Introduction from the Trustees
The seismic events of the winter that were bookended by the UK and US withdrawal from Afghanistan and culminated in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had many knock-on effects for small organisations like our own. In this quarter’s newsletter you will see much evidence of how we have reacted with our usual nimble and focused approach to welcoming and meeting the ever evolving needs of refugees, as cohorts from Afghanistan and Ukraine arrive in our local communities.
Since the spring, we have been rolling up our sleeves and doing what we are good at – bringing the capabilities and passion of our volunteers to critical points in the support system, deploying our experience and know-how where it is most needed, and leveraging the network of relationships we have developed with other agencies and partners. This quarter’s newsletter is a record and testimony to how we continue to do that in ways that always deliver a concrete impact with the refugees themselves.
We like to reveal the inner details of the work we do – two of our key ESOL English teachers in teaching English through ESOL, Hilary Wright and Susanni Jameson, give personal accounts of the work they do in proving English language teaching and support. You will see how the work they do seamlessly connects with supporting refugees in finding employment, which is so key to achieving successful settlement in our communities. We also welcome a new volunteer, Anne Downing, whose career has included a period working in Jobcentres, which will give us insider expertise that will bolster our successful employment programme further.
I think you will enjoy reading the respective accounts of both Iman and Mhairi, two of our newly recruited community team in North Hampshire, who have both been on the receiving end of our RRN work and are now applying their own personal experiences in ways that benefit other refugees in the local area. They also provide specific support in youth work and digital communications for RNN. This not only reflects our success but it also enhances our ability to strengthen the work we do by leveraging the knowledge and passion of the refugees we have supported – it is another milestone in the journey of still relatively young organisation.
Emily provides a new update on the RRN Youth Discovery Project which I believe touches the heart of so many of our readers and supporters, but also highlights the web of partnerships we draw on that helps deliver such amazing experiences, in this case those with the South Downs National Park, Nordson, and Bedales School.
As ever, we welcome some new volunteers to the RRN community – Steve Bradley who will be helping us with our publishing and communications, and Sophie Pettifer, who will be joining as a trustee. Sophie is a leading PR and communications professional based in London, who also has a strong track record in volunteering for refugee charities. Sophie will be sharpening up our approach to PR and communications, as well as our campaigning and advocacy efforts. We are really looking to having her on board.
Finally, Kath Lawrence provides some insight into our established practice of being a learning organisation and explains how this has made us resilient and adaptable – two essential strengths in today’s volatile world.
I would like to thank Ant for ably stepping into the treasurer role while we looked for a replacement for Geoff, and I would like, on behalf of all the RRN stakeholders, to express our deep gratitude to our volunteers and supporters for their ongoing dedication and help. I wish everyone a happy late summer while hoping that we get just a little more rain.
Ian Bell on behalf of RRN Trustees
CEO’s Report
Housing
Andy Crowe, our Head of Housing, has been supporting a landlord to purchase a two bedroom rental property to offer sanctuary to a refugee family.
We are also currently looking for a 1 bedroom rental flat at a LHA rate (Local Housing Allowance) in the Havant or Petersfield area for a young Syrian couple who need rehousing. Please contact us at hello@ruralrefugeenetwork.org if you can help.
Ukraine – The Homes for Ukraine Scheme
The RRN provided grants to help families with the cost of essential items such as clothing, work clothes, and school uniforms. We have also made 3 grants for laptops for educational purposes and a mobile phone required for an interpreter job (the grants were kindly secured through ASDA).
Kay made a successful appeal for spare IT equipment to enable refugees to access the internet, a basic necessity for people today, and also for charities – as Kay summarised in her response to the batch of iPhones, iPads, laptops and desktops that were donated: ‘Hugely useful for online lessons as well as maintaining contact with family and friends back home in Ukraine. Generous people donated and helped them connect. Facebook is a great resource for us when looking for items; a recent call for a sewing machine got us one for an Afghan family and previously we had a very successful call out for baby/new mum equipment for another refugee family. Stay in touch with our Facebook page, there will be other needs!’
