The main ways in which people can help Asylum Welcome are: You can become a member and/or give us a donation towards our work (standing orders help us to plan our finances); you can get involved in our advocacy and campaigns activities; you can invite our speakers to address your group and tell them about the reality of individuals and families seeking asylum in the UK; you can sign up to offer your time and skills as a volunteer - see below; or you may be able to help us with a grant. You can also use the information that is provided through our networks to address dis-information and negative stereotypes of asylum seekers and to educate our community about the issues that make people flee their homes to seek refuge in a safe country.

Volunteering

We are a voluntary organisation and we depend upon our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters to provide a wide range of services. Currently we have over 100 active volunteers involved in a number of home-based and office-based positions.

Specific jobs sought

We are currently seeking to fill the following voluntary roles:

- a volunteer Membership Secretary to develop Asylum Welcome's membership and support base, for example committed giving by individuals to Asylum Welcome - good knowledge of Microsoft Access needed, and willingness to invest time in building relationships with our supporters

- people to help organise fundraising events for Asylum Welcome's members, supporters and the general public

- individuals or groups to clear, tidy and maintain our office premises, garden, and the immediate surrounds

- volunteer to assist with our recruitment and induction programme, must be able to use Microsoft Access or commit to Microsoft Access training, and relate well to a wide range of people. Customer service or human resources experience would be an advantage

- somebody to gather, collect and take clothes and other essential items to detainees in Campsfield House (would need to be able to travel between the office and Campsfield House in Kidlington - expenses would be reimbursed for car use, bike use or use of public transport)

There are also a number of volunteering opportunities that are open for recruitment throughout the year:

- Join our network for letter writing. If you are interested in getting involved in advocacy work or supporting local campaigns and would like to join our network group for writing letters, please send us your contact details and we will add you to our advocacy mailing list.

- Join our visitors providing support to detainees in Campsfield. In particular, We are keen to recruit volunteers who speak the following languages: Farsi, Dari, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish or Urdu.

For more information on any volunteering opportunities, please contact Dal at volunteer@asylum-welcome.supanet.com.