Training

“I learnt a great deal more about the process of applying for refugee status and some of the challenges and frustrations of the process.  Getting the opportunity to hear personal stories was a real privilege and was very moving and thought provoking.”

– A medical student talking part in BRR training session as part of their Disability, Disadvantage and Diversity module.

Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR)

Based in St Pauls, Bristol Refugee Rights is a medium sized charity that consists of 17 members of staff together with a team of over 120 volunteers. For the past 10 year we have been providing a broad range of services to help asylum seekers and refugees. In our capacity as a human rights organisation we campaign for changes to the asylum system as well as organising outreach events that raise awareness of the many issues facing asylum seekers.

The services that we provide are designed to help asylum seekers as well as those who have recently been granted refugee status; these people are our ‘members’ and we aim to be a member led organisation. As well as providing our services to around 500 people each year,  we also work in partnership with many other local organisations.

Our main projects are British Life and Language Programme (BRILL), The Advocacy and Information Desk (AID), Early Years Project, public speaking training (VOICE) and interpreter training. The hub of our services is the  Welcome Centre, which is open three days a week at the Malcolm X Centre in St Pauls, Bristol.  Here we offer a welcoming social space, food, arts activities as well as a free shop.

Drawing on the wealth of knowledge and experience that we have accumulated over the years we had put together 2 training packages. Our training is designed to help your organisation understand the issues facing asylum seekers and refugees.

Example Training Package 1: Understanding who is an asylum seeker/refugee

This course lasts for 2 hours and addresses:

• The difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee.
• The issues faced by asylum seekers and refugees.
• What does it feel like to go through the asylum system?

Example Training Package 2: Understanding Asylum

This course lasts for 2 days and covers:

• The global and national context for the asylum system.
• An overview of the asylum process.
• Understanding asylum support.
• The difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee.
• Signing and detention.
• Understanding destitution.
• Mental health and asylum seekers/refugees.

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Training Format

The training we offer is designed to help your organisation understand the equality issues that are faced by asylum seekers and refugees. This can help you adapt your services, making them not only more accessible to asylum seekers and refugees but also more appropriate for their needs.

The packages are typically between 1.5 hours and 2 days long however, we can tailor them to  fit the time you have available. We can also adapt the content of the training programme to reflect your organisation’s needs.

Our workshops draw on the existing knowledge of participants and involve a range of activities including quizzes, presentations and scenarios. We can also include interactive Q & A sessions with refugees and asylum give first hand accounts of their experiences.

Pricing

Our training fees are negotiable. Please contact us to discuss your training needs: email info@bristolrefugeerights.org or phone 0117 914 5480.

For more information, see our Training Leaflet.