We have also received 50 SIM cards generously provide by Vodafone for Ukrainians in the East Hampshire and Havant area. The cards are Pay as You Go SIMs, with 20GB data, plus unlimited calls and texts for a period of six months. Please contact hello@ruralrefugeenetwork.org for further information on how to get a card.
The RRN continues to work closely with East Hampshire (https://www.easthants.gov.uk/
ukraine) and local stakeholders (eg https://www.pfresourcehub.org.
A deeper dive into RRN’s ESOL provision for Ukrainian refugees – A perspective from Susanni Jameson, ESOL teacher
This programme was planned as a ‘stopgap’ provision before ESOL College courses begin in September. The programme started on 15th June with two English classes for adults of all ages, one for beginners and one for learners at an intermediate level; they run twice a week and each session is one and a half hours. Their ability levels have been identified based on feedback about the need for Ukrainian learners settling in the Petersfield area. Both classes are full with 15 people in each class.
The sessions are structured by topics and their related vocabulary, such as talking about yourself, making conversation, routine and everyday activities, jobs, health, leisure etc., as well as studying grammar and practicing specific language skills. Class activities and tasks involve speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and homework (and associated feed-back) as an opportunity for reinforcement and consolidation.
Two students have written about their experience of the sessions so far:
“English lessons are very necessary for us Ukrainians refugees, as it is very difficult to adapt to society without knowledge of the language. We learn the language with pleasure and passion. We have great teachers. Lessons are held in a friendly atmosphere, in a wonderful team. I would like more classes.”
“Our lessons are very useful and interesting. I really improve my English skills. Our teacher uses a different teacher’s method for studying, for instance, interactive games, and listening to different audios. She also pays a lot of attention to grammar and homework. It’s an inspiration to learn. And finally, we all have different levels of English but lessons are structured in such a way that we don’t notice it. It’s very important when you feel comfortable in the lessons. We are very grateful to everyone for the opportunity to attend English classes. Thank you.”
Hilary and I have both really enjoyed putting together and delivering the 8-week course. We have found all our Ukrainian students eager to learn and work hard which has made it a thoroughly rewarding experience.
A perspective from Anne Downing, RRN volunteer, on employment support
RRN also held a specific session for writing CVs and understanding and navigating the universal credit and employment process. This was delivered by Anne Downing, who has worked in the employment sector and has recently joined RRN as a volunteer.
Anne says…
‘I wanted to get involved with the Rural Refugee Network as I recognise how connected we all are with people in other countries, that they are people just like me and my family and friends. John Donne’s poem “For whom the bell tolls” has always seemed to me an obvious and comforting truth, also the saying “There but for the grace of God go I.” I wanted to help. When I count back it seems I have done quite a range of jobs in my life, and when Nadia heard that included a 5-year stint working in a Jobcentre, the rest seemed obvious. I’m also pleased to be meeting such lovely people from another country. I look forward to being able to do more.’
‘Working in the Jobcentre I came to realise that what was needed by motivated people was often the tiny administrative details, and the general picture of how seeking work is a big and complex job and benefits from being approached that way. That’s what I was aiming to do in this first session, and hopefully we can build on that for specific job sectors.’
Community Team Volunteers
In the last few months, RRN started supporting 2 new Afghan families in North Hampshire. We are now supporting 6 Afghan families and we continue to give support to Syrian families for specific needs.
Suzanne Feak, Team Leader, talks about the last two years and our recent work supporting Afghan families:
‘Two Saints have been working closely with RRN for the past 2 years, where we have been able to signpost clients from national government schemes including the Syrian VPRS, and the programmes designed for Afghan refugees, ARAP and ACRS, to RRN for support in a range of different ways. This has included their Education and Employment programme; the most recent success has been RRN’s support of a client in gaining work experience in painting and decorating. Our client impressed the employer so much that, despite the client’s lack of English, he has now been offered a temporary part-time job over the summer. This is hugely positive as it enables the client to develop his English skills on the job, increasing his self-confidence and his financial independence.
