jonbeech

About Jon Beech

I joined LASSN as the Director in December 2013. I've a particular interest in mental health, ethnicity, and helping people make sense of their world and their community.

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LASSN Volunteer training programme 2019

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2019-06-26T14:29:03+01:0021st December, 2018|

Each year we produce a selection of training sessions, based on what volunteers have asked us for in our Annual Volunteer Survey We have 5 sessions planned for 2019. Please book yourselves on these courses. We extend our offer of training to anyone volunteering with refugees and asylum seekers, so if you fancy coming along, please email [email protected], telling us who you are, and where you volunteer and we’ll try and fit you in. An Introduction to LASSN and the Asylum Journey - Compulsory session for LASSN volunteers only Find our more about Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network – who we are, what we do, how we work. We’ll discuss the role of a volunteer and how volunteers are supported by LASSN. The Asylum Journey Whether you know nothing about the UK asylum system, or whether you’ve been through it yourself, this is a chance to look at the asylum journey. This session will explore some of the reasons that people come here seeking safety and the varied journeys they take to get to the UK. We’ll look at the process of claiming asylum and gaining refugee status in the UK. Many people who come here seeking safety face lots of barriers, uncertainty and a long wait. We’re not expecting you to become experts in immigration law(!) but we’ll give an overview of how the system is supposed to work, as well as some of the hardships it can cause. We’ll also help you understand some of the jargon and acronyms that might come up in conversation with your befriendee/learner/guest – who are G4S? Why do people go to Croyden? When can you make a fresh claim? We deliver these two sessions back to back, so you complete them both in about 4 hours. Please don’t worry if these sessions look long: we’ll always make sure there’s plenty of chance for a break, and plenty of food for dinner/tea to keep you going. Tuesday July 16th 2019, 16:30-20:30    Wednesday July 17th 2019, 10:00-14:00  Teaching English at Home Training - for LASSN volunteers only This is a compulsory session is for volunteers wanting to be English at Home tutors. The training will cover- • Barriers to learning • Creative ways to teach new vocabulary • Planning a series of lessons • Good resources • What learners want This session is very interactive and provides lots of practical advice as well as the opportunity to hear from a current learner and teacher about what makes a good lesson. Vegetarian lunch will be provided. Tuesday July 23rd 2019, 10:00-14:00 Befriending and Mentoring Network Support Sessions - for LASSN volunteers only An opportunity to share information and experiences. Come and meet other volunteers and support each other with challenges and celebrate successes. These events are open to all volunteers on both the Befriending and Connecting Opportunities projects. Thursday August 8th 2019, 14:00 - 15:30 Thursday November 7th 2019, 17:30 - 19:00 Helping people who get refugee status For volunteers who want to feel more [...]

A change to LASSN’s volunteering expenses policy

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2019-01-28T14:12:06+00:003rd December, 2018|

Volunteers are essential to the work of LASSN, and we are committed to ensuring volunteers are able to claim back any out of pocket expenses they generate as part of their volunteering. In fact, LASSN gets grant funding specifically to meet these costs (and if volunteers don't claim their expenses, we have to give it back!) The last time we reviewed our Expenses policy was in 2011. At that time, Trustees capped the amount each volunteer could claim at £30 per month. In October 2018 Trustees reviewed this policy, and decided that from November 2018 LASSN will increase the amount volunteers can claim to £37 per month, per person, in line with cost of living increases. Trustees have also agreed to review this amount annually. We know that volunteering with LASSN is never about the expenses. But we also appreciate that as costs increase, so must the amount we are able to refund. If you prefer not to claim back your out of pocket expenses, we respect your decision and we will the pay back unclaimed monies to our grant givers. That said, we also know that some of our volunteers claim their out of pocket expenses and then donate them back to LASSN. If they pay tax, then by Gift Aiding their £37 of expenses back to LASSN, we get the benefit of £46.25 of unrestricted income. Whatever you choose to do about claiming your expenses from LASSN, we want you to know how much we value your contribution, and what a difference you are making to the lives of asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds. Thank you from everyone at LASSN Jon

Fundraising: A message from LASSN Trustees to all LASSN volunteers

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2024-08-20T14:20:46+01:003rd December, 2018|

Please can you help us raise funds at no cost and very little effort to yourselves? We know how hard you work, and how much effort you put into supporting asylum seekers and other migrants from across the world. And generally LASSN make a point of not asking our volunteers for any more than they already offer.  However, as we look ahead into the period 2019 to 2021, we see some funding gaps opening up, and we're trying to plan for these. So, with these in mind, we wanted to ask you to consider the following very simple and not-labour intensive possibilities:- Do you know of any small, local, or specialised grant awarding bodies or Trust Funds who maybe don't have an internet presence? If you do, then please let us have their contact details. We're always on the look out for possible sources of income - but we rely heavily on the internet for our research. One of our supporters introduced us to a specialist grant giver called Sharegift after they got talking to someone at a party. Sharegift's generous sponsorship of LASSN has been a real help over the last 3 years, and has ensured we've kept sufficient admin to process volunteer expenses and basic background checks. Do you know of any businesses or organisations that you think may be sympathetic to our cause? It would be great if you could help us to establish a link with them. We love supporting local businesses and we have established some great connections with excellent caterers. They provide us with excellent food at a reasonable - sometimes discounted price - and we make sure we tell people all about them. Oronaise, and Kerala are just two. LUSH cosmetics regularly donate some of their surplus stock to Guests in Grace Hosting.   Do you shop in supermarkets or drink in local pubs? Local branches sometimes donate to charities on the basis of a request from customers. Eg. Co-op members and customers can nominate local charities. Similarly Asda Foundation, Waitrose , even Greggs offer support to local groups, based on recommendations. The Chemic Tavern held a Star-Wars themed quiz night in aid of LASSN, and raised several hundred pounds for us. We were extremely grateful, and sent them a certificate of appreciation.    Do you work for a large business which offers to match funds raised by employees for good causes? HSBC run a scheme where they offer support to employees who also volunteer or fundraise for charities. If this appeals to you, then please go to https://lassn.org.uk/fundraise/ to find out more about how we might support you in your efforts. Do you occasionally do fundraisers at work? Leeds Beckett University ran a cake stall that raised £300, and was split across two Leeds charities. We were delighted when they emailed us to tell us. If we'd known in advance we would have promoted the sale on social media and sent them some of our lovely posters and badges ;o) If you are thinking of holding such an event - please let us [...]

