Expert Seminar on Volunteering SHARE 13 & 14 October Maastricht 1
Forum réfugiés-cosi Presentation: - founded in 1982 in Lyon - merged in 2012 with Cosi-promoting human rights Missions: - Support for asylum seekers & beneficiaries of an international protection (accommodation, integration, legal, mental health) - Defence & promotion of the right to asylum & advocacy - Legal support & hotline for migrants held in administrative detention centres - Information & training for professionals - Information & awareness raising in countries of origin 2
Resettlement at Forum réfugiés-cosi Resettlement on an ad hoc basis since 2010 Permanent resettlement programme since October 2011 - Welcoming 12 families per year (up to 40 people) - Direct access to housing - Support by a dedicated social worker for one year After one year, possibility to follow up on the integration support through the «Accelair» programme for one more year: mainly professional integration 3
Volunteering at Forum réfugiés-cosi 108 volunteers registered in 2014 Main fields: - language courses - school support - asylum procedure support - administrative support - employment support Ongoing development of a volunteering strategy: - growing number of volunteers - big turnover - feedback from the volunteers: need for coordination 4
Volunteering for resettled refugees Main field of action: language learning Resettled refugees benefit from the language courses offered to all refugees Different types & formats: - classic courses adapted to the refugees levels - courses focusing on learning the highway code - classes focusing on specific professional language to accelerate access to employment 5
Volunteering for resettled refugees Other fields of action: Mainly administrative support & employment-related support: - Paperwork support - Introduction to the French labour market & opportunities - Development of job search techniques & networking - Simulated job interviews - Etc. 6
Volunteering for resettled refugees Why a specific programme: - Isolation of resettled refugees because of direct access to housing - Resettled refugees didn t get the chance to familiarise with France and can feel helpless before some daily situations - The single social worker has no time for this kind of support => SHARE visit to Sheffield & Manchester: inspired our volunteering programme 7
Volunteering for resettled refugees Programme divided in two areas: - Daily life volunteering: mentor system, matching one volunteer with one or two families. Tailored support depending on the families needs. Examples of actions: explain how household appliances work, accompany to the grocery store, show around the neighbourhood, etc. - Cultural volunteering: help refugees to discover and understand better their new environment. The idea is to organise cultural outings to discover Lyon and its surroundings, to get familiar with public transports and to socialise with others. It is also a way to encourage them speaking French. 8
Volunteering for resettled refugees Challenges: - Difficulty to find volunteers - Lack of time to properly manage volunteers - Questions raised regarding the use of the community - Cultural volunteering: complicated to organise within the 12 months of support since resettled refugees have to face many other obligations New global strategy: - Development of partnerships:. with the city s volunteer programme Tous Lyonnais, tous solidaires. with volunteers organisations - Organisation of a proper unit with a coordinator - Training opportunities 9
For more information: Lucile Perdrix lperdrix@forumrefugies.org Anne-Laure Alonso-Berier alalonso@forumrefugies.org Thank you for your attention SHARE 13 & 14 October Maastricht 10