We have also been able to signpost clients to RRN for English language support, including clients who typically find it more difficult to access English classes – for example, women with babies or young toddlers, who cannot often attend English learning courses in Hampshire as only a handful have a crèche. This support is still in its early phases, yet we can already see the positive effect it is having, as these clients are now more easily able to meet regularly with an RRN volunteer to practice their English, and we see them grow in confidence, which in turn enables them to better integrate into UK life. It is a pleasure to work with RRN to support our clients, and we thank them for all their support and hard work!”
Iman and Mhairi, two of our newly recruited Community Team Volunteers in North Hampshire, talk about their experience of joining RRN and supporting a family in their local area:
‘Hi, my name is Iman. I am a Community Team Volunteer with the RRN. Coming from a refugee and asylum seeker background, I have a personal and professional interest in working with refugees. Having been a refugee in Hampshire, I am well versed on the issues that affect those dispersed here and aim to provide as much effective support as I can. I have so far enjoyed assisting a newly settled refugee family in North Hampshire. My work with the family is person-led, which has allowed us to create a ‘community plan’ that encompasses the specific needs of the family, including addressing English learning, specific cultural and religious needs in the area, and assisting with access to hobbies and activities. The family I assist is not from the same country as I am, but despite this I recognise the issues that need to be addressed for families housed in Hampshire. As such, I have learned so much about adaptation, boundaries, and ultimately how the RRN fits within that. I have also had the opportunity to assist with the fantastic Youth Discovery Project. I am deeply passionate about refugee (and asylum seeker) issues, and I have so far immensely enjoyed working with Nadia and the team to achieve certain goals.’
‘Hi Newsletter readers! My name is Mhairi and I have been a volunteer with the Rural Refugee Network since around February this year. I first got involved with the Rural Refugee Network after moving to a more rural area near Basingstoke and wondering what I could do to assist refugees and asylum seekers in these areas. After meeting Nadia and the team at Rural Refugee Network, I’ve been lucky enough to become a community support volunteer and each week visit a local family that has been relocated to this area. As a general volunteer, I’ve also helped update the website and track updates following the Russia-Ukraine war. Volunteering with RRN is a fantastic experience that has shown me the power community support and networks can have!’
Finally, we would also like to thank Bedales School for developing a 1-2-1 bespoke programme for a young Afghan waiting for a college space. The programme consisted of weekly English and Maths lessons, outdoor work, and meeting with similarly aged Bedales students which our young Afghan enjoyed.
Nadia Potts, CEO
Finance
This should be my last report as temporary Treasurer, a role I have filled for almost two years. We have found a very suitable and willing volunteer who will be taking over in the next few weeks and is well qualified to handle our finances. I will introduce him when he is in post, and I will revert to my role as a RRN trustee. We have finally closed the account on the art sale and walk, which reached a few hundred pounds short of £50,000 in total. As well as supporting ESOL work and the Youth Discovery Project, which has its own funding, we have been making grants to incoming Ukrainians to help the with their initial expenses and have now distributed around £1,750 between 10 arriving families.
Our spend rate has increased as we reach out to more families and become involved in more projects. While our balance is presently in good health, and we have sufficient funds for the medium term, we do rely on ongoing fundraising to keep things going. I would like to thank all our stalwart regular donors as well as the one off donations that are always appreciated and essential.
Anthony Thistleton-Smith, acting Treasurer
The RRN is a learning organisation
The RRN is a learning organisation and has several project evaluations underway. I will be evaluating the bespoke eight-week ESOL programme for Ukrainians through a brief online survey and a focus group with learners. This will take place during the final classes in August.
