Can you give a helping hand?

PEOPLE willing to go the extra mile and to hold a special place in vulnerable people's lives are sought by a local organisation.

Becoming a volunteer mentor could build your confidence, allow you to meet new people, add extra interests in your life and boost your career options.

The Refugee Integration and Employment Service deals with refugees entering the UK who face many barriers to successful integration.

These include language difficulties, lack of knowledge about UK systems such as where to find employment, financial hardship and often open hostility and discrimination from the host community.

Mentoring is one of the most effective ways to overcome these difficulties.

Mentors support, motivate, guide and encourage the people they help - the mentee - as they seek to achieve their goals in education, employment and integration.

Full training is given in mentoring skills, refugee issues and how the project works.

Mentors will be carefully matched to a mentee - depending on mutual interests, age, location and gender.

They will spend five hours a month with their mentee over a period of 6-12 months. This can involve anything from meeting a mentee for a coffee and a chat, to playing football or helping with a CV or job application.

Mentors will receive continued training and support throughout their mentoring relationship.

The mentee might come from any background, culture or profession but will be a refugee who has recently arrived in the UK who might need support with learning English and understanding UK culture and customs.

If you think this could be for you, or to find out more, please contact Patricia Mayson, North of England Refugee Service, 3rd Floor, Sylvan House, 12-16 Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BE or ring 01642 217447 ext. 214 or 07554 452168.