An interview with Project Manager Aubyn

What does your daily routine involve with regards to the Westminster Refugee Consortium?
Advice surgeries, fundraising, premises management, staff and volunteer supervision, community networking.

What are your responsibilities?
Managing a community center and the people who work there.
What difficulties do you face within the Westminster Refugee Consortium? Not being able to provide the level of service the refugee communities are demanding. No funding at present.

With which other charities/groups/councils do you interact? Does this interaction require a lot of work?

23 other refugee organizations, adult educations, Paddington development trust, Westbourne neighborhood forum, Westminster city council, NHS Westminster. Requires work.

What are your specific goals/aims for the Westminster Refugee Consortium?
To make it a sustainable center which responds to the social welfare and re-settlement needs of refugees.

How have government policy changes affected the Westminster Refugee Consortium and its mission?
Real reduction in service and reliance on volunteers significantly – due to the withdrawal of all the funding. We have had to ask organizations for fees to use the space in the center.

What is your opinion of media portrayal of Refugees/Asylum Seekers entering the UK?
Very poor especially the Daily Mail which is a national newspaper.

How does Westminster Refugee Consortium differ from elsewhere you may have worked?
The activities and services are specific to the refugee communities only – unity within the community should be improved.

Memorable/success stories?
Please share them with us…As an organization who aid re-settlement and helping people in destitution, in the past 18 months the WRC has achieved the following; during the years 2009/10 and April 2010 to February 2011, 849 and 1,066 received help accessing basic welfare aid. In 2009/10, 23 volunteers gaining work experience; 3 of our volunteers secured jobs as cashiers in local stores; 4 took up full-time education; 2 trained and passed NVQ 2 Advice & Advocacy; 1 volunteer undertook a 6 months’ work experience placement at Hammersmith & Fulham Council learning about receipts and invoicing.