Hi, I’m Tyler – a 29-year-old from Bristol. I’ve recently returned from four days of volunteering in northern France with RefYouMe, a volunteering organisation that connects people to grassroots charities like Refugee Community Kitchen and Care4Calais.
There’s so much I could share about the experience, but I thought it’d be useful to focus on five of the questions I’ve been asked, plus some of the misconceptions I had before I went that were put right.
A typical day will depend on the charity you are volunteering with.
With RefYouMe, you could be volunteering with Care4Calais, Refugee Community Kitchen, Roots, or The Woodyard.
If we take Care4Calais as an example, here’s what a typical day looked like for me.
8.30 - Wake up and head to breakfast with the RefYouMe team.
9.00 - 10.00 Drive to the Care4Calais warehouse for a briefing.
10 – 11.45 - Volunteer in the Care4Calais warehouse. We spent time sorting donations, loading the vans for distribution, and helping to cook lunch for the volunteers.
11.45 - 1.00 – Lunch break!
1.00 - Get briefed on the afternoon and prepare to leave the warehouse.
1.30 - 4.30 - Drive to a distribution site in Calais or Dunkirk for an afternoon of volunteering. I was handing out clothing and making hot drinks, while my colleague Tom taught English.
4.30 - Head back to the warehouse for a debrief.
5.30 - Drive back to our youth hostel and prepare for dinner with the RefYouMe team.
I met upwards of 50 people over the four days I was in France.
Some were fresh out of university; others retired. Some were volunteering over the few days they could take off work; others had been in Calais for more than a year. Some were with friends; many were alone.
Everyone had a different story to tell, but it didn’t matter who they were or where they came from. What mattered was that everyone banded together to support the charities that needed it most.
You don’t need any specialist skills to volunteer in Calais with RefYouMe – I certainly didn’t have any! If you can sort clothes, chop vegetables, or simply make a cup of tea, you can make a difference.
That said, there are ways to lend expertise if you have it. I met people supporting Care4Calais with their bike repair or sewing services, for instance. Or, if you’re handy with an axe, you could help to chop wood in the The Woodyard.
Plus, the organisations always gave us opportunities to adapt activities to our abilities. This might be by taking breaks from standing in the kitchen, or by asking for help with lifting boxes.
Also, you can always tell someone if you don’t feel comfortable with an activity, or ask for support from a team leader if you’re feeling stressed.
Distribution is where you’ll travel to a site in Calais or Dunkirk todistribute supplies and services directly to displaced people.
I didn’t have to go out on a distribution if I didn’t feel comfortable.Both RefYouMe and the individual charities’ team leaders made this reallyclear.
I decided to go, and I’m glad I did. Visiting a distribution site helpedme understand how the charities work alongside each other to make an impact.
I felt very safe volunteering in Calais for three major reasons:
· Personal safety was a priority for the charities and organisations Iworked with. From giving safety briefings when using equipment, to making surewe didn’t take photos without informed consent, it felt like my safety had beenconsidered at all times.
· I was never alone, even when I was volunteering in a kitchen or awarehouse. I was certainly never alone when I went to a distribution site. Weall travelled together with team leads checking in on us regularly.
· I had the RefYouMe team around me! From arriving late in Calais, togoing for dinner together, I had Co-founder Emma and the rest of theRefYouMe team for support whenever I needed it.
I had a lot of questions about volunteering in Calais before I went, butI couldn’t fault the RefYouMe team for the level of support they gave me.
If you still have further questions, you’ll find lots of FAQs on the website. There’s plenty of informationhere about what to expect, so that you can begin to prepare for your own trip.
I’d also recommend keeping an eye on RefYouMe’s Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn for an insider look at the volunteeringexperience. I’ve shared lots of photographs and videos from inside the charity kitchens and warehouses, which will give you a clearer picture of what toexpect.
If you can spare a weekend and the cost of the trip then we will organise everything else to get you to Calais, so you can see for yourself the importance of direct support and giving and the difference you can make.
All donated funds are directed to the grassroots charities on the ground helping refugees in Calais and used for the most urgent requirements and those most desperately in need. If you would rather purchase an item of need please go to our shop and see exactly where you money goes.
