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#outandabout

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2024-09-26T07:51:31+01:0024th May, 2018|

We're proud to announce our new #outandabout project, which aims to ensure every destitute asylum seeker in Leeds who's over 50 can get a bus pass if they need one to help them access accommodation, support and to keep in touch with friends. Without no entitlement to any public benefits, and no right to work, people rely on charitable organisations and volunteer hosts for the very basic necessities. Maintaining social connections in such circumstances is a challenge, especially when a host location may be miles away from centres of social activities, like a place of worship or a weekly choir. Something as simple as a weekly bus pass, plus the confidence to use public transport to get around the city, can make a huge difference in this situation. LASSN will provide passes for asylum seekers, then volunteer befrienders and hosts will support them to build confidence in traveling independently, thus leading to a more fulfilling daily life Please note, all referrals to this project need to come through British Red Cross and PAFRAS Case Workers Many thanks to Big Lottery Fund, Leeds Community Foundation and Time to Shine for helping to make this happen.

Mentoring and Befriending at LASSN

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2018-09-14T15:52:03+01:0014th December, 2017|Tags: , |

We recently delivered a short presentation on how we do Mentoring and Befriending at LASSN, and to help our Connecting Opportunities partners think through how they might approach it. In particular we were keen to show how our way of doing Mentoring and Befriending mesh with our values. Have a look and see what you think.    

Fundraising for LASSN – some new resources

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2024-08-20T14:20:06+01:005th December, 2017|

LASSN relies on donations and funds raised by supporters and well wishers - so we've tried to make the process a little easier, and to offer more support to people who want to help us to raise money. We've done this in several ways We now have a dedicated fundraising page on the LASSN website We're offering support to people organising fundraising events, including a fundraising pack with publicity materials We've set up a Virgin Giving Page - so that people can set up their own fundraising page for us and advertise it on Social Media Thank you to everyone who raises money to help asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds, and especially those who do this in the name of LASSN.  We think you're amazing.

Tina joins English at Home as Volunteers Manager

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2018-11-09T13:51:12+00:008th November, 2017|

As many of you know, Riley - Volunteers Manager at English at Home - recently went on 12 months Adoption leave. In Riley's farewell email, they promised that LASSN would find a temporary replacement very soon. And we have. We are delighted to announce that Tina Brocklebank will be joining the team, as English at Home Volunteers Manager alongside David.  Some of you may know Tina from the press coverage of her work with Help Refugees in the Refugee Camp at Calais, or the Volunteer Open evenings she has been running with City of Sanctuary - helping people who want to work with asyum seekers and refugees to find the right volunteering opportunity. Tina was also elected to LASSN's board of Trustees at our last AGM. However, Tina is now standing down as a Trustee in order to join David as a Volunteers Manager with English at Home on 15th November 2017. 

Refugees perform random acts of kindness

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2018-08-14T12:04:56+01:002nd October, 2017|Tags: |

Rosa and other Leeds refugees and asylum seekers making friendship flower pots Refugees and asylum seekers in Leeds have made flower pots to give to friends, neighbours and complete strangers as a “random act of kindness”. Each pot was hand decorated with a message of friendship, planted with spring bulbs, and then handed out across the city. The pots were made at the Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network’s annual celebration which was held at All Hallow’s Church in Leeds. Over the last year, LASSN volunteers have supported asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds to learn English, find somewhere to stay, and make friends in the community. The annual general meeting celebrated the different ways of welcoming asylum seekers and refugees to the city. Jon Beech, the Director of LASSN said, “International events can be overwhelming but we’ve seen that simple acts of kindness can make the world of difference to someone who’s come here seeking safety”. Pete Tatham from the Leeds gardening charity Hyde Park Source, which helped refugees and volunteers with the project said, “It’s inspiring to see how ordinary people have changed the lives of asylum seekers and refugees for the better. When these ‘little pots of welcome’ flower in the spring, we’ll be reminded of the friendship and kindness we’ve seen here today”. Rosa, an asylum seeker from Albania said “The volunteer from LASSN helping me is very kind. I want to share the kindness and make other people happy too”. A young asylum seeker with her friendship flower pot  

LASSN Annual Review 2016/17

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2017-09-29T15:37:56+01:0028th September, 2017|

We're proud to publish our most recent Annual Review, which describes our work for the last year, as well as outlining our plans for the future. As usual, it's packed with stories about the impact we have, and the difference we make to the lives of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants at risk in Leeds.   Thank you to all our volunteers, friends, supporters, and allies, for the enormous contribution you make to LASSN and for being so generous with your time, friendship, kindness, and hope.  You can find a copy of our Annual Review here along with our most recent set of accounts, or by clicking on the picture below

LASSN’s Annual General Meeting and Celebration: 29th September 2017

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2024-09-26T08:30:43+01:0022nd August, 2017|

