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.
If you could be a JUMP befriender, visit https://www.hiasjcore.org/become-befriender-jump/
Volunteers will be required to meet with an unaccompanied asylum seeking or refugee young person fortnightly for at least one year; establish a warm, supportive friendship with the young person within JUMP befriending boundaries; and to help to build up the young person’s self-esteem and confidence.
A JUMP befriender will be someone the young person can talk to. They must be prepared to support the young person with a range of possible activities, such as: developing everyday life skills, getting around London, taking part in recreational or educational opportunities, applying for work experience or a job. They should be prepared to offer support with English, and where possible other types of academic work.
They must make time to travel, if necessary, within London to meet with the young person. While we try to match people who live reasonably close by, this is not always possible, and young people can often have precarious housing situations and move neighbourhoods. It is important to consider the travel time, as well as contact time, potentially involved in befriending.
A JUMP volunteer should be prepared to enjoy cultural/ sporting activities with the young person, and to take advantage of free entertainment and other opportunities in London.
They should regularly communicate with the project coordinator after meeting the young person, providing feedback once a month about activities undertaken and to attend supervision face-to-face twice a year.
They must submit monthly expenses incurred during the activities undertaken with the young person, and immediately alert the JUMP project coordinator or HIAS+JCORE Safeguarding Lead to any safeguarding (child and young person protection) issues.
Each volunteer befriender receives ongoing support from the JUMP project lead. If you are successful in becoming a volunteer befriender you will also become a member of the JUMP community. The JUMP community is made up of current volunteer befrienders and young people who meet every 3 months to take part in a wide range of activities.