Support to People Seeking Asylum and the Promotion of Refugee Rights

We have worked with Reading Refugee Support Group on education and training events, exploring how awareness and understanding of the rights of refugees can strengthen communities and help to secure the rights of all community members.

People seeking asylum experience multiple and complex challenges including access to language learning, employment and training opportunities and community integration. Many people experience significant mental health challenges which further complicates access to services and support. From our unit in Reading we have been facilitating language learning, access to volunteering opportunities and excursions into the community and the surrounding countryside. Our volunteers have worked alongside people to help advocate for housing, for college courses, for medical referrals and other essential support.  A strong network of local organisations and individuals has enabled us to deliver this work; we have benefited from the use of a mini-bus for days out, in-kind donations from local businesses and free tickets to social events for the people with whom we work.  This programme of activities, including the rent of our Reading unit, has been supported by an Awards For All grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.