Kayla is a student from Brigham Young University in the United States who joined JRS UK on a 3-month internship placement working with the Practical Support, Activities, Casework, and Detention Outreach Teams. She shares her reflections on the impact that the people at JRS UK have had on her experience.
My time at JRS UK has been life-changing. It is truly a unique experience to be able to go to work every day and feel like what you do makes a difference in the life of someone else. Whether I was assisting with activities, casework, or admin, I was able to do my small part – but what I got back was so much more.
JRS UK is a true community where everyone benefits from the presence and efforts of its members
I had the opportunity to work with four different teams at JRS UK. With the Practical Support Team, I helped with projects that keep the organisation running, including coordinating and organising the Shop, where refugee friends can choose from a range of healthy fresh food, clothes, and toiletries, free of charge. The Shop offers vital help to refugee friends who are cut off from all support systems and barred from accessing public funds. With the Activities Team, I was able to assist with a variety of community-building activities, like the JRS UK drama workshops, and meet so many fantastic people. With the Casework Team, I supported with triaging people who wanted to register with our service, checking their eligibility, following up on relevant documentation and signposting elsewhere when needed. With the Detention Outreach Team, I learned so much from reading the cases about individuals facing removal under the UK-France One-in, One-out Policy and compiling statistics to be used in reports by JRS UK and collaborators.
During my internship, I also had opportunities to get to know the local area through trips organised by JRS UK. I accompanied an English language class, one of the activities JRS UK holds for refugee friends, to Kensington Palace. I also participated in the London Legal Walk, which JRS UK takes part in annually to raise money for legal work. With the Detention Outreach Team, I even sat in on a hearing that was part of a significant legal challenge to the Government’s new policy of removing some protections for people who had experienced Modern Slavery or Trafficking. That policy, which affected both children and adults, was ruled unlawful by the High Court.
Each team I worked with gave me a glimpse at the way this organisation works together towards the common good of everyone in it. JRS UK has created a beautiful community of people striving to build a place of meaning and belonging for all. People here come from so many backgrounds and life experiences. Whether you are speaking with refugee friends, volunteers or staff, you are nothing short of seen and loved. The people here embody kindness, and you leave feeling as if you have truly connected to something greater than yourself.
The people at JRS UK are truly the best part of the organisation
I am amazed at how well this organisation carries out its aim to advocate, accompany, and serve. I have been in a unique position to witness the breadth of work being done at JRS UK, and have been impressed by the way everyone across the organisation goes above and beyond what they are asked to do. They truly live the principles they believe in. I have watched people reach out, walk with, and lift up those they interact with. I have watched a busy colleague stop and make time for a conversation with a refugee friend who was having a hard day. I’ve heard colleagues and refugee friends discuss issues that are important to them and propose solutions to the problems. The true beauty here is that each action is not necessarily expected, but it is the norm. There is so much that I admire about this organisation, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be part of it.
My time at JRS UK will undoubtedly shape my future career and the way I lead my life
Regardless of where my path takes me, I know I will benefit from the variety of skills I gained during my time at JRS UK. From learning how to seamlessly move between teams and tasks and working with a variety of systems, to developing emotional resilience and understanding people a little better. Most importantly, my time at JRS UK has taught me lessons that changed the way I view life. In watching the beautiful selflessness of the JRS UK community, I have learned more about who I want to become. I strongly encourage anyone looking for an internship to consider joining the community here. It is impossible to leave unchanged for the better.