The South Downs Youth Discovery Project held an evaluation focus group with the young people during their day out at the beautiful Alice Holt Forest on 16th July. They had just been on a nature walk and forest bathing activity led by the Active Forest Co-ordinator, with thankfully cool weather despite the high temperatures that weekend. After some much-needed refreshment, we explained the focus group activity carefully to the young people in the Activity Centre’s meeting room. Questions answered and consent forms signed, the young people discussed, in small groups, photos of the places they had visited during the project, which included Arundel Wetland Centre and town, the Weald and Downland Museum, Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium, a cyanotype workshop, a scent-making workshop and a residential at the Sustainability Centre. They expressed what their days out together since December have meant to them, which activities they have preferred and what else they would like to do, overwhelmingly confirming the value of the friendship, support, safety, and enjoyment they have experienced. This input from the young people will be combined with interviews with leaders and volunteers and a survey capturing input from key workers and workshop leads, in an evaluation report to be produced in the Autumn.
Kath Lawrence, Trustee
Education and Employment Programme
The RRN Education and Employment Programme has just completed its 5th Project. For this programme, the RRN has been supporting three Afghan refugee men based in Southeast Hampshire. The project aimed to match the interests and experience of each learner to find work experience and local employment opportunities or investigate a new career pathway or college course. The focus was to develop language skills as well as the knowledge and confidence that the candidates needed to begin to find employment locally. The project offered bespoke, flexible support within the framework of three sessions a week for 8 weeks. In developing the 5th project, the RRN recognised the need to build on the specialist expertise gained from previous projects. The candidates all received careers guidance and were supported to produce a CV, develop confidence to apply for work experience, navigate the local job market, and understand how to apply for a job. The RRN continued to develop more community links with new volunteers and local businesses that may offer work experience, however following on from the impact of COVID 19, work experience was difficult to find for all candidates. All three participants have different levels of English, interests, abilities, and needs.
Learner 1 wanted to continue to work as a painter as this was his profession in Afghanistan where he worked in the British Embassy. Facilitator Hilary and community volunteer Stella really admired his commitment in beginning to learn English from scratch. He learned vocabulary needed for working as a painter, numbers, reading the time, and how to answer questions to give personal information. He was able to join a local painter and decorator for some work experience who was so impressed with his enthusiasm and hard work that he has been offered part time work. He is now registered as self-employed and has his own UTR number. The RRN will continue to support and help him to submit his tax return at the end of the year.
Learner 2 previously worked for the British and American forces. His English is good, and he was keen to investigate all options that might offer him a new career opportunity locally that matched his skill set and interests. He was keen to retrain as a plumber and he has successfully applied for and been accepted at Havant and South Down College on a part time Plumbing course. He is also completing a level 2 Health and Safety Training for Employees online. He said: ‘It is very interesting and very positive, not only the work environment but also it is good for my life, I learned a lot for my eight weeks lessons.’ He also applied for and was given a Grant by RRN to cover the cost of a provisional driving license, the driving theory test, 4 lessons and a driving test. He is now almost ready to take his theory test.
Learner 3 was a translator at the British Embassy. He is very keen to return to employment as soon as possible to support his young family. He has already found part time cleaning work but is motivated to develop his career to match his skills and background in engineering. He is very motivated, ambitious, resourceful and has applied for and been accepted at Havant and South Down College on a part time level 2 Diploma in maintenance and light vehicle repair. He wrote: ‘I would like to say thank you for RNN assistance during this extremely difficult time in our lives. It is greatly appreciated. Please thank everyone. It is great there are people that care so deeply for the people who are in need. Thank you very much for your extremely generous donation to me and my family. I would like to say thank you for short course that was provided by RNN, it was very useful and interesting and a special thank you to Hilary for her useful information and lessons. She is always supporting me. I would like to express my gratitude to her for their hard work and support and I always remember her in my life.’
