Befriender for Young Refugees & Asylum Seekers

HIAS+JCORE is welcoming new volunteer befrienders for our JUMP project, which pairs unaccompanied young asylum seekers and refugees with a trained adult volunteer befriender.

At its heart, JUMP is about building sincere and supportive friendships. You'll meet fortnightly with a refugee or asylum-seeking young person for a year, and potentially beyond. Our volunteers provide informal support and friendship - and the impact is long-lasting and varied, depending on both people's interests.

As a volunteer, you’ll receive full training and a DBS check, and will be joining our JUMP community with events and activities throughout the year.

To apply please complete the form at:

https://www.hiasjcore.org/become-befriender-jump/

What skills do I need?

● Able to establish good relationships with young people.

● Able to use a non-judgemental, non-directive approach to working with young people.

● Empathy, sensitivity and patience

● Strong communication and listening skills.

● Reliable in making and keeping commitments, including arrangements to meet up.

● Aware of the needs of young people.

● Sympathy for the difficulties that asylum seeking/refugee children and young people face.

● Willing to enhance own awareness of the issues facing asylum-seeking and refugee children/young people through training.

● Aware of safeguarding and child protection issues, and:

Willing to enhance this through JUMP training.

Willing to follow JCORE’s safeguarding policy and procedures.

● Willing to ask for help when uncertain when befriending and to discuss the experience of befriending through regular updates and supervision.

About HIAS+JCORE

our mission HIAS+JCORE exists to enable refugees and asylum seekers to flourish as a part of a society free from xenophobia and racism. our values We are led by our Jewish values and history of Compassion (Rachamim), Responsibility (Arvut), Solidarity (Shlemut) and Partnership (Gishur). who we are For more than 50 years, JCORE (the Jewish Council for Racial Equality) has worked for a world free of racism and hate. In more recent years, this work increasingly has focused on supporting refugees and fighting the racism that they so often experience. Founded in the late 19th Century, HIAS is the world’s oldest refugee agency. Originally set up by Jews to help fellow Jews, guided by religious purpose and communal solidarity, HIAS today is a multi-continent, multi-pronged humanitarian aid and advocacy organisation with thousands of employees, dedicated to helping forcibly displaced people around the world in keeping with the organisation’s Jewish ethical roots. In 2023, HIAS+JCORE – a new partnership, bringing this work together in the UK – was launched. HIAS+JCORE remains an independent, UK registered charity, but one aligned with and benefiting from HIAS’ vast expertise and support.

When do I need to be available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Details

Volunteers will be required to meet with an unaccompanied asylum seeking or refugee young person fortnightly for at least one year, this will be at times which are convenient for the volunteer and the young person. To find out more information please email: [email protected] To apply please complete the application form here: https://www.hiasjcore.org/become-befriender-jump/