See what our volunteers have done
A Centrepoint mentee's experience:
I first moved to the UK aged 16 as a refugee from
Eritrea. When I got to London I was homeless. I felt that
without my own home I couldn't go anywhere with my life. I was
then referred to Centrepoint and it felt like home. After
living there for about ten months I was offered a mentor and
started meeting with John once a month.
John was very friendly, professional and knew the world. He
helped me believe that I could really be something and gave me
confidence in myself. He helped with my studies and English
skills as well as building my CV.
After 12 months my match with John ended and in that time my
confidence had grown and I had learnt to recognise my strengths and
weaknesses. I was able to focus more and my communication
skills had improved a lot.
I began meeting my new mentor Andrew a short while after my
match ended with John. I recently had an interview for a job,
Andrew helped me practise my interview technique and called me
before the interview, which helped me feel better about it, and I
got the job!
London now feels like home to me and I am happy here but I
couldn't have got to where I am now without Centrepoint.
Richard's Volunteering Story
Richard is retired but volunteers for Centrepoint one day each
week as a Refugee Support Worker. After a career in local
government finance and having worked with refugees and asylum
seekers in Southend for eight years, Richard decided to use his
expertise and time productively by volunteering at Centrepoint.
As a refugee support worker, Richard's main responsibility is to
make contact with the asylum seekers and refugees living in
Centrepoint services and respond to whatever their needs may
be.
Refugee's needs are often diverse and wide-ranging, and this
makes Richard's role responding to their problems continually
different and stimulating. His most common tasks involve offering
immigration and benefits advice, helping refugees and asylum
seekers to complete any necessary documentation or improve their
English and also to help resolve any personal issues.
For refugee's preparing to sit the British citizenship tests,
Richard is there to assist them, which usually entails taking mock
citizenship tests online. If a young person is about to submit an
application for employment, Richard proof reads it. Refugees and
asylum seekers have the same issues as other young people but often
have additional problems too and Richard's aim is to ease such
difficulties.
Richard admits that volunteering for Centrepoint is a rewarding
experience and it ensures that he is making himself useful in
retirement.
Youth Volunteering Project: Frederick Street
Garden
A group of youth volunteers came together in April to redesigned
the gardening at one of services planting vegetables and herbs for
the young people.
The aim of the project was to create a space where young people
could engage with the natural environment. The vegetables and herbs
will be used in the young people's cooking and catering
workshops.
We are looking forward to seeing the plants flourish in the
summer months!
Take me back to the Volunteering
Opportunities