After 8 intensive weeks, all participants now have a definite plan for September and a clear idea of their next steps towards finding work or accessing training in line with their career goals. The Afghan families are now all looking forward to a summer picnic at Petersfield Lake to meet each other.
Hilary Wright, Teacher and Facilitator
Youth Discovery Project
After a break in April for Ramadan, the South Downs Youth Discovery Project group headed off to the beautiful setting of the Sustainability Centre in East Meon for three days of outdoor learning and adventure. The residential gave the boys the opportunity to fully immerse with nature – walking over the South Downs, and practice a range of activities including wood carving, foraging, bat detecting, and film making. They learned about biodiversity, wildlife, sustainability in building design, woodlands and forest skills, energy and resources, and team building.
The boys had a hugely fun night of singing and ukulele playing around the campfire joined by local band Ukes of Hazard. We were joined by youth worker Sean who taught the boys some guitar and jammed on the drums. It was a fabulous escape into the green and lush beauty of the South Downs. Thank you to the fabulous sustainability staff and to Lily Vetch for coming all the way from London to introduce film making.
To kick start Refugee Week, we went to East Harting to explore the local landscape and learn how to make cyanotype prints with RRN volunteer and host for the day Katy Vetch. Perfumer Ezra-Lloyd Jackson ran a workshop on scent making, teaching the boys how to build a formula out of the various “notes” from the South Downs including grass, honeysuckle, young forest, and lavender….The workshops were fun and relaxing but also nurturing and therapeutic. It was very poignant that some of the boys named the scent after their mothers.
Thank you, Katy, Ezra and Rema for creating a beautiful day for our young people who thoroughly enjoyed their time in the glorious setting of Ladymead. Many thanks as ever to the SDNP and Nordson for their generous funding of the project and to Bedales School for providing transportation.
Emily Mott, RRN Trustee
Refugee Week
The Petersfield School (TPS)
Steve Bradley has recently joined RRN after a long career in media and communications. He has hit the ground running by producing a successful press and social media story about RRN’s Refugee awareness training at TPS (we have included it below), designing the award certificates for employment training, and conducting a review of the RRN website, which he will be helping to improve in the coming months. Steve can help with media, copywriting, graphic design, opinion research and any other communications tasks or advice you may need. He can be contacted via media@ruralrefugeenetwork.
Refugee Week marked with pupil workshop
Around 200 TPS pupils marked Refugee Week by taking part in workshops on Tuesday 21 June. The workshops were jointly organised by Hannah Barwell of TPS and Katherine Lawrence and Milly Jonas of the Rural Refugee Network.
The presentations and exercises were designed to help pupils to understand and empathize with the difficulties faced by refugees and school age children in particular. Feedback from pupils raised the issue of “how unsafe it must feel to leave everything behind,” and the difficult choices that have to be made “when deciding to leave home and start schools somewhere where people have a different language, rules and customs.”
There were questions about how the Rural Refugee Network raises funds and helps people to settle, find help with English, placements at school, training, and employment.
Beth Blackman, who teaches history at TPS was delighted with the sessions. “We run workshops during Refugee Week every year but because of COVID it’s the first time we have been able to run them for a couple of years.”
“It’s really good that we can offer different perspectives that our pupils wouldn’t normally experience. As we have a few Ukrainian children in the school and so much on the news, the workshops are particularly pertinent this year.”
Milly, who was a TPS student from 2015 said:
“It is very exciting (and surreal) to come back and experience the energy of a TPS awareness and engagement programme from another angle. The passion of the students has been really inspiring.”
Mark Marande, Principal at the Petersfield School said: “We are delighted to be able to collaborate with the Rural Refugee Network in raising awareness of their important work.”
Steve Bradley, media volunteer for RRN
Our next Open Meeting for all our volunteers and supporters will take place on Monday, 19th September from 18.30 to 20.00 at St Laurence Church, 12 Station Road, Petersfield, GU32 3ED. More information to come soon.