Click here to book your place When? Friday 29th September 2017 Where? All Hallows' Church, Leeds (directions here) What time?  17:30: Drinks 18:00: AGM 18:30: Food 19:15: Celebration 21:00: Finish Our theme, this year, is bedding-in and sustainability and our venue and partners have been chosen with this in mind: All Hallows Church do lots of work with asylum seekers and refugees, and their work is entwined with many diverse groups and traditions in the community. Rainbow Junk-tion are providing us with a veggie and vegan feast, created from food that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, and restaurants. Hyde Park Source will help us to create a little pot of welcome - a plant-pot that you've decorated with a message of peace and friendship, with a bulb inside - that you can give away to a friend, a neighbour, or a stranger on your street. Doors will open at 17:30, when coffee and tea will be available. The AGM will start promptly at 18:00, and will last no longer than 30 minutes. Click here to book your place Please, bring your family and friends to help us celebrate the different ways of welcoming asylum seekers and refugees to Leeds. Everyone is welcome, and no-one is too old or too young to come to this evening of fun, food and celebration. And finally... and apology. After we had chosen and publicised the date of our AGM, we found it clashes with the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. We're really sorry about this, and very sad that this mean some of our volunteers and supporters will not be able to join us. We'll make sure this doesn't happen again.

LASSN are moving offices

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2018-11-09T13:48:56+00:0025th May, 2017|Tags: , |

As of on 8th & 9th of June 2017 our new address will be Oak House, 94 Park Lane, Leeds LS3 1EL (click on the picture or on the postcode to see a map) We'll be shutting the office for a couple of days, and then reopening on Monday 12th June. If you need to contact us urgently during this time, please email us or call our mobiles [link]. Ebor Court is closing completely We're very sorry to be leaving after 5 years, but LCCT has decided not to extend our lease beyond August 2017, following a huge (attempted) hike in the rent. We'll be sad to leave - after sharing space with 20 something other asylum, educational, legal, religious and social justice organisations. However, the chance to co-locate with Refugee Council (our new landlord), Leeds City of Sanctuary, and Asylum Matters seems too good an opportunity to miss. Highlights of Oak House Lovely neighbours A door on the office Fair rent A working lift Decent loos Shared meeting and training spaces Air conditioning Wi-fi On main bus routes Marginally cheaper parking than Ebor Court Greater security of tenure - we'll no longer be on a 3 week notice period Will LASSN's telephone number stay the same? We hope so - we're still checking this out. For now, you should assume our number is still 0113 373 1759. But it definitely won't connect to us on 8th and 9th June 2017 Parking/how do I get there? We're really sorry - we won't have dedicated parking. City-centre car park spaces start at around £1,600 and this is not something we think we should prioritise. On the plus side, we should have use of the building car-park next to Oak House on evenings and weekends - which is when most people come to our offices for training or meetings. See below for a map of public car parks. powered by Parkopedia   I use a bus, or a bike The buses from town are pretty good - Numbers 19, 5 (get off at the Park Lane College stop) and 49, 50 and 50a drop off outside Park Lane College itself. You can use this planner to plan your journey [link]. There are cycle racks at Oak House, in the car park.

English at Home receives £370k Lottery Windfall

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2018-11-09T13:45:16+00:0016th August, 2016|Tags: , |

We've just been told that we are to received more than 370k of Lottery funds to provide one to one English lessons to asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds who can’t access ESOL classes. Last year our English at Home programme enabled 140 people to learn English who couldn’t go to mainstream English classes because they had young children or disabilities. The 113 volunteer tutors provided 1,655 hours of one to one teaching. This grant will safeguard the service for the next 5 years, as well as increasing the number of lessons by 75%. "We’re really chuffed that the Lottery see the need for such a project in Leeds" said Jon Beech, Director of LASSN. “Cuts to mainstream English classes make it harder than ever to get a place, especially if you’ve got kids or a disability, or the classes are two bus rides away. 80% of the people we teach are women with children. The ability to write and speak English gives people confidence and enables them to take control of their lives, and to give something back. Saying hello to your neighbour, helping your child to read, or being able to understand your post – it sounds like a little thing – but it can be life changing. An hour a week spent learning English with one of our trained volunteers helps people make a home, helps people settle, and helps people to integrate.” LASSN will be recruiting two new Volunteers Managers immediately to meet the demand for lessons. “It’s such a shame” said Jon Beech “We have 5 or 6 people approach us each week, asking if they can volunteer to help someone learn English, and we have 5 or 6 people asking to learn English each week. For the last 2 months we’ve been turning volunteers away, because we don’t have the staff to train or support them. This funding is brilliant, because we can start saying yes again.” The two Volunteers Managers created by this funding posts have just been advertised, and details can be found here.

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