Words by Smiley Team
Volunteers will be able to understand and learn the best ways they can support refugees in a free online course.
The free Future Learn online course – 'Volunteering with Refugees' – runs over three weeks, and teaches people about strategies and techniques for identifying the diverse needs of refugees and asylum seekers. "You’ll develop your knowledge of the emotional and linguistic needs of those settling into life in a new country, and the role you can play in supporting them," says the course overview.
It has been developed by experts from Cambridge University Press & Assessment and The Human Hive, an organisation which provides training and support for changemakers so they can co-create solutions to global problems with others.
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The award-winning course is being relaunched on 30 May and covers topics such as structuring learning, supporting learning with resources, working in a crisis classroom environment and understanding key linguistic and cultural differences.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions of people which has created a huge demand for learning support in countries across Europe," said Francesca Woodward, global managing director for English at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
"There are also huge numbers of refugees elsewhere in the world who need language resources and additional learning support. The course has already helped thousands of volunteers, so we relaunched it as a contribution to the inspiring work being done by teachers all over the world to support refugees."
When the course was originally launched, it was accessed by more than 8,000 people and it won the Alliance Excellence Award from the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals.
The course is the latest in a raft of support measures from Cambridge, including a recent series of webinars to support English teachers helping those affected by the current crisis in Ukraine. This series explored the many aspects of teaching in a difficult setting including working with no textbooks and resources and supporting young learners who may have experienced trauma.
TAKE THE COURSE: You can find out more about how to get started on the free course on Future Learn.
GET INVOLVED: Find out how you can get involved in the Human Hive and support the UN's SDGs.
