Gardener needed for community garden project
Volunteering 13 April 2018
About Us
Room to Heal is a human rights charity and therapeutic community based in London. We support refugees and asylum seekers who have survived torture, trafficking and other gross human rights abuses to rebuild their lives in exile through an integrated programme of therapeutic and casework assistance. At the heart of our work lies the cultivation of community, through which our members can restore meaningful relationships with themselves and others, overcoming the legacy of their traumatic experiences. We have over 100 members from 30 different countries.
About the role
Fridays are an occasion for our community to enjoy a meal, sit by the fire and be together as a group outside our office space. We meet in the beautiful Culpeper Community Garden at 3pm, and our members cook a meal with the help of our volunteers. We are currently looking for an experienced gardener to help us develop a small garden plot at Culpeper garden in Angel.
The gardening will take place between 3pm and 4.30pm, following which our meal will be served. You are welcome to stay for our freshly cooked dinner.
As a garden volunteer working with vulnerable people we will ask you do complete a DBS check.
This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with our community and develop a new project. You will be working as a team with our members and volunteers, although you will be leading the gardening project on your own whilst our volunteers and chef of the day prepare our evening meal.
Your tasks will include:
- Helping to organise all aspects of our plot: encouraging our members to help out in our garden plot, coming up with ideas of what to plant in collaboration with our members, plot maintenance, weeding and harvesting, and more.
- You will be the main volunteer working on the plot with our members and will be our main point of contact for this project- however our volunteers will help you where necessary.
- Have fun and become part of our community! Fridays are a core part of our community model, as we believe in the power of sharing food and gardening are beneficial to therapeutic work.
We can offer:
- monthly supervision with an external therapist
- freshly cooked dinner
- travel fare reimbursed
Person Specification
Essential:
- Available on Friday 3pm-5.30pm
- Growing and gardening experience
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Able to lead gardening project in our plot
- Ability to deal sensitively and empathically with vulnerable people
- Interest in community garden projects
- Likes working collaboratively in a team
- Commitment to adhering to confidentiality
Desirable:
- Knowledge and understanding of issues facing asylum seekers and refugees
- Interest in therapeutic gardening
How to apply
Please send a CV and cover letter to Iman Nafi at iman@roomtoheal.org. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.