INTEGRATED COMMUNITIES
The Integrated Communities programme aims to provide recent migrants and those who are still vulnerable or experience barriers to integration with a volunteering opportunity that helps them develop their English language skills, alongside other support delivered by our partners.
We deliver this by working in partnership with ESOL providers and working closely with the Hackney Works team in the Council to provide support appropriate to their goals, and with the wider VCS to broker appropriate volunteering opportunities for migrants.
Aims of the programme
The programme is for Hackney residents who want to improve their English language skills and to bring them closer to the labour market or improve their access to higher quality work. The programme aims to achieve the following for residents:
- up to date relevant work experience in the UK
- increased confidence
- improved orientation to the local area and access to new contacts and networks
- increased vocational skills that are relevant to jobs the resident would like e.g. improved English, administration skills, reception and customer service skills, hospitality and catering skills
- employability skills i.e. skills that will help the resident to gain employment or progress at work e.g. presentation skills, communication skills
- a work reference
Volunteering placements will be sourced, matched and adapted as appropriate for beneficiaries to ensure that they support the above range of outcomes. The volunteering element of the programme will be delivered over a period of 10 months, from October 2017 to July 2018.
Support for Participants
If you are a migrant resident in Hackney and you are interested in volunteering, please contact Krithika Subramanian, Integrated Communities Project Officer on 0207 241 4443, extension 207, or email krithika@vchackney.org
Support for Organisations
If you would like to diversify your volunteer base, VCH can support to help develop and promote volunteering roles to attract volunteers from diverse groups and cultural backgrounds. Volunteers recruited through the Integrated Communities Programme will speak at least one community language and have English as their second language.
We also offer free training to help your organisation engage and retain volunteers, access to networking events, and can advise you on good practice for working with volunteers. For more information, please contact hov@vchackney.org
Referrals can be made directly to the Volunteer Centre by contacting Krithika Subramanian, Project Officer on 020 7241 4443 or email krithika@vchackney.org . Please note that Krithika\’s working days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
FUNDERS
Integrated Communities receives funding from London Borough of Hackney.
PARTNERS
Integrated Communities is delivered in partnership with ELATT, Hackney Council, Hackney CVS, Hackney Works and The Learning Trust (Adult Learning Team).