Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a retired Social Worker Team Manager and have been working voluntarily with refugees for the last ten years, working in camps and organisations in Greece and in Calais. Now I work with Voices and with British Red Cross in supporting asylum seekers and refugees.

What made you join Voices in Exile as a volunteer?

I moved to Brighton in 2023 and wanted to continue working with refugees here, as I rotate between London and Brighton. I work with refugees because of their vulnerability and their great potential, that demands reviving after their challenging journeys.

What does a session in your role at Voices look like?

At the morning ViE Group sessions, the people may have workshops on relaxation, and English through games and conversation, but there may also be an information session on anything from welfare benefits to using a camera. In the warmer months, we may go out to local parks for the sessions or to community allotments or farms nearby to relax and enjoy being outside. We try to encourage the members to speak as much English as they can.

The volunteer role is to participate, but also to remain aware of any concerns or questions raised or indicated by people during the session. This can be very simple, such as leading someone through an application for an educational or training course, to advising on more complex issues, such as housing, if we have the knowledge. Longer and complex questions, however, may need to be passed on to case workers.

The volunteer also supports the ‘leader’ of the Group in preparing the session and in clearing up, as well as being another pair of eyes in seeing any needs during the session.

I also work as a volunteer case worker in the afternoon. This usually involves making calls to people the full-time case workers have enquiries from or need follow-up with. This, again, can be simple to complex. I may also see individuals in face-to-face appointments at the office.

The post Meet Garry: Supporting refugees through two essential volunteer roles appeared first on Voices In Exile.

What attracted you to join Voices as a trustee?

I’ve been a volunteer with Voices in Exile since the summer of 2024 as an assistant on the ESOL classes. I really enjoy the experience but have also been struck by the extraordinary commitment, skill and talent of the team at Voices, so when the opportunity arose to become involved as a trustee, I was keen to explore how I could help more.

What experience or skills do you bring that are particularly relevant to Voices in Exile?

Before my retirement in 2024, I was a director of communications in the University sector, leading large communications and engagement teams at a time of change and challenge for higher education. So I have a lot of experience of delivering communications that help enhance reputation, highlight impact, engage people, protect organisations, and convey an engaging and compelling narrative. Having worked at Executive Board level at my last two universities, I also understand some of the pressures and challenges that organisations face and I wanted to bring some of this understanding to my work as a trustee.

What inspired you to join the board?

I worked in the field of migration and refugees at my last two universities. At De Montfort University Leicester, I was involved in work we did with the United Nations to deliver annual conferences on migration in New York, work which culminated in the university being appointed a Global Hub for SDG 16 for peace, justice and strong institutions.

At the University of Kent, I led our successful application to become a University of Sanctuary bringing together and enhancing the work of the university to support refugees through scholarships, outreach, research, fundraising, volunteering and much more. I wanted to continue this work in my retirement as part of the personal legacy of all this work and because these are causes I feel passionately about.

Are there any specific areas where you hope to add value?

I hope I can add value in these areas – communications, building a compelling and engaging narrative around the extraordinary work that Voices does, and around partnership building, and advocacy.

Why do you think our work is important right now?

The political climate is so challenging for the work of Voices and other organisations in this space right now, that the work becomes even more vital. There are so many reasons why we should do everything we can to ensure that refugees are able to play a full part in our national life – moral, legal, economic and cultural – but we also need to ensure that our country is a tolerant, inclusive and welcoming one for our own sakes and for those who come after us and not let ourselves and our true values become threatened and dominated by division and intolerance. Voices and other organisations in this space remind us vividly of our common humanity and of who we truly are.

Outside of your trustee role, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy music, theatre, cinema and reading. I sing in a choir and I’ve started learning tango. I keep fit by running, going to the gym and walking my gorgeous 10-year-old cockapoo called Betty.

The post Introducing Philip: A passionate new voice on our Board appeared first on Voices In Exile.

What is your name and role at Voices in Exile? 

My name is Anerley and I’m a Generalist Advice Caseworker here at Voices in Exile. I’ve been involved in the organisation for 3 years, before this I supported young adults aged 16-25 years old at The Youth Employment Hub and have managed my own caseload for over 5 years.

What does your role involve? 

My role involves casework and advocacy around housing, asylum support, welfare benefits, destitution, section 17, care act, financial inclusion, health and wellbeing, skills and development. A typical day is so varied so I’ve included what my role has looked like over the last couple weeks.

