Refugee Resettlement Volunteers
What do Refugee Resettlement volunteer support workers do?
After successfully completing the volunteer support worker training course volunteers are assigned, in teams of up to four people, to support each refugee family/individual for the first six months in their new community.
The volunteers assist with:
- setting up homes;
- linking with Work & Income, schools, ESOL (English as a Second Language) courses, local doctors;
- orientation to their local community (facilities, public transport)
- ongoing support (hospital appointments, mail, Work & Income appointments, social visits);
- alerting Refugee Resettlement professional staff to special needs or issues.
What kind of people do you need?
Our volunteers come from a huge range of backgrounds. What we really need is people who enjoy meeting people from other cultures and would like to share their own; who want to help refugees adapt to live in NZ and who have time to spend with a refugee family/individual.
Do you need volunteers all over the country?
At present we can only train volunteers in the major resettlement centres of Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington/Hutt Valley and Christchurch.
Are there any special skills or knowledge required?
Volunteers should have good knowledge of NZ community links and organisations; reasonable English language and communication skills and be self- directed. They should also be able to work independently and as part of a team. The most important skills are an empathy with others and an openness to different cultures and peoples.