Hello, everyone. This is another invitation to our next
meeting (28 September, details below), and a call out for specific support
we’re looking for right now.
1. The 4th meeting of Sevenoaks
Welcomes Refugees (SWR) will be on Thursday 28 September, 7:30 - 9:00 pm, at
the Vine Evangelical Church in Hitchen
Hatch Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AT. Many thanks to Stan and Guy for
supporting us with the generous provision of their excellent meeting rooms. At
the meeting, the SWR core group will update on the
current situation, the support activity that has been provided since our last
meeting, and our future plans. Please let us have suggestions for the
agenda, and come along on the evening.
2. Please let us know if you can
help with any of the following:
a. Introductions to private
landlords who might be willing to take part in the government-funded
rental scheme and provide a house for a family of Syrian refugees.
b. Some more people to help
with running "out and about" visits for the family. This will
require DBS clearance at enhanced level (to cover children and vulnerable
adults). If you already have this DBS clearance within the last 12 months, you
won’t need to submit a new application form as SDC can view your clearance
online. If you do not, we will send you a form for completion and it only takes
2-3 weeks. [Thanks to those who have already volunteered for this].
c. Some more people willing
to do simple ‘taxi trips’ in and around the Sevenoaks area (including
the next Syrian family social in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday 23 September).
This help does not require DBS clearance.
d. Lawn mower
e. Play Station
f. Introduction to a
qualified driving instructor who’d be willing to provide free lessons.
This does not require DBS.
g. A storage facility.
This would help us with managing the generous amounts of donated items, and
help us use those for the next families.
Finally,
a message from Empathy Action. This organisation “aims to increase empathy and
raise awareness of global deprivation thereby igniting a desire to take
compassionate action”.
They say that “to begin to really understand another human being, you first
need to walk a mile in their shoes.” Empathy
Action invites you to do just that
in this new live interactive experience. Take part in this hard hitting race
for refuge as we recreate the desperate and dangerous journeys refugees are
enduring every day in the biggest crisis of our time.
Our challenging new
piece is firmly based in facts, first hand accounts and case studies of this
global issue to bring home to participants the human stories behind the
headlines.
Empathy Action is
now looking for volunteer cast members, backstage crew, carpenters and
sign-writers to deliver this experience. We plan to develop a pool of
performers to prepare over the next few months and then take the experience to
schools and other groups at various dates during 2018. For the cast we
need people of any age who are comfortable improvising around a core script,
interacting with the participants, and delivering powerful personal stories. On
the technical side, we need people with practical skills. For more information contact chrisahix@gmail.com
Thank
you. We hope to see you at the Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees meeting on the 28th
September!
Humphrey
Pring
Sevenoaks
Welcomes Refugees
