Donate Shop
Woodwork

Asylum-seekers
& Refugees

We work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people to support them to transition to adult life in the UK, feeling fully supported, equipped, and confident of their independent and sustainable capability to flourish.

We foster a supportive community of friends across nationalities through weekly gathered activities, such as football, cricket, and dinners. These regular events create a positive shared space for socialising, getting active, and having fun! During the week, we also support young people seeking asylum with cultural and religious access to halal shops, churches, and mosques. At times of celebration, we all come together to join in the festivities, often with lots of food!

Housing is a key element of our support for young people seeking asylum. We welcome each person into a place they can call home, encouraging them to decorate their rooms to their own tastes and explore their local area. These houses, shared with a few other young people, offer comfort and stability throughout what can be a challenging period of asylum claims and settling into the UK. This housing and support mitigates against isolation and empowers young people to take steps towards living independently.

We help each young person to develop their confidence and competence in English. This can involve helping them to enrol in an English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) course and encouraging consistent positive engagement with college. We also offer additional ESOL gathered classes for those who are not in college or desire extra support, providing an alternative learning environment that is consciously trauma-informed. For those with Leave to Remain, we promote appropriate employment opportunities and further studies, led by each young person’s own aspirations.

Outings to the beach, bowling, climbing, go-karting, and more are a highlight of our work supporting young people seeking asylum. Opportunities for fun, build up beneficial childhood experiences, allowing each young person to find hobbies they love, grow in their skills, and simply enjoy themselves!

To find out more get in touch by emailing engagehub@handcrafted.org.uk.

Image depicting someone helping another person up a mountain

Testimonials

I have referred a number of offenders to Handcrafted.  The offenders can attend the project several times per week if they wish to, if not daily. This means that they have some where to go and something constructive to do with their time. They can learn new skills or continue to develop skills they already have. They are given the opportunity to try projects they would probably never have considered themselves able to do.

They all take great pride in the items they produce and some have expressed interest in forming their own small businesses on the back of the skills they have learned.

Most of my offenders have then begun to work on their own projects outside of Handcrafted, for example, one produced a bench for a new nature reserve. The offender stated that he feels he has left a legacy for other people to benefit from. Again, this gives them something constructive to do with their time, gives them a sense of pride and self worth. All of this is extremely positive for the offender and helps to deter from further offending.

Lesley G, Durham Constabulary

We use cookies

We use Cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and personalise your experience. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

OK