b.friend
The b.friend project provides asylum seekers and refugees in Bristol with one-to-one support. We match a volunteer with an asylum seeker or refugee for a period of up to one year, and equip them with the tools and support they need to meet regularly for companionship and support.
Befriending is listening, drinking tea, laughing, being compassionate, hearing difficult stories, showing empathy, visiting a museum or art gallery, being committed, going for a walk together, learning from another culture… and it can have a profound impact on both the volunteer and the person they meet with!
To find out more about befriending, or to sign up as a volunteer, please click the button below.
To refer someone to the project who needs support, please fill in the online Referral Form.
We work closely with Aid Box Connections, a 12-week program for refugees and asylum seekers who are isolated and seeking lasting friendship and community run by Aid Box Community
VolunteerResettlement b.friend
Alongside our regular b.friend programme, 'Resettlement b.friend' is a specific project which provides a warm welcome to families who are being resettled in Bristol by the City Council. Our volunteer befrienders give up a little bit of their time each week to meet with them, providing a warm welcome, a listening ear, support with learning English, and help with getting around the city. We provide our volunteers with training and with ongoing support in order to fulfil this invaluable role. To volunteer as a befriender for resettled families in Bristol, or to find out more, please click the button below.
Contact UsWithout b.friend, other service providers would have nowhere to refer some of the most isolated of our clients, whose isolation and exclusion would then be more likely to become entrenched.
Kate shows me everything I need in Bristol. She came along at the right time. I felt so lonely but now I don’t feel like that. Someone cares about me. She is like my sister and I don’t want to lose her.
The training was very lively and interesting. I learnt so much. It was great to meet with other people wanting to befriend and make a difference.
If you have an hour and a half to spare each week then befriending an asylum seeker or refugee could be for you. We run regular training for volunteers who wish to befriend.
For more information on becoming a befriender, contact us.