.

If you want a rewarding experience where you can gain new skills, foster a positive and inclusive local community and meet new people, join the Red Cross Pathways to Settlement program as a Refugee Support Volunteer.

For more information and stories about the role, please visit https://www.redcross.org.nz/about-us/what-we-do/in-new-zealand/supporting-refugees/

Requirements

• Warm, friendly manner and enthusiastic.
• A genuine motivation to help and a willingness to learn about cultural differences/traditions/languages.
• Committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all staff and members of the public.
• You’ll need to be familiar with your local area, open to working cross-culturally.
• You’ll need to be flexible, resourceful and good at taking initiative.
• Two referee checks from people outside of your family.
• To apply for this role you will need to commit to volunteer for a period of 3 months.
• Need to commit to at least four hours a week for the first month, and 1-2 hrs following.

You can choose to continue with the same family for another 3 months.

A Police background check is required for this role.

Time commitment

• Training takes approximately 8 hours and is delivered over several evenings and/or weekends. Sometimes training courses are offered during the day.
• It's busiest during the first month (4 hours per week), but tasks are shared amongst your team.
• There are no set shift times for this role.
• The time you spend with a family will vary from week to week.
• You will share responsibilities with your team depending on your availability.

Getting started

The first step is to express your interest by filling out the form below. We will then put you in touch directly with the organisation for more information on the role and how to proceed.

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