Companion Volunteer Training - Sept 2026

Alternative Date: • 31 October 2026. Location: Toongabbie Presbyterian Church Companion Volunteer Training: Note: This training will be run with an abbreviated format. When you register, you will be sent a link with some videos and reading to be completed before the training day. Asylum seekers and refugees are people like you and me who have had to flee from their homes due to persecution or war. They face many challenges as they grieve what they have left behind; learn new language, new culture, new systems; face marginalisation and stigmatisation. Sydney Refugee Team Companions are local couples and individuals who are willing and available to regularly visit one refugee family. Visitation helps break down barriers of isolation as English is practiced in a non-threatening environment and easy-going conversation. Fear of the unknown is reduced by having someone for company when going shopping or to an appointment. The offer of authentic friendship helps create a safe environment for refugee families. Our refugee and asylum seeker friends are freed to more easily embrace a new life looking forwards to a positive future. This Companion Volunteer Training prepares you to share the hope of Jesus in the context of friendship with a refugee family. It provides foundational training for all Sydney Refugee Team Volunteers. The training helps you to think about and understand their experience and the issues they face. We will explore what the Bible says about how God sees refugees and how we respond to them. Other topics include: communicating cross-culturally; refugee trauma; self-care; complex Australian refugee systems. You will gain an understanding of the role of a Companion and think about ways that you can share the hope of Jesus with people who are seeking asylum and refuge. Further Information: The Companion Volunteer Training prepares you to be a Sydney Refugee Team Volunteer. At the completion of the training, all volunteers must: • complete a volunteer application • provide a current NSW Working With Children Check (WWCC) number • provide a certificate of completion of Working with Children and Vulnerable Persons training Helper volunteers can participate in all activities with supervised contact with refugee families, including Weekends Away, Picnics, and Food Parcel Team. Volunteers who wish to wish to visit people in their homes as a Companion Volunteer or participate in Freedom to Flourish groups must complete a more detailed application form and provide two references.