Meet Tyler, one of our new volunteers! She’ll be heading to Calais later this year with her colleague, Tom, to volunteer with The Woodyard and Care4Calais.
They’ll be documenting their experiences, from now until the trip itself, to give future volunteers an idea of what to expect.
Here’s a little more about Tyler, and why she’s heading to Calais with RefYouMe.
Of course! I’m 29 and I live in Bristol with my partner and a cat we recently adopted. I was born in Bristol and have lived here ever since, aside from going to uni in Nottingham and spending the best part of a year teaching English in Vietnam. On my evenings and weekends, I spend time swimming and growing as much as possible at a local allotment. I also volunteer once a week with the Alzheimer’s Society.
For work, I’m a Content Writer at a marketing agency called Estrella Ventures. From Monday to Friday, you’ll find me writing blogs, website content, brochures, social media posts, and everything in between for purpose-led companies.
This now includes RefYouMe! I really believe in what RefYouMe does, so I’m looking forward to helping the team spread more awareness through content marketing and social media.
It can often feel like we’re really helpless when we read the news and hear stories about war, climate emergencies, and oppression. But we’re not helpless – there’s always something we can do. If I can give just a few days of my time to helping Calais-based charities – whether it’s sorting through donations or making cups of tea – then I’d like to do so.
Through work, I can also dedicate two days to volunteering each year. I think it’s really important to take this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to encouraging my colleagues to make use of their days too.
RefYouMe makes it really easy to volunteer in Calais, so booking a supported trip with them seemed like a no-brainer. I think I’d be quite stressed trying to plan everything myself; I wouldn’t know where to begin!
Crucially, I wouldn’t know where to direct my time to make the biggest positive impact. Luckily, RefYouMe is going to connect us to grassroots charities in Calais, so we can be sure that we're helping out organisations doing genuinely incredible work.
The RefYouMe team is also helping my colleague Tom and I to arrange transport and accommodation. We’ll be getting a minibus from Bath and staying in a local hostel, with everything from the ferry crossing to mealtimes planned out. It means we can focus on lending a hand wherever it’s needed!
I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I’m looking forward to connecting with the charities working on the ground in Calais. If I can help out as much as possible while I’m there, and then encourage more of my colleagues and friends to go and volunteer too, then I’ll feel like I’ve made a difference – even if it’s small.
Keep up with Tyler and Tom as they prepare to volunteer in Calais by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can also read more volunteer stories here for greater insight into what each trip entails.
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.
