About GoldStar 
| Name | Age |
Project |
|---|---|---|
 Case study C |
Volunteer Centre Westminster |
C is originally from Chad. He has been in the UK since May 2005.
C indicated that the first time he heard about the Volunteer Centre in Westminster was while he was doing an English course in Westminster. He met someone who talked about volunteering. This contact supplied C with information on the Volunteer Centre. The Volunteer Centre then followed this up with a phone call inviting C to come in. Following a visit to the Volunteer Centre C became a volunteer within the active Futures Project that supports those homeless and/or refugees or asylum seekers into volunteering.
C has been at the Volunteer Centre since October 2005.
Volunteering has helped C start to adapt to living in the UK. He commented:
“When I first arrived in the UK I didn’t have any knowledge about the system…for example, housing, education nothing like that. It was difficult for me, even for basic needs. When I started to volunteer I had a little bit of training to be familiar with UK systems”.
“It is very, very important. I am living in this country so I have to have the knowledge”.
C also identifies a number of other benefits of volunteering, commenting:
“My confidence is now higher”.
“They are helping me more than I suppose I feel like I am giving”.
“You are meeting different people here”…"Coming here I started to get to know everybody"
