Back in 2019, Sarli (our then Coordinator) launched a fantastic new project called Help into Volunteering which, as the name suggests, was a brilliant scheme aimed and supporting refugees and asylum seekers into voluntary positions across the district. So far, Help into Volunteering has been co-delivered with The Volunteer Centre and saw people supported through the often confusing and challenging process of finding voluntary activity. The project also provided some clarity around what information some host organisations are missing, and the kind of support they may need moving forward. This year we are relaunching the programme,  offering two types of training:

The Volunteer Course

Training delivered for refugees and those seeking asylum to gain knowledge confidence and local contacts, supporting them into volunteering roles in Bradford.

The Host Course

Training for organisations, charities and businesses in Bradford to help inform and prepare them to host refugees and asylum seekers as volunteers with them.

The Volunteer Course will be delivered as part of Bradford City of Sanctuary’s general activity by Coordinator Mike Auger. In normal times, this course will be delivered at local agencies (such as BIASAN and The Millside Centre) where large groups of people already meet, at the most appropriate time for them. These sessions will end with BCoS collecting the participants’ contact details and forwarding them onto the Volunteer Centre for recruitment and further advice.

The Host Course would be offered out to local agencies at a fair and reasonable cost, in addition to BCoS’ general activity.

There have been some inevitable delays due to the Covid Pandemic, but we are delighted to announce that  we will be running  the first sessions in January 2021. We’ll be sure to keep you posted!