I’ve provided outreach advice in the food bank and external sessions provided by Network of International Women. This week I’ve been training new Casework Volunteers who have joined our Generalist Team. I’ve assisted clients with casework and advocacy for PIP and advice on housing decisions. I’ve referred clients to solicitors for housing and section 17 and supported them to sign legal aid documents. I’ve attended a network meeting with the No Accommodation Network (NACCOM), Temporary Accommodation Action Group Brighton and Hove, Casework Solidarity Forum in London as well as attending internal meetings with my team. I’ve supported with hardship grants to migrants, and I’ve also assisted with signing parents up to AMAZE and referrals to Hummingbird Project.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Voices in Exile? 

Connecting with people who have unbelievable resilience and supporting them to integrate into the community.

During one off advice sessions, I often feel this casework support is very limited as we provide 1-5 hours of advice and support compared to the longer-term casework where support can last several months. Nevertheless, one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role is referring clients to local community groups and seeing the transformation that follows. These spaces offer opportunities for peer support, advice, and genuine connection, helping clients build independence and a sense of belonging.

For instance, I supported a client who had recently claimed asylum and was experiencing severe isolation while living in an asylum hotel. I connected them with VYD CIC (a football group for people with refugee status and people seeking asylum) and the Brighton Table Tennis Club. Just a month later, they were volunteering and expressed deep gratitude for being introduced to these services. Seeing him smile felt great.

What’s something about your role or our work that you think people might not know?

There are a few things we do that people might not always be aware of. We match Migrant Support Volunteers with clients who have specific needs – for example we may set up sessions with a Migrant Support Volunteer to improve someone’s confidence with using public transport or post office. The sessions could focus on getting to know the area, practice for theory driving test, feeling nervous about accessing external support groups. We’ve had amazing feedback about the difference ViE Volunteers make in helping people feel more confident and connected to where they’re living.

We’re also active beyond our day-to-day support. We regularly present case studies and client experiences at network meetings to influence local and regional policy. We advocate for the voice of lived-experience to be centre of conversation at network meetings. Our team provides training to external organisations on how to support people with refugee status, seeking asylum and migrants with compassion and best practice. Even when we’re closed to referrals for longer-term casework, we are providing advice and support to new clients during outreach sessions. We support many people in the city living in asylum accommodation who might otherwise be left without access to help.

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What is your name and role at Voices in Exile?

My name is Becca and I’m a Resettlement Caseworker at Voices in Exile.

What does your role involve?

I work with people who have been resettled in Brighton and Hove. All of my clients are from Afghanistan at the moment, which is true for most of the team. We support people to access the services they need and are entitled to, so that they can live full and independent lives in the UK.

I work with around seven families and they each get 2 years of casework support, which means we often get to know them quite well. I help people to access and understand their benefits and healthcare, set up accounts and pay bills, understand their budgets and access social opportunities so they can meet new people.

Our clients also work with our dedicated ESOL and Employability Caseworkers who support them to improve their English, if they need to, and to find work.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Voices in Exile?

Seeing people build up skills and confidence as they settle into the local area is a lovely part of  my job.

Recently several of the women I work with have all started attending ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) class for the first time. For some of them it’s the first time they’ve been in a classroom and written or read in any language. Some people are unsure if they can learn English and joining a class is a huge step. They’re all doing really well and have started to use English in our appointments. It’s brilliant to see and means that they can be more empowered and independent in their daily lives.

What’s something about your role or our work that you think people might not know?

We do a lot of practical things with our clients but sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is listen and make people feel heard. Starting from scratch in a new place and culture is a long and complicated process, giving someone a safe space to say how they feel and ask questions and can be just as helpful as filling out a form.

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In this Q&A, our Director Alison Kelly shares her background, experience and priorities for the future of Voices in Exile.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? 

Growing up with a regular presence of foster children in the house, and students of my dad’s staying with us when they needed support, there was an assumption that we are not born with equal life chances, and that resources are to be shared according to need.

I’ve always been interested in how society works, in power dynamics and how best to organise to fight inequalities. At university I studied politics and philosophy and stayed to complete a doctorate in politics. I worked for several years as a lecturer in an FE college teaching academic study skills for those going to university; self-advocacy for people with learning disabilities; and teachers’ training. At the same time, I undertook paid research into education policy, and became very involved as a trade union rep and activist, campaigning for better terms and conditions for those on hourly paid and zero-hour contracts. I went on to become a manager of education projects in deprived parts of Brighton, and then managed the Migrant ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Support Hub before working at Voices in Exile.

What first drew you to work in the migration and refugee support sector? 

My politically-informed background provided a context for my awareness of issues facing migrants and refugees in the UK. As a trade union activist, I worked closely with FE lecturers and I first became aware of difficulties faced by migrants trying to access ESOL when automatic fee remission was stopped in 2007/8. The impact on staff and students was enormous and I led a collective grievance that arose from those issues. With learning English being so central to the ability to work, access services and feel part of society, the impact of struggling to access ESOL provision is deeply felt. I became the Chair of the Brighton and Hove ESOL Network in 2017, and continue in that role still, remaining involved in the strategic planning and advocacy for joined-up ESOL provision in the city.

