The Red Cross has worked with refugees for many years through its International message and Tracing service. This has progressed to supporting refugees through orientation programmes and refugee units across the country also education programmes in school as part of Citizenship and PHSE.
In the past six years the youth service in the South East has offered befriending programmes to support unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and young refugees.
This work has expanded and we have attracted funding for some of this work and have also had excellent feedback from Ofstead.
The projects offer peer led emotional support to young refugees giving these young people the opportunity to be “young people”
We also hope to break down stigma in the local communities where these young people are placed.
Through the five outcomes of every child matters we have been able to focus the work we do and we are looking to run independent living skills training based on the outcomes.
We have many success stories to share not just for the young refugees we work with but for the young people who work with them.
Quote from “Creating opportunity for young people” Ofstead report
Evaluation on NVYO DFES funded programmes
Please visit www.redcross.org/education for more information on what we do.