We visit people held at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, and offer remote support for those who have left detention.
About this Event

We visit people, both men and women, held at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, aiming to affirm human dignity and restore self-esteem by listening and offering befriending support.

We do this with the help of volunteers who commit to visiting someone on a weekly basis for the duration of their detention. At the information session you will find out more about Yarl's Wood IRC, the men and women held there, and about the Befrienders and the role of befriending. You will also find about the remote support we can offer for people leaving detention. At this time, we are particularly welcoming male volunteers, to help us support the men held in the centre who may wish to be visited by another man.

There are many ways to get involved in our work. In Yarl’s Wood we continue to provide one to one visits, practical support and referrals. Once released into the community, we aim to work with people by offering online classes, casework and referrals, an online friendship group, digital inclusion projects in schools so we can provide devices and we work with researchers to impact policy on immigration detention.

The session lasts no more than 1 hour on Teams and includes a video documentary about befriending as well as a talk, and the opportunity to ask any questions. The information session is step one on the process to becoming a befriender. After attending an information session you will be able to book your place on a training and selection day.

Please note the session will go ahead with 5 people or more. If you are unable to attend after registering, please let us know by email.