Volunteer Trustee

What will you be doing?

We are actively seeking Trustees to help us to continue to welcome and connect refugees and people seeking asylum. We are looking for trustees who are enthusiastic about our work and our values. We believe that a range of both professional and life experiences - including lived experience of the immigration and asylum system - are important in strengthening the board’s ability to maximise the charity’s effectiveness.

What are we looking for?

Whether you come with relevant personal/life experiences and/or professional experience we are looking for people who are: 

Curious - it's important to ask questions Thoughtful - reflecting on issues is important to good decision making Effective and responsive listeners - we need to hear what people are saying to us Interested in cultural diversity - living out the diversity that underpins our vision is crucial Good team players - valuing others is the basis for working together Dependable - it's important people turn up

To be an effective board of trustees we also need some people with some of the following abilities: 

Forward thinking, able to identify issues to consider now in relation to future plans and trends.  Longer-term thinkers with the strategic abilities to help Refugee Futures to prioritise, to maximise use of resources and be sustainable.  Ability to thrive on organisational development and change.  Practical, able to ask difficult questions to bring strategy and vision down-to-earth.  Approachable qualities - we need people who are open and welcoming.  Good communicators able to articulate the difference we make and positive narratives about people seeking asylum including via social media and report writing.  Analytical thinkers and/or able to approach problems and issues from alternative perspectives.  A positive attitude to learning, which is key to our development, collective decision-making and team work. 

The Board is a welcoming group and we wish to build on its strengths, including a diverse range of life and work experience in the public sector, charities and other not for profit organisations, business, and also with lived experience of the immigration and asylum process.  

What difference will you make?

You will make a big difference! By volunteering with us you will support Refugee Futures to continue to grow, allowing us to welcome and connect more refugees and people seeking asylum across Stockton.