Voluntary work by asylum seekers and status holders

Occasional, low-threshold, mostly practical jobs, such as working in the garden, cooking, painting, activities with the elderly and helping with festivals. Often with several New Utrechters at the same time and under the guidance of a Dutch speaking employee or volunteer of VC Utrecht.

Group jobs are offered to asylum seekers, the residents of the asylum seekers' centre, but also status holders (people who already live independently) can take part. We offer a number of voluntary activities on a weekly basis.

The language level is not important: we work together with volunteers who help us with translations into Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, Somalian, Turkish, Kurdish and Persian.

Our volunteers accompany the New Utrechters from door to door during the volunteer work. They pick up a group of New Utrechters at the asylum seekers' centre, make the connection between the New Utrechters and the receiving organisation, guide the New Utrechters during the job and bring the participants back to the asylum seekers' centre afterwards.

We have flyers in Dutch, English, Arabic, Tigrinya and Farsi.

Individual volunteering on a regular basis (usually a part of a day a week) and for a longer period of time. After placement, the Nieuwe Utrechter will go to the organisation independently. VC Utrecht disappears into the background.

For the success of individual, structural volunteering a New Utrechter must meet the following conditions:

• The participant has language level A2 or higher.
• He or she knows what volunteering is (and that it is not compulsory) and is motivated.
• He or she is willing and able to commit to an organisation for at least six months.
• He or she has time to volunteer.
• He or she can travel to and from the organisation independently (it varies from one organisation to another or travel expenses may be reimbursed).
• Volunteering is not a daytime activity. This means that the volunteer centre does not offer guidance to mother-child groups, sports or language activities.

Exceptions are possible only in specific cases.