Can you tell us about your previous role at Voices and your journey with the organisation so far?  

In 2018, I secured funding from the People’s Health Trust to run a migrant welcome group in Brighton, but the venue for that closed and I was able to switch the funding to Voices in Exile. I co-ordinated the staff running that, as well as co-ordinating casework staff at Voices and TDC working on the Migrant ESOL Support Hub (MESH). I designed and managed projects that supported strengths-based work with language, orientation and employability, and I became Voices’ Projects and Development Manager in 2021, and then the Head of Services, playing a central role in fundraising and strategic development.

What are you most excited about in this new chapter, as you step into the role of Voices in Exile Director? 

My approach has always been a strategic and collaborative one. Time and again we see the power of collective action in fighting injustice. Joined up, city-wide and sector-wide thinking about our combined resources and strengths enables us to gain wins in ways that would otherwise fail. Voices has grown and consolidated, becoming the leading organisation for migrants and refugees in the area, but in the worsening political context in which we find ourselves it is essential that we look outwards to join with others in the sector and the city.

What do you see as the biggest priorities for Voices over the next year or two? 

As Director, I plan to have more of a focus on campaigning and advocacy, working collaboratively with other organisations in the sector both locally and nationally to improve access to services and push back against anti-migrant narratives. I want to better prioritise the voices of lived experience in our work and direction, both with our campaigning and with our next strategic plan. We also need to increase our capacity for service users who have not arrived in the UK via a Home Office resettlement programme, and who currently make up 83% of our clients but for whom we only receive around 20 – 30% of our funding. Through all of this we will prioritise staff wellbeing and care. This is essential for those working with clientswho are often traumatised, and for our staff and volunteers working in such a charged and demanding political context.

What does community mean to you, and how can we continue building stronger networks of support for our clients? 

‘Community’, I think, is often a misused word. People are referred to as being part of a community that they quite often do not identify with. We talk of people being part of the ‘refugee community’ when they might identify themselves as being part of the medical community, the LGBTQ community, or no community at all. If we’re talking about community in the context of our clients and networks of support, then I think there are some amazing networks in Brighton and Hove – brilliant joined-up thinking and collaborations that are tremendously responsive to the needs of our client group.

However, for me, community is also about the institutions and services that support us, and about the need to push for equal access for all to the law, health services, housing, education. ‘Networks of support’ are often having to advocate for our clients to access services that create unnecessary barriers where there should be none, and that is where we must direct our efforts.

What motivates you on the harder days in your role? 

The determination and achievements of our clients and the dedication of our staff, volunteers and the sector as a whole are all awe-inspiring. Then there’s the current political climate and the worsening anti-migrant rhetoric – and the utter certainty, without trace of a doubt, that this is worth fighting for.

You can read more about our other team members here.

The post Meet Alison Kelly: Director of Voices in Exile appeared first on Voices In Exile.

“I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, leaving in 2018 to pursue a BA in Music at the University of Sussex. Upon graduating, I took on roles in hospitality and events – then teaching music as a primary school supply teacher. I now work full time at Music in Hospitals and Care, a charity sharing the healing power of live music across care homes, hospitals, and day centres across the UK.

I’m a passionate human rights advocate with a lifelong interest in global politics and humanitarian social affairs. I enjoy volunteering with various groups, playing and writing music, and watching football. I found out about Voices in Exile by taking part in migrants rights protests in Brighton, and eventually through my mother who became Group Facilitator.

I have been working with Voices for a year now as a Social Media Volunteer, where I manage our platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn) by posting regular content and also working with other volunteers to collate content to add to our socials and brand new website. I attend community events when the opportunity comes, to take pictures, gather quotes, and meet people where I can explain the positive work we do in the community. One key aspect of being a social media volunteer is the planning that comes with it – needing to have a content schedule matched with achievable goals – of when and what to post.

One of my highlights in the last year was encouraging the charity to move away from X and onto Bluesky, following other charities in the migrant sector in their move.”

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, or LinkedIn to keep up with all the fantastic content that Sunny and the team share! 

The post Volunteer Story: Meet Sunny, our Comms and Social Media Volunteer appeared first on Voices In Exile.

At Voices in Exile, volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. During this Volunteer’s Week, we want to take a moment to celebrate and say a huge thank you to the incredible individuals who give their time, energy and compassion to support refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants across Sussex and Surrey. 

The range of roles that our volunteers take on  

Volunteers support our work in so many different ways. From working in the food bank to helping with back-office support, admin, marketing, social media and events; from teaching English and running support groups, to mentoring clients and helping with ad-hoc tasks – like putting together flatpack furniture for someone moving into a new home, or accompanying someone to a medical appointment.  

