Resources and Opportunities
The Partnerships of Hope conference brought together a range of people and organisations – each offering a wealth of knowledge and experience about working together for refugees and/or the skills that can help us do so.
Below we’ve placed:
- links to resources that can assist with communications skills and strategies
- links to websites recommended by participants
- information from participating organisations about specific opportunities to join in with their work
This is just a snapshot – for continuing information about resources and opportunities, please go to our ‘What We Work On – Refugees and Forced Migration’ page.
Resources to help with communications
NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) communications: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/practical-support/information/communications
Getting started with the media: https://knowhownonprofit.org/campaigns/communications/how-the-media-works
Pitching to journalists: https://knowhownonprofit.org/how-to/how-to-pitch-to-the-media
Top 10 media tips for charities from journalists: https://nfpsynergy.net/getting-message-across-top-ten-media-tips-charities-journalists
Some websites recommended by participants
Church Response for Refugees – https://www.forrefugees.uk/home/ – charity inspiring and equipping churches across the UK to actively welcome and support refugees
Journeymen Theatre – http://www.journeymentheatre.com/ – small-scale touring company, including performances about refugees
Migration Matters – http://migrationmatters.me/ – non-profit organization producing short videos and video courses challenging commonly held preconceptions around migration
Opportunities to join in
Asylum Welcome
- Become a supporter
One of the ways you can keep in touch with us is through our newsletter, please email us if you would like to hear from us. Our supporters can also set up a regular standing order by completing the attached form, and for those of you who didn’t manage to pick up our Annual Review, it can be found here - Fundraising
Raising vital funds among groups you are involved with. Even small amounts of cash help our clients, for example with buying food or providing a bus fare. If you would like to organise a fundraising event, we can supply publicity material. Please contact Emma for more info. - Volunteer
Full details of our current volunteering opportunities are listed on the our website, where you can download role descriptions and an application form. Most of our volunteer roles require a commitment of 12 months and availability during vacations. - Foodbank
Donations of food or toiletries to our food bank is always welcome – We have a poster detailing our current need, and a wish list list to order a direct delivery to our office if getting to our office is difficult. you can find this on our website. - Adopt- a-Room
We have new Syrian families arriving on the resettlement scheme – so we will be kept busy and need your help! Can you or your community group help to provide these families with a warm welcome?For the families that come to Oxford, we look to ensure their house is nicely sorted out, after all they arrive with little more than a suitcase each and with no money themselves. We are running an adopt-a-room scheme where different community groups and churches ‘adopt’ different rooms in the house to ensure a warm welcome for the families when they arrive.
If you might be able to help please get in touch with John on syrianresettlement@asylum-w
elcome.org or 07421 366337
British Red Cross
Take a look at this page to see opportunities for helping the British Red Cross’s work.
Christian Aid
Sixty million people have been forced from their home, and two-thirds of those people are still in their own country. Seeking safety but unwilling or unable to leave, they are denied the official protection given to refugees. The reasons for their displacement are many: conflict, flooding, drought, fear. Torn from their homes, their families and their communities, displaced people are among the most vulnerable to poverty and exploitation in the world.
At Christian Aid, we believe each one of us deserves respect and care. We believe all people should be protected from harm and have a chance to rebuild their lives. Many of the world’s displaced remain hidden or ignored. Will you read their stories and join us as we fight for a fair deal for all displaced people?
Please get in touch with Siobhan Grimes at sgrimes@christian-aid.org for information about hosting the Christian Aid art exhibition Uprooted, and take the online campaign action here: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/uprooted-overlooked/uprooted-overlooked-campaign-action
Sanctuary Hosting
Sanctuary Hosting matches homeless asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants (guests) to people in the community (hosts) with spare rooms and open hearts, to stay for free for an agreed period of time. Since its beginnings in 2015, Sanctuary Hosting has worked with over 80 households across the Thames Valley and through their kind-heartedness has accommodated 56 sanctuary seekers who otherwise would be homeless. With the help of funding from the Big Lottery, the scheme expanded in 2016 to run across the Thames Valley, we now have hosts in Oxford, Milton Keynes and Reading.
The service is entirely reliant on the generosity and time of our volunteer hosts and support workers, who help each placement to be safe and run smoothly. Sanctuary Hosting is effectively a platform for the community to make the Thames Valley a welcoming place for sanctuary seekers.
Could you offer your time, skills and passion to making a direct tangible difference through humanitarian action, as well as challenging injustice on a global scale? If so we want to hear from you! You can find out more on our website, on Facebook, or contact us on info@sanctuaryhosting.org, 07818 555 986 / 07378 302491.
