Ukrainian Connections morning
Saturday morning at our Ukrainian Connections social morning for the Ukrainian families and their hosts to meet each other and our teams of volunteers who can help find jobs, schools and any other support they need.
Summer Language School
EERN volunteer Angela meeting Tony and Emma McCartney whose charity James Jar of Gifts is helping fund the Summer Language School. A big THANK YOU from EERN and all those who will be attending our Summer School.
Meeting Teacher volunteers for SLS
We have had a huge response from volunteer teachers offering to teach at our Summer Language School. Today Jo is meeting a volunteer to discuss how she can be involved.
RAC Club in Epsom hires Ukrainians
EERN helped find jobs at The RAC Club in Epsom who have employed 14 Ukrainian refugees to help in the hospitality sector. Here are some of them, happy to be working in such a lovely environment.
Helping refugees with CVs
We had a huge response from the Network for help with writing CVs and to support newly arrived refugees into work. Here are Kay, Olha and Alyssha talking to Jo about how to help make the CVs clearer.
Snowed under with paperwork!!
Meanwhile we are snowed under with paperwork, getting together all the registration documents for the Summer Language School, as we start registration tomorrow at the Surrey Stands with Ukraine unit in the Ashley Centre.
Annual reviews
Today Jo and May, our Support Worker, met up with one of the Syrian families (NB - not the family pictured here) who are coming up to 3 years in Epsom to have a review meeting and see how things are going for the parents and their children.
Filling in school application forms
Another one of EERN's volunteers, Oksanna, is filling in yet another school application form, helping children from refugee families apply to get into a local school.
Summer Language School planning
Another Summer Language School meeting to go through all the final registration documents with volunteers Angela, Safeguarding Governor for St John's, and Jo.
Hospital appointments
Today we highlight hospital appointments. One of our volunteers regularly take the mother from of a Syrian family and her child who has complex medical needs to St George's Hospital for regular appointments.
Another volunteer is taking a newly arrived Afghan family to the doctors to bring the children's immunisations up to date.
Talking about being a refugee
EERN volunteers Jo Sherring, Olha Zyatyk and Vera Gargrave were invited by Sophie Blair of City of London Freemen's School to talk to the students about the experience of being a refugee and how Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network is helping refugees.
EERN helpdesk every Monday
Every Monday, from 9.30am-2.30pm, Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network runs a helpdesk at the Ukrainian hub in the Ashley Centre. Here volunteers Olha and Nina meet Ukrainian refugees and hosts, trying to help solve issues that arise regarding schooling, universal credit, renting accommodation, finding jobs and many other challenges that they face every day.
Planning the EERN Summer School
Today we had a meeting of the Education team to discuss the plans for the Summer Language School, especially teacher registrations and resources for the four weeks of intensive English for children, from 25th July-25th August. Penny, pictured here, is leading our Education team and has been developing English advice and resources for schools who are welcoming newly arrived refugees. We are thrilled that the page has gone live this week, the link to the page is below.
Ukrainian Music Evening
On Saturday Surrey Stands with Ukraine organised a very special evening with Ukrainian musicians at the Epsom Methodist Church. The evening was hosted and presented in Ukrainian. Everyone brought food for sharing and it was a wonderful opportunity for the growing Ukrainian community in and around Epsom to come together to meet each other and enjoy great music, food and good company together.
More details in the Epsom & Ewell Times