No matter how big or small the task, every act of support makes a real and positive impact. 

20 years of support from volunteers  

This year is particularly special for us, as we mark 20 years since Voices in Exile was founded. We began as a grassroots, volunteer-led organisation – created by people who saw a need and stepped in to help. Without volunteers, Voices in Exile simply wouldn’t exist. That spirit of compassion, solidarity and community still drives us today. 

The integral part that volunteers play: Team perspectives 

As Beth, our Advice and Casework Manager, shares: 

“Volunteers are a vital part of the advice team and bring different skills and experiences. They significantly increase our capacity and reach across the whole of our service and are an invaluable part of the team. We regularly receive positive feedback from people accessing our service about their experience of the support from volunteers.” 

 In our casework team, generalist volunteers play a key role in advocacy – often making a life-changing difference to individuals who may be at risk of homelessness or destitution. Anerley, another of our Caseworkers, explains: 

“Our Generalist Volunteers get involved in advocacy making significant impact to an individual. I think having another person speak with a client offers a different approach… it makes the case more holistic and feels like we cover more areas of support.” 

In our ESOL classes and support groups, volunteers help create welcoming, inclusive spaces where people can build confidence, learn and feel part of a community. As Hayat, our Group Facilitator, says: 

“The volunteers help me to create a sense of community and belonging in the groups… The group members value their presence and look forward to seeing them every week. We’re very lucky to have such dedicated individuals in the groups.” 

Colin, our Food Bank Coordinator, sees the difference volunteers make every single day: 

“I see clients arrive with a worried frown and leave with a big smile, not just because of the food we give them but because our volunteers listen to them and engage with them… They really love working with each other and support each other. I arrive on Monday morning with a smile and leave with a bigger one!” 

Our ESOL Teacher, Tilly, summed it up beautifully: 

“The ESOL classes could not run without you. Thank you all for your time, your dedication, your good humour and your compassion.” 

From everyone at Voices in Exile, thank you. You are a vital part of our team. Your kindness, dedication and belief in a more just and welcoming world makes a real difference. This Volunteer’s Week, we celebrate you and all that you do. 

The post Celebrating Volunteer’s Week 2025: Thank you to our volunteers! appeared first on Voices In Exile.

Hi Paula, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a retired GP and moved to Brighton from Manchester 10 years ago. I’ve also worked in Public Health where I ran immunisation programmes and investigated outbreaks, and I used to teach at both Brighton and Sussex and Manchester medical schools.

Voices in Exile Admin Support Volunteer and Mentor, Paula

What made you join Voices in Exile?

Some of my patients in Brighton were refugees and I saw how hard it was for them. I wanted to do something useful when I retired and when I saw Voices in Exile was recruiting, it felt like a good fit. My husband and I are both children of immigrants.

What does a day in the Admin office look like?

I offered to support admin as both primary care and Public Health involve a lot of admin these days, and also my hearing isn’t great so it’s easier to do office work. Susan always finds me interesting things to do – digitising records, updating resources on the Voices website, or helping to organise events. It’s different every week! And everyone here is so supportive, it’s such a nice place to work.

Your professional career has enabled you to mentor some clients looking for employment, could you tell us more about that process?

It’s difficult for someone with a profession to change countries – even moving across the country can be difficult, as I found when I moved from Manchester. It’s even harder if you come from outside the NHS – you may have excellent knowledge of your specialty and a wealth of experience, but the recruitment process may be unfamiliar.

I have done my best to support two healthcare professionals in their search for work in the healthcare sector. They have a lot to offer and will be an asset to the NHS.

A Voices in Exile service user who recently found work after being supported by Paula said:

“Paula is very helpful and patient. When she sent me an email she sent all the details I needed and if I asked her to do anything she completed everything efficiently. With her help, I applied for a health care assistant role and got an interview and the job.”‘

The post Paula’s mentoring story: Could you be a Voices in Exile mentor? appeared first on Voices In Exile.

“I came to the UK five years ago after fleeing conflict in my home country of Sudan. Voices in Exile have been supporting me here in Brighton.

I go to their English classes and they have helped me with applying for refugee status, getting a job, and helping me to reunite with my wife. I had to leave my wife behind in Sudan and I didn’t see her for more than five years. But she recently got her visa to come to the UK and now she is living here with me.

I volunteer in the food bank at Voices in Exile every week. I enjoy volunteering here because I can help other people in the same way that I have been helped and that makes me happy.

Everyone here is so friendly. Anytime I need help — with contacting the council, or the doctor, anything I need, I can talk to anyone here and I know they will help me.”

If you’d like to donate to Voices in Exile to support our food bank or the other work we do to support refugees and asylum seekers, visit our donate page.

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