Job: Project Support and Admin Officer, 16 hrs/wk – NJC Scale 4 – £8k actual

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2020-01-30T12:54:13+00:003rd December, 2018|

This post has been filled, but we've left the post up, as a reminder of what we've done. We are looking for a Project Support and Administration Officer to help our four Volunteers Managers with admin tasks, and to support the wider admin needs of LASSN. You can download a job pack from here: lassn.org.uk/jobs Salary: Scale 4 SCP 18-21 £18,870 – £20,541 (pro rata – actual £8,160 – £8,883) depending on experience Hours: 16 hours a week Location: LASSN office Closing date for applications: 9am, Wednesday 2nd January 2019 This post is initially offered on a 12 month fixed-term contract, however it is our intention to seek ongoing funding for this role. The person we choose will enjoy working flexibly in a small, friendly team, and will see this role as an opportunity to gain experience and understanding of work with asylum seekers and refugees, and volunteer management. They will be confident working with IT (including Microsoft Office – and willing to learn WordPress, CiviCRM and Quickbooks)  and will have at least 12 months experience of working in an office environment, and performing administrative tasks to a high level of quality and accuracy. Their can-do approach, ability to see and solve problems and their ability to complete tasks to agreed deadlines will play a key role in the smooth running of a team that values diversity, kindness, and high standards of support. For an an informal conversation about the role, please phone Jon Beech on 07845 298047 We are holding an open evening for prospective candidates 18:00 – 19:00 on Wednesday 19th December 2018 at our offices in Oak House. For details, and to book your place, please click on this link The closing date for applications is 9am, Wednesday 2nd January 2019 Shortlisted candidates will be informed by Wednesday 9th January 2019 Interviews will be held on Monday 14th January 2019 Refugees with relevant skills and experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

What did you miss at the LASSN AGM 2018?

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2024-10-04T11:12:41+01:001st November, 2018|

This event has already happened, but we've left the post up, as a reminder of what we've done. We're really sorry if you weren't able to make it to the AGM on Thursday night. Here are all the documents that were given out: The agenda, minutes of 2017 AGM and Annual Accounts 2017/18 The presentations The Annual Review 2017/18 The Grace Hosting video that we didn't show The English at Home Video we didn't show And the food was provided by Haftsin Restaurant - just round the corner from the LASSN offices on Burley Road  

LASSN’s Annual General Meeting, 1st November 2018

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2020-01-30T12:55:29+00:0019th October, 2018|

This event has already happened, but we've left the post up, as a reminder of what we've done. Where? St Matthias Church Centre, Burley (next door to St Matthias Church) - Directions here When? Thursday 1st November 2018 18:00 - 20:30 Join us to celebrate what we can achieve when we work together Doors will open at 17:30, when coffee and tea will be available. The AGM will start promptly at 18:00, and the formal business will last no longer than 30 minutes. After this, we'll spend a bit of time sharing some of the things we've been doing over the last year, and the things we've achieved together. Then, at about 19:15 we'll sit down together and share a Persian feast, supplied by the fabulous folk at Haftsin Persian Restaurant.  If you would like to volunteer on the evening, please click here to see, to see the kind of help we're after

Transition Guide for new Refugees – a step by step guide

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2018-11-09T14:37:19+00:001st October, 2018|

At last, we can announce the launch of the Transition Guide: http://transitionguide.org.uk a step-by step-guide to settling in Leeds, once you've received leave to remain. It's been 3 years in the making, designed in collaboration with people who've sought refuge, featuring photos take by asylum seekers and refugees. You can read more about the process and the people involved here. It covers lots of topics from housing, work, education, banks in a simple straightforward style and is translated into loads of different community languages.  If you'd like to order some flyers or posters, please contact [email protected] and he'll put some in the post It's been produced by LASSN, in collaboration with Touchstone's Migrant Access Project Plus, with funding from Leeds City Council, via the Controlling Migration Fund, and the National Lottery

Friends of LASSN – Summer 2018

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2024-01-16T11:34:05+00:005th September, 2018|

We published our Summer Edition of Friends of LASSN a month ago and forgot to link to it on here! Anyway, better late than never, it’s packed with all sorts of stories about the difference we’re making to the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants at risk. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy compiling it. As usual it features the voices of asylum seekers, volunteers and staff at LASSN. Please click on the link below to find out more. Friends of LASSN  

Our #hostileenvironment badges

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2018-11-09T14:46:03+00:0015th June, 2018|

It's Refugee Week next week, so we've made some badges. They are inspired by the words of the new Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who has said of the previous #hostileenvironment policy towards "failed" asylum seekers and other irregular migrants: “I don’t like the phrase hostile...I think it is a phrase that is unhelpful and it doesn’t represent our values as country. It is about a compliant environment and it is right that we have a compliant environment.” Our badges are not political, and certainly not party political. But we do hope they provoke discussion and debate about the kind of environment and place we create together, for everyone, as well as the kind of immigration policies we might want. So next time you see us at an event or pop into the office, be sure to ask us for some. They're free - but any donations that help us cover costs will always be welcome. 

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