As part of Refugee Project, we worked alongside Westminster Befriend a Family, a charity concerned with the welfare and stability of families; providing assistance, care and support for families in need. UCL Refugee Project organised a Christmas party for around 150 families, providing entertainment for children, leisure time for adults, food and small gifts. We also organised a trip for 10 less privileged families to the London Aquarium to encourage family time, education and fun. Many of these families are not British born and therefore had adjustment issues to the country and the culture. Each volunteer has been assigned a family to ‘befriend’, visiting each week, providing assistance with administrative tasks such as form filling, to being there for the parents to speak to, reducing the feeling of isolation, and helping out with the children, ensuring each child gets the attention they require.
This project aimed to assist integration into society, reduce the feeling of isolation to newcomers into the country, which ‘befriending’ a family, effectively fulfilled.
I enjoyed seeing the families’ gratitude with our assistance, knowing that we made a difference and that it was all worthwhile. The trip and the party both enabled other families to get to know one another, encouraged family time, and provided fun for everyone. It was an extremely rewarding project to get involved in.
To anybody who is considering volunteering with people, I would definitely encourage it. If you were in a place of need, you would want other people to help you. Refugee Project highlighted some of the social problems across London, yet at the same time produces simple ways to help or solve these problems. The project has been extremely rewarding, and has clearly made a positive impact on the people we have worked with. The feedback from the families has been positive. The students that took part in this project had great fun, and saw the impact they made on the children’s and parents lives.