Last month and as part of its program of events during Volunteers Week, W3RT CVS hosted a workshop for voluntary organisations to help them to understand how to engage asylum seekers and refugees around volunteering. The workshop was based on the guidance document provided Hertfordshire County Council’s Community & People Wellbeing Team and had three aims: 

1. To ensure attendees understood the definitions of asylum seekers and refugees and the legal guidance involved in engaging those groups in volunteering 
2. To understand some of the common challenges of engaging asylum seekers and refugees in volunteering and potential solutions for them 
3. To have an opportunity to ask the W3RT CVS team questions and to provide feedback 

Six local organisations attended, including Watford and Three Rivers Refugee Partnership, who shared their understanding and experience in supporting refugees and asylum seekers.  

During the workshop common misunderstandings amongst the attendees became evident such as: 

• Not understanding the legal definition of asylum seekers and refugees 

• Not being aware that DBS checks could be carried out despite not having all the available paperwork and/or relevant documents.  

As well as providing the attendees with a walkthrough of the guidance provided by Hertfordshire County Council, the workshop also allowed attendees an opportunity to share their own experiences working with asylum seekers and refugees. This was greatly appreciated as it allowed them to understand practical ways in which they could begin to work with asylum seekers and refugees.  

As the workshop concluded it became quite clear that this was just the beginning as organisations expressed interest in engaging local refugees and asylum seekers to promote their volunteering opportunities to them. Additionally, W3RT CVS discussed holding introductory workshops on the topic of volunteering so that asylum seekers and refugees who may benefit from volunteering could find out more.  

After the event, one attendee thanked W3RT CVS for holding the workshop and said that ‘it was extremely useful, and they would be keen to consider how they can incorporate asylum seekers and refugees into their volunteer pool.’ They added that ‘it was also good to meet other local voluntary organisations and discuss the challenges with other organisations who may have their own solutions’.  

W3RT CVS provides a range of free support to voluntary and community organisations in the Watford and Three Rivers area thanks to funding from Watford Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council. You can find out more about our services by clicking here and if you or your organisation would like support, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]